Light meter metering modes

[V0IGTLANDER]

I've just acquired a sekonic light meter. Am a bit confused when incident mode and reflected mode should be used. Camera build-in metering is of the latter type. So when do we use incident light metering? Hope someone can give some guidance.

 

[peter_n]

I would say use it when you can. Most meter instruction manuals I have read treat incident metering as the primary mode and reflected as the backup when you can't read incident. Incident is more accurate.

I took a number of pics in bars recently late at night and I had a Minolta AF III meter with me. The design of that meter is such that the incident cone has a bayonet mount and separates from the meter when you take it off. By chance I never had the cone with me when I was making these shots and most of them are underexposed. 🙁 This of course was entirely my own fault but I have rectified the situation by buying a Quantum meter that is designed so that the cone swivels on and off the sicicon photodiode sensor but stays on the meter. 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

The problem with reflective metering is, the meter measures only the reflected light and has no idea if that comes from a white or a black subject. If you let the meter decide, he will try to make a black cat and a white cat (on two separate frames) the same 13(or 18?) % gray.
The incident meter measures the light falling on the subjeect, and is not influenced by the colour, reflectiveness etc of the subject itself, therefore a white cat remains a white cat, a black cat remains a black cat.

 

[jwcat]

Elegant explaination Pherdinand...my mental problem is getting up to those cats to take a reading. Or a bird in flight. I have a mental block here.

John

 

[Beniliam]

I uses always the ttl meter of the Leica M6, its quite accurate. In difficult light conditions, like high contrast photos, I usually make a media of the high lights and black shadows. Here in Madrid, I dont use filters. Because normally the days are sunny.

 

[Pherdinand]

Well, you can ask the bird to hold that light meter for a moment. Just don't forget that both black and white cats will represent a danger for your bird picture.

 

[peter_n]

LOL what did you have for lunch Pherdi? 😉

David it was in Madrid a couple of weeks ago where I messed up my readings - in tapas bars of course! 😀 I was using the Canonet with the 40mm in those situations (I'm not using the meter in that camera). But my M6 was reading pretty well - the meter in that camera is very accurate. 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

Salmon. Smoked. No fish or cat involved.

 

[oftheherd]

VOIGHTLANDER - all the above is true. However, whichever method you use, it is still wise to use the meter between your ears. You may wish to make adjustments to bring out what you want the way you want.

I have used both and personally rather prefer the incident readings I got from my old Sekonic L28c2. But I normally used/use the readings provided by my reflective meters in my SLR's and got good photos. Sometimes I adjusted up or down when I suspected that would be needed. Don't specifically remember I ever did so for the incident readings, but probably did sometimes.

Interestingly I preferred the incident on the Sekonic, but prefer the reflective with the Gossen Luna Pro. I'm not sure why, but it seems it works best for me that way.

Bottom line is you should try both ways with the same scene at the same time, then compare the slides or negatives. Then see which you like best and adjust from that.

 

[peter_n]

Salmon. Smoked. No fish or cat involved.

Yeah but what was the salmon smoked in? 😉

 

[jwcat]

Bird feathers, tied with cat gut.

 

[Beniliam]

Why dont you uses the meter in the Canonet Peter? Isnt very accurate?

 

[peter_n]

Yes it is. I haven't got the right battery for it so I use an external meter or during the daytime I use Sunny 16. Since I generally have Neopan 400 in the camera and that film has good latitude I can get away with it, mostly. 🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

Incident is keyed to highlight and ideal for transparencies.

LIMITED-AREA reflective (close-up or spot) can be used to meter shadows and ensure adequate exposure for negatives even in contrasty lighting -- which incident cannot.

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[aizan]

what does "keyed to hilight" mean?

 

[Justin Low]

I use a Sekonic 308 with the incident dome on for almost all my metering purposes. I figure that if I'm shooting outdoors, the light falling on the meter is pretty much the same light that's falling on the subject across the street. Of course, if the subject is in the shade and the meter is not, I'd adjust my exposure accordingly (one to two stops in this case).

I would think that I'd use my CLE's TTL meter primarily in an indoor situation, where the lighting is pretty localised to a spot, and I can't get close enough to put the incident meter in the same light.

I shoot black and white negative film, and my exposures have been pretty consistent with this method.

 

[Roger Hicks]

If you over-expose a transparency, the highlights 'blow' to white. Metering is therefore keyed to a highlight: the old name for incident light metering was 'artificial highlight' metering.

It's extremely difficult to over-expose a negative. What you want is good shadow detail. Metering is therefore keyed to the shadows. The only easy way to make the highlights blow is overdevelopent or use of too hard a paper grade.

For an absolutely 'normal' subject (6-7 stops brightness range) both an artificial highlight and a shadow reading will be the same. If the brightness range is greater and you use the artificial highlight; the shadows will be underexposed unless you give extra exposure. You can do this by rule of thumb or experience, as Justin Low does, or you can actually measure the shadow values and be rather more sure of accuracy even without experience.

There's a lot more about this in Photo School at www.rogerandfrances.com but it's a paid module, unlike the 2/3 of the School that's free.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[V0IGTLANDER]

Does it mean that regardless of the surface (dark/light/reflective/dull) if i meter the incident falling on it, I should get the correct exposure, even though the build--in meter of the camera indicate otherwise?

I've just ran a roll of slide using the incident metering method and will have to wait til Monday to get it back.

I would say use it when you can. Most meter instruction manuals I have read treat incident metering as the primary mode and reflected as the backup when you can't read incident. Incident is more accurate.

 

[Justin Low]

If the amount of light falling on your subject is the same as the amount of light falling on your meter, then yes, you should get a 'correct' exposure; whatever your in-camera's reflective meter suggests.