Light meter - yes or no?

Light meter - yes or no?

  • Always use light meter

    Votes: 284 32.1%

  • Never use light meter

    Votes: 43 4.9%

  • Generally don't bother

    Votes: 118 13.3%

  • Generally use one if I can

    Votes: 439 49.7%
  • Total voters
    884
If I'm shooting a commercial job - particularly with lighting involved - I always meter.

If I'm shooting film for myself with vintage equipment, I never meter.
 
I never used a light meter with my IIIc and just guessed the settings based on experience. I'd usually end up with a few shots on a roll under or over exposed, but the rest of them turned out fine.

With my M6 I pretty much do the same thing, but I'll use the light meter for the more drastic changes in light.
 
ernstk said:
I'm not convinced by film 'latitude' as on most exposures, you're already using the complete tonal range of the film.
Ernst
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The latitude determines how the picture turns out, where the emphasis is.

Hey Paulfish! Where are those pictures? (Walgreens C-41 machine just tanked, but fortunately on the roll after mine, talk about anticipation, I have an important roll to develop)
 
it's fun and instructional to guess exposure, and using the f16 rule or film-pack info, shear experience, gamble, will most often produce reasonably well exposed images. But for any consistency, if you really don't want to take a chance on that must have shot in difficult lighting conditions, you simply can't do without metering to back up your guestimate... or WAG - if you really don't care, then the bests are off - just have fun and rejoice and pat yourself on the back if and when when 'it comes out'...
 
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On direct sun I know 100% what settings to use with any film. On bright/normal overcast, or in the shadows on a sunny day, my guessing is perfect too, or very close to that... But below that, from heavy overcast to narrow streets, to lower light, to interiors or night shots, no doubt a meter helps... And if we add pushed film to the situation, guessing is a riskier business...

Cheers,

Juan
 
Using a light meter

Using a light meter

I generally set the camera according to intuition and then correct as necessary once the camera is up to my eye (M6).
 
Sunny 16 has worked for me so far. Then again, Legacy Pro 400 seems to be pretty forgiving. I have some Velvia 50 in my M3 right now. I suppose I may be forced to eat my words here as soon as I get it developed...
 
Juan's post sounds a bit boastful but I agree with him about 'any film' inasmuch as we so often hear that you have to meter accurately for transparencies, whereas in good light outdoors sunny 16 or the earlier packet inserts did as well or better than a meter very often. I had a month in Italy, in summer, without a meter many years ago and because I still wasn't that good with my CdS meter at home and needed to learn on the fly with the packet insert exposure instructions, and had not then heard of sunny 16, I shot lots of rolls of K64 and even 25 with better results than I might have had with my reflected readings, not then having learnt the benefits of incident either.
 
I have several and usually carry either my Metrastar or Weston Ranger 9. Depending on what and how I am shooting as well as what with I either start with a meter reading and then my eyes for final or, my eyes and confirm with a meter to make sure I am not too far off. For many years I was well within 1/4 fo an f/stop when estimating and then checking the meter but as my photographing has declined and I've gone for some period doing none, I am finding I need to reacquire the skill but I can still come within 1-2 f/stops and usually within 1 1/2 but, with some more practice I am confident of getting back to my old self.
 
Richard G said:
Juan's
...

earlier packet inserts did as well or better than a meter very often.
...
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I and others have said this before. I used the inserts for years before getting an exposure meter, and it always worked well. In lighting situations not covered, I just used an experienced guess.

I don't think most films come with an instert, or even printed instructions on the inside of the box, but some still have the latter. If not, google is your friend, as a search here http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e190/e190.pdf will show.

But of course, I now usually use a light meter in camera or hand held.
 
I' don't really bother using one. With a couple of my cameras having a dead meter, I got accustomed to use the rule of 16. I even find sometimes arguing with my DSLR's lightmeter over the correct exposure and many times I am spot on. :)
 
I think it is not necessary to use a light meter, and even to focus or to look what you are taking the photos of. This way the surprise will be a permanet fixture of your art.
 
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