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
Way, way back, in those olden days, when the Rockies were lower and there was only AM radio I had a Brownie Hawkeye. I only used Verichrome 620 film in it.

Each box of Verichrome had a little slip of paper in it that gave me complete instructions for all lighting conditions. This "light meter" never failed. http://www.davidrichert.com/brownie_hawkeye.htm

I can't get Verichrome anymore and I can't remember what happened to my Brownie Hawkeye after 55 or so years. Now I always take a light meter because even though I have a totally new fangled M2, it actually has no built in meter. I need the security.

I was holding up my Sekonic L28C2 ( the selenium meter from the ''60s) for a security reading and a young fellow thought I was chimping a little digicam. He told me this was the smallest little camera he'd ever seen.
 
Even if the camera has a built in meter, I carry allways a handheld one to help if needed.
That´s because most of my cameras either have a non working meter or have a selenium one which isn´t suited for low light. Sunny f 16 rule works fine, but my eyes can sometimes fool me, then a meter saves the day.

Cheers
Ernesto
 
Paul McCartney's wife Linda was a photographer. When interviewed she was asked about a particular photograph over 12 years old and did she recall the shot. She replied without missing a beat that she'd taken the shot at f8.0 and 1/125th. The amazed interviewer asked how she could remember, let alone be so certain.

"I always used those settings for my BW shots like these" was her answer.

I think the 'Sunny 16' or visual estimation is possible if you only shoot one film. I don't. I'll shoot ISO's ranging from 100 to 3200 in a day. Additionally I regularly find my image's exposure changing during a series of 3 takes of a subject. I'm actually amazed at how the light will change and I haven't received any visual indicators of the change.

I meter and on top of that I bracket. Especially when I know I will never be back to shoot a specific subject that I know is a good photograph. Why 'roll the dice' in a one time opportunity.

Finally a zen moment. If light meters weren't necessary they wouldn't be made. There's an entire industry devoted to light meters. Must be a valid reason behind using them.

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If you want to see how different your exposures will be; shoot a DSLR in all three of the metering modes. Then compare the results with the image info button. Even worse forget to take it off 'spot meter' and try to shoot a contrasty indoor scene. Metering takes experience and to me it is hard. I usually have 2or3 meters with me. My VC II has a very narrow reflective reading and my Sekonic L308s has a wider, but not as wide as my Sekonic Master IV . Sometimes, if I'm totally confused (especially if you throw incident readings in) I take out my Pentax P3n (its meter I really like) and just use it for another camera.
 
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A meter helps with excellent and consistent exposures. Even if you could get printable exposures without a meter, printing is much easier from negative to negative when all the frames to be printed are properly exposed. And the best prints most easily achieved come from accurately exposed negatives.

If you are shooting in such consistent lighting conditions that you know your exposure and the meter only confirms it, there you go—an excellent exposure is the goal, so you can make the best print easily.
 
Exposure is a VERY complex and interesting part of photography. Those of us having invested an amount of effort there for many years, know how rewarding it can be when precisely attended. I agree with Roger Hicks, bmattock, charjohncarter, zeissfan and the others that respect precise exposure based on a judgement AND variations -with multiple options- after a reading made by a well known device used for long in several different light situations with different kinds of film.

We know we can guess a lot of times and be right too... But that's good for nothing unless we know the way slide / B&W / color negative work in sun or overcast or indoors... It is possible to use ANY device: reflective in camera, incident, spot, but those readings are just a guide, and the most important part is how much more or less light we decide to give to the film. The way I see it is, we have to get skills in different fields around it, so after years we MIGHT be able to be skilled at exposing...

The only case I can take a literal reading and use it at box speed and have a perfect exposure, is slide film on a sunny day with the sun behind me and an incident reading. For the rest of situations, and that is 95% of my shots, I know what I must change in both directions. The way to learn how to expose is using one device only and one film only in all kind of conditions and make notes, and then do it again and write new notes, and then do it again. THEN we find out what's happening... And I swear with a satisfied smile that cost me lots of time and money for long years of experiments: there are LOTS of things happening...

I have met very few people good at exposing, no matter the metering device, including old photographers. One of the things that took me the longest to learn, was that precise exposure for negatives -both color and B&W- is JUST AS IMPORTANT as for slide film: of course from negatives we can do things and get “a good image”, but when it's perfect, no half stop up or down, the image really shines. Bracketing can help to get one important shot, but the sad truth is that bracketing helps to make bad, weak photographers... We are here to be brave, and to take the risk, once and again...


Cheers,


Juan
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
I have met very few people good at exposing, no matter the metering device, including old photographers.

Juan
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You need to get out more; I haven't missed an exposure in recent memory. The only exceptions are when I get those half frames when I am counting down the film to "1" to get started -- and they are usually unfocused pictures of the ground.

I just started testing my un-metered cameras. I use my digital point and shoot to get the general exposure, and with that information calibrate an ancient GE selenium meter that I nearly threw out with the Styrofoam peanuts from a camera purchase.

The GE has f-stop numbers on a wheel (unsure of their use) that give me shutter prefered metering. I just put the f-stop on the meter on the lens, and yes, all the pictures have been properly exposed so far. And bracketing has produced predictable results.

I am doing the testing with a big batch of rite-aid film that is very sensitive to over-exposure, or even bright spots in the composition. This creates an excellent stress test with an even field with a higher bar for comparing lenses.
 
literiter said:
Way, way back, in those olden days, when the Rockies were lower and there was only AM radio I had a Brownie Hawkeye. I only used Verichrome 620 film in it.

Each box of Verichrome had a little slip of paper in it that gave me complete instructions for all lighting conditions. This "light meter" never failed. http://www.davidrichert.com/brownie_hawkeye.htm

I can't get Verichrome anymore and I can't remember what happened to my Brownie Hawkeye after 55 or so years. Now I always take a light meter because even though I have a totally new fangled M2, it actually has no built in meter. I need the security.

I was holding up my Sekonic L28C2 ( the selenium meter from the ''60s) for a security reading and a young fellow thought I was chimping a little digicam. He told me this was the smallest little camera he'd ever seen.
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Right on both counts. I took a lot of photos in the 60s using the data sheet in the film box. That includes crime scene photos in Vietnam, and a few times with Kodachrome. I have used a Sekonic L28c2 since about 1976. I love that meter. I have three different Gossen Luna Pro models, and I like them. But if I had to drop down to one meter, it would be the L28c2.
 
I always use a meter. It's way more accurate than a guestimate or sunny 16. Also I'm not convinced by film 'latitude' as on most exposures, you're already using the complete tonal range of the film.

Ernst
 
Nighttime is the exception; there is no way to meter street scenes. I bracket a lot, and then try to remember what worked best where. Again, my Kodak digital point and shoot has a pretty good exposure program, though the math can be daunting -- the program works a lot better for me than the Canon XTi's.
 
Always use one....well, 90% of the time

Always use one....well, 90% of the time

I generally will use the on board meter. With the M5..the excellent selective spot meter is my favorite type. (Why I bought the M5 over the M6/TTL). With my Pentax K20d, I use the Multi-Section most, but, I like the center weighted also. I don't use the finer spot too often. But I can use the sunny 16 guide also in a pinch.
 
john_van_v said:
One long war crime! Must have run a lot of rolls, Nikon?
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Everyone has their point of view. I had a Welta Welti (and belieive it or not, sometimes a Minolta 16). The Welta was the preferred camera. Used them for all types of crimes.
 
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