Lighting Light meters

[Ripleysbaby]

ive always considered the Ricoh GR metering ( on my copy anyway) to be a little sensitive. I mean it seems to go from over to underexposed and back with very little movement of the camera. It’s like I’m in spot meter mode all the time. Combine that with sun on the screen and high contrast scene and it gets irritating.
It’s times like that when I will actually use spot metering off a mid grey and use the ae lock.
I’m beginning to consider buying an incident light meter . I was always happy with the results in my film days.
The question is , do light meters still have a place in this digital age ? Should I spend money on one or save it and buy a grey card ?

 

[Richard]

To my mind it partly defeats the object of using a very compact camera if you need to carry a separate light meter around with you too. Likewise the grey card, unless it folds up neatly. Back when I was shooting slide film I would use my camera bag as a reasonable approximation to 18% grey, which served me well. That approach depends entirely on the material of your camera bag, of course. I would also meter off grass when I was out and about, which I've just discovered is slightly darker than 18% grey, so you need to decrease exposure by a stop or so if you use that method.

-R

 

[Ripleysbaby]

Thanks for the reply. In retrospect I should just have asked wether a light meter has a place in a digital shooters camera bag ?

 

[Bobby T]

We used to get grey paint sample cards from the local home improvement store for small grey cards.

Light meters are still widely used by a lot of photographers in the digital era. The ratio of those who do not use them to those who do is kind of skewed. Due to there being a huge number of people with cameras now who never shot with a light meter. Or are purely hobbyists/parents who only know about the camera and lenses it came with. And would most likely not use a light meter even if they did know about it.

Sekonic is still making light meters, some costing north of $500. Also, there are light meters which are an add on piece plus app for mobile devices. Something you may want to try first is one of the "light meter" apps. There are several free versions. One of these give you what you need without any costs out of pocket.

 

[Ripleysbaby]

We used to get grey paint sample cards from the local home improvement store for small grey cards.

Light meters are still widely used by a lot of photographers in the digital era. The ratio of those who do not use them to those who do is kind of skewed. Due to there being a huge number of people with cameras now who never shot with a light meter. Or are purely hobbyists/parents who only know about the camera and lenses it came with. And would most likely not use a light meter even if they did know about it.

Sekonic is still making light meters, some costing north of $500. Also, there are light meters which are an add on piece plus app for mobile devices. Something you may want to try first is one of the "light meter" apps. There are several free versions. One of these give you what you need without any costs out of pocket.

Thanks for the info. Once again I forgot about apps ! But wouldn’t I have to find a translucent dome to cover my phone

 

[Bobby T]

Thanks for the info. Once again I forgot about apps ! But wouldn’t I have to find a translucent dome to cover my phone

The stand alone apps work through your phone's camera. But, some of them work pretty well. The paid apps sell you a translucent dome piece which plugs into your phone.

 

[Covey22]

The interiors of all my Lowepro camera bags (I only use this brand) approximate mid-tone. There's still a problem of when the light falling on the subject is different than the ambient light that's around you and the bag (telephoto shots).
I personally look to ETTR and get to within a half- stop of ideal exposure. There's not really a consistent, reliable way to get it 100 percent in-camera. Dynamic range is often the biggest obstacle. Stretch the histogram as far right as you can without blowing highlights, some light post processing gets the rest.