Why use a light meter?

[wlou]

As I am learning about photography a little more everyday,and new questions come up like: why use a light meter? I was reading an article from a pro in a magazine and he says he is never without a light meter. Is it necessary for good pictures? My understand is that new camera are pretty good at achieving a good rendition of light? Oh, there are so many thing to understand, and its fun! Any help is appreciated.

[Polar01]

Louise I think a lot of it depends on the type of images you take, if you are going people or products than getting the correct light strength is very important. If shooting landscapes it would be a lot harder as where the light is falling could be a couple of hundred feet away, or with what we are shooting the scene would range from bright harsh light all the way to items in deep shadow.. I think a light meter has it's place, depending on what shoots, as for me I shoot mainly landscapes so not for me.

Cheers: Allan

[DanK]

I am not a professional, but I have been shooting since the late 1960s and haven't used an ambient light meter since around 1972. I am sure there are situations where a meter is very helpful, but I find that I can manage tricky lighting situations well by using spot metering and thinking about how light or dark I want the metered areas to be.

[Manfred M]

Louise - I use an incident light (flash) meter for portraiture and studio type work. I find it absolutely invaluable when setting up lights in a multiple light setup. I also do use it occassionally for outdoor portraiture, especially in tricky light situations and when I use fill-flash. I use the Sekonic-358 with the radio trigger (PocketWizard) module; which really simplifies things as I work by myself without an assistant.

I may also use a narrow angle spot meter (1 degree) attachment for some other work in weird lighting situations. An example here is when I drag the shutter and am looking to underexpose the background versus the subject.

For regular photography; I tend to stick with my camera's light meter and use the histogram for guidance.

[rpcrowe]

I pretty well use my meter along the same lines as Manfred...

I have an older Sekonic L718 meter which doesn't have the bells and whistles incorporated in recent meters but does do what I want it to, it measures the light so I CAN DETERMINE THE EXPOSURE.

[JR1]

I used to use a meter but as said above I too have not used one for 20 years, in studio or out, there is so little need these days, you see an instant image now unlike film

[shreds]

There is still very much a place for light meters in certain types of photography. However, most decent cameras have fairly good meters built in. Obviously some are better than others and where you can use spot/centre weighted/matrix, it reduces the need for a meter.

I would advise that if you are unsure, then at this stage, you don't need one. You will know when the time is right, if indeed you ever need one.

I would have thought at this stage there are more important things missing from your kit bag......

[ajohnw]

Flash meters are a different matter but incident light meters often aren't suitable for many shooting situations. One instance where they can be of some use is out door portraiture as they will measure the light falling on simple subjects like that or even the reflected light off the subject which is what the camera is really interested in. In real terms this is little different to what the camera can measure if it has a large spot mode and has the same problems - metering to mid grey. Exposing black or white or any low or high colour tones to mid grey wouldn't be of much use to any one. The idea of an exposure is to finish up with dark areas being dark and light areas being light and all the tones in between being at the correct level so any metering system just based on mid tone levels is very likely to need some correction.

I have never used a flash meter but did know some one who used one daily along with several studio heads with modelling lights. The modelling lights were fine for getting the eventual lighting correct. What to do with the flash meter reading when applying it to the camera came down to experience.

Early in his career, on film, he did try using a light meter on subjects such as cars, trucks, vans and anything else that some one wanted to sell that was out doors. Customers were happy but he wasn't. He eventually found that the exposure guide that used to come on the side of a packet of film or in it gave the best results. He still waved the light meter about using it more or less as a prop to impress the customers. I suspect a lot of that sort of thing went on. Might still do so too.

Personally I feel that the best option on modern cameras is to use the fancy metering mode. Usually called matrix or something like that. It forms a fairly firm basis for when and where to apply compensation which people need to learn. I used to use centre weighted on film but on a Nikon. Unlike current centre weighted it used an oblong shape that went from the bottom of the frame to about 2/3 of the way up. The exposures were also heavily weighted to this area and on film at least this gave very predictable results probably because the scene mix it obtained was often a good approximation to mid grey. Modern cameras in my experience are not too good in this area and virtually every shot will need significant compensation.

John
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[wlou]

There is still very much a place for light meters in certain types of photography. However, most decent cameras have fairly good meters built in. Obviously some are better than others and where you can use spot/centre weighted/matrix, it reduces the need for a meter.

I would advise that if you are unsure, then at this stage, you don't need one. You will know when the time is right, if indeed you ever need one.

I would have thought at this stage there are more important things missing from your kit bag......

Ian, thanks for your response. Do you have suggestion for important things in a kit bag?

[wlou]

Thanks everyone. My favourite kind of picture is macro. I like to learn new things like Light painting, I was introduce to it by Patric Rochon, see:http://www.patrickrochon.com
I am still learning so I do a bit of everything. I love the great outdoors, bugs, flowers, everything alive. I have rarely see a topic that brings so difference responses.

[Manfred M]

Louise - what I found interesting are the responses from people who do not or have not recently used light incident light meters. Frankly, as you can probably guess, I don't agree with them, otherwise I would not carry one in my camera bag.

First of all, an incident meter only works if you can measure the light that falls on your subject; if you can't, you cannot use one. Whether it is a person or an object; point the measuring dome at the light source, it will give you the correct exposure. Landscapes and the like; well those scenes require a reflective meter.

Put a model with a very dark skin beside a model with a very light skin and try to use a reflective (i.e. in camera) matrix or spot meter to provide the the right exposure and you will be guessing and playing with exposure compensation to try to figure out the exposure. One reading with an incident light meter and you've got your exposure nailed. The same issue with a model that is back lit; a reflective meter result will need to be tweaked, but an incident meter will provide the settings to get the subject's face properly exposed.

A lot of people I know say that they can achieve the same results by using a trial and error approach using a histogram; and often they are right, but every so often I will have nailed the shot and they will have blown it...

With the type of photography you seem to be into right now; I don't think you are going to get a lot out of an external light meter.

[ajohnw]

The wiki adopts the same argument as you Manfred but also inadvertently points out the big hole in it. It mentions specular highlights causing under exposure. The problem is that if these need to be captured they really do need metering. It also mentions unusual reflectance values and again if these need to be captured they need to be metered. Incident readings are irrelevant. These aspects are why meters in general fell into disuse as camera metering of one sort or another became more reliable. That applies to incident types in particular as in order to work they have to make assumptions about reflectance which may or may not be valid. Great for photographing 18% grey cards that do not have unusual reflectance values.

One of the things I find odd about comments on them relates to landscapes. Say typical grassy ones. They can be used to measure the light that is incident on them and used to set an exposure. It might even be close to correct a lot of time and was a typical use. Much can depends on the grass and even the time of year.

If Louise really wants to know what exposure is all about the best place to look is on the wiki concerning the zone system. Exactly the same problems still hold in respect to digital cameras. It gives an excellent idea of what an exposure reading has to do to be of any use at all. Grey scales are always shown but in real terms the tones can be in any colour. The term mid grey is sometimes referred to as 18% grey or even 12% apparently in some standards.

John
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[pnodrog]

I am with John - a grey card to meter your camera off is just about as effective and much cheaper than an incident light meter. I was broken hearted when I lost my marvelous Weston meter about 30 years ago but have never felt the need to replace it.

Understanding exposure is far more important than which tool you use to determine it.

[Manfred M]

John; as I said before, those who are do not use this tool (or have not used it recently) have all kinds of opinions. Need I say more?

I primarily use my when setting up flash shots (both studio lights and Speedlights) including outdoor ones. Sorry if that was not clear, and I have used it as purely an incident light meter using ambient light. I use the Sekoninc L-358, which is a flash meter, but can also be used as both a reflective and incident meter and can be equipped with a spot metering head. Most of my shots have at least two light sources; and getting these the way I want is made a lot easier with a meter.

I know photographers who do things by trial and error (which is how I started out), but I can set up and nail my shots a lot faster and more accurately (i.e. repeatablitity) with the meter. If I had a permanent studio and left the lights set up, I could probably get away with not using this technique. but I don't, so having it speeds up my workflow a lot.

[DanK]

There may be some uses where an incident meter is helpful. However, the OP is interested in macro and light painting. An incident meter is useless for light painting. I do a great deal of macro, and I have never felt a need for an incident meter.

If you have a rudimentary understanding of the zone system (mine is very rudimentary), I think you can deal with most things using reflective spot metering and adjusting to compensate for the tonality of the area you are metering. Manfred, couldn't you spot meter off the lighter model and open up one stop? I'll be that would come very close.

In any case, Louise, my advice to you is: forget about it for now and concentrate on learning how to use the meter in your camera effectively. There is a lot to learn to make use of it well, and once you know how to use it, it will handle most situations very well. I shoot with quite a lot of experienced photographers, and I can't remember the last time I saw one pull out an incident light meter. Later on, if you find that you are doing the kinds of work where you would find an incident meter helpful, as Manfred does, buy one then.

[pnodrog]

John; as I said before, those who are do not use this tool (or have not used it recently) have all kinds of opinions. Need I say more?

I assume people that use light-meters also have all kinds of opinions. Need I say more?...

To reiterate understanding exposure is far more important than which tool you use to determine it. Which is closer to being a fact rather than an opinion.

[AB26]

Louise,

A light meter takes the guess work out of shooting with flash. If you are shooting under pressure and there is no time to “chimp” and watch the histogram, the light meter is your companion in making the job easier.

Any Pro will tell you that a light meter is a must have in your kit.

EDIT:

An example: this shot took me three test shots to get the correct exposure. If I had a light meter it would be flash, set, shoot and the exposure would have been spot on with the first shot.
This was shot with a single on camera flash bounced on the ceiling and a wall.

[GrahamS]

I use a meter to sum multiple flash bursts, to set the desired ratio between key and fill lights, to measure the difference in light level between ambient and flash and to give me the starting point for correct exposure in any studio situation. I cannot imagine not using a meter. You will not understand the use of a meter unless you understand the fundamentals of lighting and exposure.

[wlou]

All your answers are different and helpful at the same time. In short it is all about understand how a camera sees the scene, be it reading in it too much light or not enough, or the difference between a pleasing picture or not so pleasing depending on the effect you where trying to accomplish? Right?
So, for me who is 99% of the time in Manual Mode, on tripod, in the garden, preparing to shoot a bright yellow flower in the morning light, a light meter would make the job of "exposing not too bright/dark right the first time?

[Manfred M]

All your answers are different and helpful at the same time. In short it is all about understand how a camera sees the scene, be it reading in it too much light or not enough, or the difference between a pleasing picture or not so pleasing depending on the effect you where trying to accomplish? Right?
So, for me who is 99% of the time in Manual Mode, on tripod, in the garden, preparing to shoot a bright yellow flower in the morning light, a light meter would make the job of "exposing not too bright/dark right the first time?

Restating what I said in a previous post on this thread; based on the type of photography you are doing, I believe that the built-in light (reflective) meter in your camera will be more than adequate.

People who use incident meters, especially when shooting flash / multiple light source shots, would never be without them, whereas people that don't do not understand why anyone would bother with one. The answers in this thread reflect this view.