Handheld Exposure Meter

When I shot MF film I found a spot meter totally indispensible. But then I was using highly critical colour slide film, and I needed to be good with it. I used an identical exposure process for B&W, not because the medium required it, but because I was switching from colour to B&W in separate backs and was concerned that using two different metering processes was likely to lead to confusion and mistakes.

 

If I'd only been using b&w neg- which is what Danac has said he intends- I'd probably have stuck with incident and made occasional use of my Bronicas' rather primitive averaging meter prisms simply because latitude is greater . I don't use my dslrs in spot mode at all and to be fair given instant feedback and the ability to re-shoot I can't see much point in moving far from evaluative metering. I've taken my share of poor photographs these last ten years or so, but I don't think poor exposure has cost me anything at all. The point I'm making is of course that choice of metering method should relate to what medium you're using not just an abstract view of whether one style of metering is better than another.

 

For me there's one type of meter I just couldn't use , and that's a wide-angle reflected light meter such as a Sekonic 308. For me a 40 degree receptor means that I can't really tell where the readings are coming from and relate that to the lens in use. I bought one because my 508 broke on the first day of a longish trip, I'd forgotten my back-up 508 & a 308 was the best I could find locally. But I sold it as soon as I got home- the slightest hand movement sent the readings all over the place. I have no idea how people use this sort of meter well, it was beyond me and I worked hard at it. I ended up taking a reading from "sky" (insofar as I could tell) and another from "ground " and working out an exposure and grad filter combo that would possibly mean that I wasn't blasting anything into total over or under exposure. The only trip in my life where I've fretted a lot about exposure.

I recently picked up a Spectra Combi-2, which can take incident, reflected, and average readings. This meter has two photocells, one facing forwards for the reflected reading, the other facing back for incident. You select which type of reading you want with a selector switch, and the meter displays a reminder to show which type of reading is currently selected. And It has a three-position dial to select high, medium, or low light levels. I sent it in to Spectra-Cine for calibration. They turned it around promptly, with a calibration sticker that shows the expiration date. They certify their calibrations for six months. I doubt I'll be sending it that often; but maybe every couple of years. At the price of slide film, it might be worth it, to feel confident in my exposures. Anyway, I tried it for the first time in Colorado two weeks ago and really liked using it. I'll have more to report when the film comes back from Mike at AgX Imaging! I'll try to give a follow-up report on the results in a few days. Only negative so far is that it is a rather bulky meter! My Gossen meter also has a choice of incident/reflected and is much smaller. (I will stay out of the spot meter debate for now!)

When I shot MF film I found a spot meter totally indispensible. But then I was using highly critical colour slide film, and I needed to be good with it. I used an identical exposure process for B&W, not because the medium required it, but because I was switching from colour to B&W in separate backs and was concerned that using two different metering processes was likely to lead to confusion and mistakes.

 

If I'd only been using b&w neg- which is what Danac has said he intends- I'd probably have stuck with incident and made occasional use of my Bronicas' rather primitive averaging meter prisms simply because latitude is greater . I don't use my dslrs in spot mode at all and to be fair given instant feedback and the ability to re-shoot I can't see much point in moving far from evaluative metering. I've taken my share of poor photographs these last ten years or so, but I don't think poor exposure has cost me anything at all. The point I'm making is of course that choice of metering method should relate to what medium you're using not just an abstract view of whether one style of metering is better than another.

 

For me there's one type of meter I just couldn't use , and that's a wide-angle reflected light meter such as a Sekonic 308. For me a 40 degree receptor means that I can't really tell where the readings are coming from and relate that to the lens in use. I bought one because my 508 broke on the first day of a longish trip, I'd forgotten my back-up 508 & a 308 was the best I could find locally. But I sold it as soon as I got home- the slightest hand movement sent the readings all over the place. I have no idea how people use this sort of meter well, it was beyond me and I worked hard at it. I ended up taking a reading from "sky" (insofar as I could tell) and another from "ground " and working out an exposure and grad filter combo that would possibly mean that I wasn't blasting anything into total over or under exposure. The only trip in my life where I've fretted a lot about exposure.

 

With respect, the Sekonic 308 is an ambient-incident/flash meter and, as such, it's always delivered for me.

I recently picked up a Spectra Combi-2, which can take incident, reflected, and average readings. This meter has two photocells, one facing forwards for the reflected reading, the other facing back for incident. You select which type of reading you want with a selector switch, and the meter displays a reminder to show which type of reading is currently selected. And It has a three-position dial to select high, medium, or low light levels. I sent it in to Spectra-Cine for calibration. They turned it around promptly, with a calibration sticker that shows the expiration date. They certify their calibrations for six months. I doubt I'll be sending it that often; but maybe every couple of years. At the price of slide film, it might be worth it, to feel confident in my exposures. Anyway, I tried it for the first time in Colorado two weeks ago and really liked using it. I'll have more to report when the film comes back from Mike at AgX Imaging! I'll try to give a follow-up report on the results in a few days. Only negative so far is that it is a rather bulky meter! My Gossen meter also has a choice of incident/reflected and is much smaller. (I will stay out of the spot meter debate for now!)

 

At the price of slide film...

That's a major consideration now along with the price and availability of solid E-6 processing. Long may it wave but if the old Spectra-Combi lets you down, I'd lean towards a newer meter. The little Sekonic 308 is killer for ambient. Long production run, strong seller=decent supply on the used market.

...For me there's one type of meter I just couldn't use , and that's a wide-angle reflected light meter such as a Sekonic 308....

The 308 is primarily an incident meter (and a good one), with a reflected option. I take it you were no able to use the incident option on your trip (because you were using chromes?)

 

In reflected mode, it works well if you can take closeup readings. Pretty tricky on landscapes though, that's were the spot option is useful - and necessary if you use the Zone system. But I don't think a lot of people do that with medium format these days, and like Joe says, a lot of spot meters probably sit unused - maybe one of those people would sell me a Pentax Digital Spot Meter - I've always wanted one of those!

I'm not seeking to get combative about this

Excellent idea.

Others will either choose to expand and explain the meaning of their commentaries when they are asked, or they will choose to not, simple as that.

Tom Chow. Your assumptions are pretty much right, plus I'd never found it necessary to learn incident metering and I was more than a little reluctant to do so on the hoof at the beginnings of a 3 week trip with no feedback available on whether I was getting it right or not. I only used the 308 as a wide-angle reflected light meter, and frankly it was that or nothing in a small town in northern New England.

Tom Chow. Your assumptions are pretty much right, plus I'd never found it necessary to learn incident metering and I was more than a little reluctant to do so on the hoof at the beginnings of a 3 week trip with no feedback available on whether I was getting it right or not. I only used the 308 as a wide-angle reflected light meter, and frankly it was that or nothing in a small town in northern New England.

Incident is the easiest and quickest method to use and get a good reading. You'd really do yourself a huge favour if you would take the little time it takes to learn how to do it.

Incident is the easiest and quickest method to use and get a good reading. You'd really do yourself a huge favour if you would take the little time it takes to learn how to do it.

 

 

 

How about a quick tutorial?

How about a quick tutorial?

Hold the meter so the incident dome is lit by the light lighting your subject. Take reading. Perfect exposure.

Edited September 28, 2021 by q.g._de_bakker

Incident is the easiest and quickest method to use and get a good reading. You'd really do yourself a huge favour if you would take the little time it takes to learn how to do it.

I feel there is a lot of truth to this. An incident reading gives me a good mid-point exposure. Then if I feel the need, I can bias my exposure toward the highlights or shadows. So if I am photographing a steam locomotive, and the background is not too bright to become blown out by increasing my exposure, I can give an extra stop to capture some darker areas under the boiler, for example. But if I do need to render the background without over-exposing it, I can go with the incident reading, or perhaps just open up a cautious one-half stop. Then again if photographing something much brighter than average, an incident reading is good there, too, because a reflected light meter will over-react to that brightness; so that if I believe the meter, the scene will be underexposed so that it doesn't look much like it did in reality. In that case, I might stop down just a little, but not enough to ruin the shot.

 

So an incident reading gives me a reliable reference point from which I can use my judgment.

 

There is a reason why Hollywood cinematographers use incident meters (not saying they never take reflected readings)!

I feel there is a lot of truth to this. An incident reading gives me a good mid-point exposure. Then if I feel the need, I can bias my exposure toward the highlights or shadows. So if I am photographing a steam locomotive, and the background is not too bright to become blown out by increasing my exposure, I can give an extra stop to capture some darker areas under the boiler, for example. But if I do need to render the background without over-exposing it, I can go with the incident reading, or perhaps just open up a cautious one-half stop. Then again if photographing something much brighter than average, an incident reading is good there, too, because a reflected light meter will over-react to that brightness; so that if I believe the meter, the scene will be underexposed so that it doesn't look much like it did in reality. In that case, I might stop down just a little, but not enough to ruin the shot.

 

So an incident reading gives me a reliable reference point from which I can use my judgment.

 

There is a reason why Hollywood cinematographers use incident meters (not saying they never take reflected readings)!

I've been experimenting using my digital camera as a light meter keeping an eye on its histogram and "Zebra" clipping schemes. If shooting negative BW film, I'll favor the shadow areas and if shooting chromes I'll favor the whites so they don't clip.

QG You'd really do yourself a huge favour if you would take the little time it takes to learn how to do it.

Too late QG. I stopped using film more than ten years ago, my Bronicas and Mamiya 7 are sold and now I'm content with the options on my Dslrs. Being able to see a preview and a graph, together with instant reshoots are game changers for me.

QG You'd really do yourself a huge favour if you would take the little time it takes to learn how to do it.

Too late QG. I stopped using film more than ten years ago, my Bronicas and Mamiya 7 are sold and now I'm content with the options on my Dslrs. Being able to see a preview and a graph, together with instant reshoots are game changers for me.

I'm really curious David, as to how you used a spot meter with reversal film, and how it gave (more) accurate results, than say, a grey card or incident reading.

 

The usual application of spot-metering is to measure a contrast range and transfer that to a modification of development time. However, that's not feasible with E6 processing. So I'm kind of at a loss to see the advantage of a spot meter.

 

I see lots of disadvantages to using one on a regular basis though.

 

BTW. An incident meter should be held at the subject position and pointed back toward the camera position in normal use. Although pointing it at the light source can also be useful in some situations - rim or back lighting for example.

I've answered this question for you before Joe, and I've no interest in going through it again for someone whose interest seems to be in poking disbelief that anyone might prefer to use methods different from the ones they promote. Might be different if I hadn't sold my film equipment 10 years ago , but right now I really can't be bothered to enter a debate on which you will always insist on the last word.

[...]

 

BTW. An incident meter should be held at the subject position and pointed back toward the camera position in normal use. Although pointing it at the light source can also be useful in some situations - rim or back lighting for example.

 

You do not need to be at the subject position, as long as you're in the same light.

I told this on pnet before a long time ago, but i had a good laugh once seeing how a photographer (pro, it appeared) used a reach truck, hanging far over the edge of the basket, risking a fall from an unpleasant height onto hard stone oavement, to measure the sunlight illuminating a large structural sculpture on a large sunflooded square. He apparently did not quite understand light.

I've answered this question for you before Joe, and I've no interest in going through it again for someone whose interest seems to be in poking disbelief that anyone might prefer to use methods different from the ones they promote. Might be different if I hadn't sold my film equipment 10 years ago , but right now I really can't be bothered to enter a debate on which you will always insist on the last word.

Rodeo has a good point, though. Spot metering, any reflected light metering, is a more roundabout way, requiring evaluation and considered correction, to get at where incident light metering brings you instantly.

There are situation in which reflected, spot, metering can do what is very difficult or impossible. But they are very rare.

 

I too have such a spot meter that does nothing but collect dust the many decennia i own the thing. But i did use the spotmeter in a 35 mm film camera often. Point it at something green outdoors and you get the same result as an incident light reading. And there is something green almost everywhere outdoors.

When determining the exposure with an incident meter for a distant landscape that has the same lighting as the camera where do you point the dome of the meter? Up, level or at the the scene to be photographed.

When determining the exposure with an incident meter for a distant landscape that has the same lighting as the camera where do you point the dome of the meter? Up, level or at the the scene to be photographed.

 

I point the dome towards the camera, to get the same angle of the sun on the dome.

Meaning I look at the distance subject, determine the line from the subject to the camera, then point the dome back along that line. Basically, I just turn around, looking backwards.

 

However, I think (trying to remember 40+ years ago) that for slide film, I also split the difference.

Meaning, I would also determine which direction the sun was (say 30 degrees to the right of the line above), then split the difference between the direction to the camera and the direction of the sun and point it 15 degrees to the right. I think the idea was to bias towards the sun, so as to not blow out the highlight.

 

For distant subjects, what incident does not take into account is the "stuff" in the air, that reduces the reflected light from the subject.

But back then, I got away with ignoring that, cuz I was not shooting in smog.

 

Things get more complicated if the lighting at the distant subject is different than at the camera position.

...Things get more complicated if the lighting at the distant subject is different than at the camera position.

... and that is where the spot meter comes in handy. Sky at sunset. Dynamic range.

 

With chrome, you have to decide where you want the 18%, where you want to clip (highlights and/or shadows). Cause you can't do it in post.

... and that is where the spot meter comes in handy. Sky at sunset. Dynamic range.

 

With chrome, you have to decide where you want the 18%, where you want to clip (highlights and/or shadows). Cause you can't do it in post.

 

I never had a good solution for sunsets, other than BRACKET like crazy.

I never had a good solution for sunsets, other than BRACKET like crazy.

Haha - that's what I did too - 35mm chrome was relatively cheap back in the day...

Haha - that's what I did too - 35mm chrome was relatively cheap back in the day...

 

The problem that I had/have with sunsets/sunrise, is that I could never predict which exposure I would like; sometimes it was the lighter one, sometimes the one in the middle, sometimes the darker one, sometimes the really dark one. And sometimes I would like two of the shots, with different exposures, for different reasons. It was very shot specific. Hence my need to BRACKET.

When we get back from our Utah trip I will purchase a Gossen Luna-Pro SBC from ebay. It has a gallium arsenide photocell which according to AA, will not drift like a Cds cell. The 9v battery is convenient. My new/old Mamiya 645E has a center-weighted spot meter so a "second opinion" will be welcome.

I wonder how many spotmeters there are languishing unused in drawers, or stuffed in forgotten pockets of gadget bags?

Because I suspect the novelty quickly wears off as the realisation dawns that the exposures being given are near identical to an incident or average reading, got in a fraction of the time and with much less fuss.

No doubt. I used a Sekonic 508 spot/incident/flash meter for nearly two decades, in conjunction with a totally manual Hasselblad system, even extending into digital. It got set aside along with the Hasselblad with the advent of Sony into the mirrorless A7 world. I still use the meter on the rare occasions I need multiple flash units, including coverage for large groups.