How to use a Sekonic 308B light meter (in and outdoors)

I bought a Sekonic light meter (used) and downloaded the

instructions (which are pretty useless). Any quick tips how to use

it? When you I use the Lumisphere adn when do I slide it down?

What do I point it at, the subject, camera or light, and then where

do I hold it (at the subject/light, near it, are close? I've tried

several combos, and they aren't even close to my cameras meter

numbers.

 

Mark

<I>I bought a Sekonic light meter (used) and downloaded the instructions (which are pretty useless). Any quick tips how to use it? When you I use the Lumisphere adn when do I slide it down?</I><P>

 

Use the lumisphere when you want incident metering. Slide it out of the way when you want reflective metering.<P>

 

<I> What do I point it at, the subject, camera or light, and then where do I hold it (at the subject/light, near it, are close?</I><P>

 

Point it at the subject if you're using reflected, point it at the camera (in the same light as the subject) if using in incident mode.<P>

 

Of course, when using reflected it depends on the reflectance of what you pointed it at (black and white will give different readings in the same light, but we know that's not really correct). If using incident it's like reading a grey card.<P>

 

I just bought a new 308S and it showed up Friday. While the manual isn't exaclty detailed I think it does a pretty good job covering how to use the meter in either incident or reflected mode. Then again, I knew before I got the meter how to use it so that may have made the manual easier to understand.<P>

 

<I>I've tried several combos, and they aren't even close to my cameras meter numbers.</I><P>

 

The best way to compare this light meter to your in camera meters is using it in reflectance mode. Point them both at a solid color that's very close to the camera/meter (so it takes up the entire field of view). If you want to compare incident metering to your in camera meters you'll probably want to meter off a grey card with your camera in the same light as the incident dome.<P>

 

Good luck,<P>

 

Alan

Download the instructions for the Sekonic L-398M. It's part manual and part tutorial on

using a combo incident/reflective meter. The mechanics are different, of course, but the

principles are the same.

<cite>I've tried several combos, and they aren't even close to my cameras meter numbers.</cite>

<p>

Be sure you're setting the film speed the same on both your camera and

the meter. While there's certainly a difference between incident

and reflected metering, for most situations, results should be

at least close to the camera's metering either way.

At least they should be within a stop or so in ordinary

lighting of medium-toned subjects. Harsh backlighting or

extremely light or dark subjects are what most vividly

show the differences between the metering techniques.

<p>

To most closely match the camera, slide the dome open, put

the meter at the camera, and point the sensor at the

subject (the 308B is a bit awkward to use in this

position, since the LCD is now pointing

at the subject instead of the photographer). To do

basic incident reading, slide

the dome closed, place the meter at the subject, and point

the dome toward the camera. If the subject is medium

toned, this should closely approximate the reflected reading.

If the subject is very light or dark, the incident reading should

suggest a setting which will more accurately render the subject's

lightness or darkness.

Thanks, I played around a bit more. With the reflective mode (dome off pointing at the subject) I can get right on, but with the incident mode (dome on pointing at camera) the readings are very slow. What is the benefit of the light meter, how can I use this better than the in camera (20D)?

 

Thanks

Mark

What kind of subject are you pointing the camera at when you're comparing the in camera meter to the incident meter? It sounds like you need to read up on the basics of how camera meters work (not meant as negative).

 

Think about this. Your camera meter assumes everything in the world is a middle grey tone. Now, the classic example is a chess board with 50% white and 50% black squares. If this takes up the entire frame this should average out to a middle grey and give you a correct expsure...right?

 

Now, what if without changing lighting, camera position, or anything else you placed a solid white board in place of the checker board. Then a solid black board. How will the camera meter react to these 2 situations? Will it still give the correct exposure?

 

What if you used incident metering for all the above situations, how would it react?

 

I used to struggle with this and never really understood what people meant when they said the meter assumes everything is 18% grey; or the differences between reflected and incident metering. Then one day, "click", I got it and it made perfect sense.

 

Alan

<I>[...] with the incident mode (dome on pointing at camera) the readings are very slow. What is the benefit of the light meter, how can I use this better than the in camera (20D)?</I><P>

I wouldn't say better. It is two different ways of doing the same thing. If you do it right you'll get the same result in the end. What I mean is that the metering is ultimately about getting the photographer an aperture value (and perhaps a shutter speed) that gives the desired exposure. Many paths may lead to the same goal.<p>

 

If you know how to meter and do it right (aka "know your equipment") the in-camera meter can do just as well as the Sekonic in most cases. There are some differences though and one thing that your in-camera meter cannot really do, flash metering. If you aren't using manual/studio flashes this aspect of your 308B might not be an advantage to you. Mind that there are reflected flash meters although they are not as common as their incident cousins.<p>

 

In a environment where I control the light or where it doesn't change I prefer to use the incident meter. Then I can plan and meter first. Fix the settings and just concentrate on getting the pictures. Yes, this might be a bit slower, walking over to the place of model and measuring, but I am mostly not in a hurry. The real advantage is that I can meter <I>before</I> the model arrives and not bother them with a series of test shots just to the the exposure right.<p>

 

Sometimes I like to take an approach that forces me to work more slowly. It is rewarding to plan pictures and see that they turn out as you wanted (hopefully!). It is a welcome addition to all the spontaneous and unplanned shooting that I usually do. The incident meter fits very well into this style of shooting for me.<p>

 

But when shooting "in the field" or when lighting rapidly changes I prefer the in-camera reflected meter. Of course, I have to know what I am metering off! Is it a white jacket? Or is it a dark brown couch? It is not difficult if you know how your meter behaves. As I said, it is about knowing your equipment.<p>

 

There are many good books on light metering. Also this forum is a gold mine on the subject if you just have the time and patience to browse through the old postings.<p>

 

Alans and Richards postings in this thread pretty much sums up the basic ideas with the different methods of metering. I have an addition to Richards comment about harsh backlighting. One situation where I believe the incident method is hard to use (perhaps even impossible?) is when you are photographing the light (source) itself, for example a sunset or the aurora borealis. Then a reflected light meter, preferably one that can measure a tight area like a spot meter, (and some thinking) will give me the results I want.

Try the Sekonic website. They have a short explanation of incident metering and a section on metering technique.

Thanks, the comments they were helpful, I'm starting to get it

 

Mark