Light meters

[john_smith107]

I am looking into buying a new light meter

Does anyone have any suggestions on which one?

For Nature photography.

I have been looking at the Sekonic L-358, but can't make up my mind.

I photograph landscapes, scenics, etc. All my work is done in the

field, so I am looking for a reflected light meter.

 

Any info would be great!!

[guytal]

The L-358 is actually an ambient meter. It has the ability to measure reflected light as well, but at 54 degrees is not ideal for landscape work. You can buy a separate attachment for it that will give you 1-degree spot metering capability which is very useful. Still, for convenience, I would recommend a spot meter instead or a combo spot/ambient like the L-608 or older 508.<br>

A spot meter and a good understanding of some basics of the Zone System (adapted for color photography) is about all you'll ever need. Ambient meters are nice in situations where you can place the meter in the same light as your subject, in which case you'll get a reading that is not influenced by subject color or tone.<br>

<br>

Guy<br>

<a href="http://www.scenicwild.com">Scenic Wild Photography</a>

[john_smith107]

Thanks for the info Guy.

 

I should have added that I planned on also getting the 1 degree spot attachment for the L-358. To me this sounds like it would be a great combo.

 

I am going to check out the L-608.

 

Thanks for the info

[harryo]

Erin, I use the Minolta Spotmeter F and enjoy it thorougly. Very simple to use and has some extra features such as averaging readings which make it quite usefull for landscape photography. I don't believe Minolta makes them anymore, but they do occasionally pop up on e-bay.

[joseph_smith3]

This link to Will Crocket's shootsmarter site might be too much information for you. I hope it helps. http://www.shootsmarter.com/infocenter/wc005.html

Joe smith

[john_smith107]

Thanks for all the info guys!

 

It has been a big help.

[gary m]

Erin - I have the Sekonic L-508 that I use for landscapes and it works great. I can't remember the specifics, but at the time I bought it I compared it to the 608 and decided that I didn't need the extra features in the 608. I do like having both the ambient and reflected capabilities in the meter. Sometimes I find it difficult to know what is 18% gray or what zones I want to place something in, so I'll take an ambient reading along with several spot readings to decide on the exposure.

[david_senesac]

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009JBq