503CW with Sekonic L-358 Meter - How to Meter for the Subject?

[flying_tiger]

Hi, I'm using a Sekonic L-358 with 503CW. This is my first time

using a handheld meter and I'd like to know how I meter for

different subjects.

 

FYI, I compared the incident meter reading with the EOS 3 Center-

weighted/Evaluative metering. But I got different readings as big

as 1-2 stops. Also, I used the reflective metering mode on L-358

and got 1-2 stops difference in reading from the EOS 3 center-

weighted/Evaluative. BTW, I attached a 28-70/2.8L lens on the EOS

3. Why did I get so different readings? What did I wrong?

Would someone explain to me how to use the handheld L-358 for

different situations? When to use incident and when to use

reflective metering?

 

-1- Outdoor - portrait, buildings, street, etc.

 

-2- Outdoor landscape, trees (also in backlight situation).

 

-3- Indoor(without flash) - with tungsten lights and tripod.

 

-4- Indoor with flash in AUTO mode.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Richard

[q.g._de_bakker]

Richard,<br><br?First, do not compare meters. I have used many, and never found two that would agree. All worked fine though. Confusing? Yes. Bewildering even. So just don't compare meters... ;-)<br><br>First, there is the diference between incident en reflected light metering. Reflected light metering is always influenced by the reflective properties (absorbing and scattering properties, colour) off which the light you meter is reflected. Incident light metering only measures the light that is falling on your subject.<br>Unless your subject is predominantly bright or dark, incident light metering is the best, and easiest, way of metering. It will be fine in your situations -1- through -4- (yes, all of them. Though when scenes are unevenly lit (-3- and -4-), you will have to decide what and how to meter things. But you will have to do the same using reflected light metering too).<br>The thing to do is to make sure that the meter is in the same light that is illuminating the subject. I.e. usually the light that illuminates that side of the subject that is facing the camera (point the meter dome at the camera), but sometimes (-2- : backlight) you measure the light falling on whatever side of your subject that is lit brightest (point the dome towards the light source). In those situations (-2- : backlight) you'll get more or less silhouette-pictures with correctly exposed highlights.<br><br>Indoors, the routine is the same: find what source is illuminating the most important part of your subject, and hold your meter in that light.<br>You must remember though that light falls off in intensity with distance fairly rapidly, so don't hold the meter close to the light (flash) if your subject you are metering for is not close. Or in other words, hold your meter close to your subject, pointing the dome towards the source of light.<br>(Outside, with the sun being the main source of illumination, this is of course not necessary (what's a meter, or a kilometer, closer to the sun, considering how far away it is? However, be careful that you don;t hold your meter in the bright sun while your subject is in the shade, or vice versa.)<br>That source can be a tungsten light, or flash. It doesn't matter. Except, of course, that you must use the meter in flash-metering mode when metering flash. ;-)<br><br>And now the trickiest of all: -4-.<br>When flash is the only source of light, you can put your meter away. The flash in AUTO mode will do all the metering for you.<br>However, if you want to mix flash with existing light, begin with metering as if no flash will be used. Then decide what aperure to use, and set that on the flash. Next, set the shutterspeed that metering told you would be good for the aperture set and the existing light.<br><br>A -4- for instance: say you are at a party, big hall, people dancing, where some spots are well lit by bright tungsten lights, while others are not. Time to break out the flash unit.<br>Meter the well lit spots, and remember the aperture and shutterspeed combination(s) that will provide good exposure for anything or anyone that happens to be in that well lit spot: say f/8 at 1/60.<br>Next set your flash's auto mode to f/8 aperture too.<br>With both lens and flash aperture set to f/8, the shutterspeed to 1/60, the flash will make sure the bits that are too dark (outside the previously metered well-lit spots) will be given a good helping of flash light, while the well-lit spots (perhaps) also in the picture will "fend for themselves".<br>Easy. ;-) But remember that (especially at parties and dance floors) light levels may vary quite a bit. What you metered at one time may not be valid a few moments later.

[kinesisphotogear]

For everything but landscapes, use the meter in incident mode. This meter tends

to underexpose by about 1/2 stop. See my review and tips at: http://

www.KinesisGear.com/opinion.html

[q.g._de_bakker]

Richard,<br><br>Why incident for everything *but* landscape???<br>Incident light metering is perfectly suitable for landscape. No problems whatsoever.<br>What makes you say differently?

[q.g._de_bakker]

Oh, an one thing more we mustn;t forget:<br><br>With built-in coupled meters, we have very little to do but meter. With handheld, incoupled meters things are rather diferent. The habits we acquire, our decisions which direction to point the thing, how to interpret the results, how we transfer the often too precise meter values to our rather less precise aperture and shutterspeed scales (some of us are "optimists", rounding metered values up, others, "pessimists", do the opposite) all influence the "metered" results no end.<br>For instance, a consistent underexposure might not be the meter's fault (it can be, but not necessarily so), but our own. Either way, the remedy is easy: just as consistently set a different ISO value.<br><br>So my advice would be to take time and get to know your meter's "personality", and get to know it well. When you do, you'll find you can work for many years without any problems using a meter that would have been summarily dismissed as "faulty" by people comparing it to other meters and/or are not including the "human factor" in the equation.<br><br>By the way, Richard: the link to your Sekonic bit page points to the wrong named anchor.