Type of light meter I need?

[s._radke]

<p>Hi everybody,<br>

I am looking for a light meter that will suit my needs but am having some trouble. I am looking to shoot flat subjects in a studio setting. I just need to measure the light bouncing off the subject, and also measure the output of my studio lights themselves. I'm not using a flash. I also want to use this meter outdoors for landscapes and flowers. I need a meter that is good but not too expensive. I am a photography newbie.<br>

So far I have two recommendations: the Sekonic L-308S Flashmate Meter and the Sekonic L398A. I was leaning towards the L-308S but I am confused over the fact that the photos I've seen of its screen show ratios and EV values. I simply want something that will tell me a range of f/stops and shutter speeds to plug into my cameras for correct exposure. I would appreciate any help anybody could give me. Thanks!<br>

Hailey</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Sekonic meters will show you EV <em>and</em> shutter/aperture/iso combinations. You can just change the display mode. <br /><br />And just to be clear: you (generally) use such a meter to measure the light that's falling <em>on</em> your subject, no the light that's reflecting from it. Incident meters are about the light that's hitting your subject, so that you're not making exposures incorrectly due to varying reflectivity, surface textures, tones, etc., of the subject. I use Sekonic's L358, since I sometimes want it as a flash meter. It can also do reflective metering, but I've really got no reason to use it that way, since I can use in-camera metering to my satisfaction when that's the scenario.</p>

[s._radke]

<p>Hi, I am using vintage cameras that have no meters inside. So I'd be totally dependent on the hand-held light meter for exposure settings. Is the L358 easy to understand? Also, when a light meter is advertised as being a flash meter, can it still be used correctly if you are not actually using a flash? Thanks for your help!</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Yes, a meter like the L358 can certainly be used to measure ambient light ... it just also has the extra brains to understand flash metering, should you need that. <br /><br />Understand that when you're using an incident meter, you need to get it (the meter) physically where your subject is, or where it <em>will </em>be. You can spend more and get a meter that also has a narrow spot metering function, for when you want to get a read on reflected light from a specific area at a distance ... or, if you spend less and get something like the L358, you can add a spot attachment to it later (though it comes with a reflective attachment - if you don't mind it being fairly wide angle). <br /><br />This really comes down to your style of shooting and circumstances. Even a very good spot/reflective meter will require you to have some understanding of how to bias your readings as you take into account what it is that the light's reflecting from (snow? asphalt? you get the idea).<br /><br />But modern incident meters are very simple to use. On the L358: just set the ISO to match your film (or the digital camera's ISO setting), then hold the meter at the subject's position, pointing the sensor dome back towards the camera position. Press the metering button, and look at the results. You can then (<em>after</em> the measurement) spin the control dial to see combinations of shutter speed and aperture combinations suitable for that light. It will take you about ten minutes to learn how to use it in its most common modes, and a few days of fiddling with it to understand some of the more advanced features if you actually wish to.<br /><br />This is going to be true of pretty much every meter on the market. Nothing to it. <br /><br />Which isn't to say that understanding how to put those readings to careful creative use doesn't involve a lifetime of practice ... but that's a separate issue! An incident meter will, if you're in a practical position to use one for your style of shooting, get you great results.</p>

[tom_rittenhouse1]

<p>I currently have both the L-308S and the L-398. Both of them will do what you need, but the 308 is also a flash meter, a lot smaller, and sells for about the same price nowadays. For your application you use the Lumidisk that comes with the meters instead of the dome. With the 308 you can set it to give you a read out in 10th, 3rd, or 1/2 stop increments. You tell the meter what shutter speed you are using and it gives you the f/stop. The L398 is a lot more arcane. The L-358 that some have mentions is a step up in size, weight, features, and needed knowledge from the L-308, but will do the job just as well as its cheaper siblings.</p>

<p>BTW, the manuals for all of those are available for download on Sekonic's website.</p>

[s._radke]

<p>Thanks for your help. But isn't there any light meter out there that simply measures the light and tells me a range of full f/stops and full standard shutter speeds I should set my camera to? Something that mirrors exactly the settings that I can choose from on my cameras? I am not a technical minded person at all and I'm a newbie to photography. If the L-308 only gives read outs in 10th, 3rd or 1/2 stop increments and if I have to enter in a shutter speed myself, it sounds like it won't work for me. Can you recommend anything else that is more simple for a beginner? Thanks.</p>

[david_dorcich1]

<p>The L-358 gives you all the combination for shutter speed and f-stop for what you meter off you. You just turn the dial on it after taking the meter reading to get the combination that you want.</p>

[s._radke]

<p>Thanks. So between the L-358, L-308 and L-398, which do you think would be the best choice for a beginner like me? Last week I bought an used Spectra light meter that I later found out is worthless to me because its settings are meant for movie cameras, not still photography. So now I'm trying to find something else. I want to feel confident in my decision before plunking down another couple hundred dollars.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>When I'm using a modern DSLR that allows me to set shutter and aperture values in 1/2 or 1/3 stops, I'll use the L358 in that mode. When I'm using an older film body (rare for me, these days, but it happens) that is based around full-stop settings, I either set the meter talk to me in those simple, full-stop values ... or I stick with the fractional values, and mentally round up or down based on what I know about the reflectivity of the subject, or the behavior of the film I'm using. Certainly you can tell these meters (see the on-line user's manuals that Tom mentions, above) to show you full or fractional stops, however you like.</p>

[s._radke]

<p>Thank you so much for your help!</p>