Light meter question from beginner

[john_horvath1]

<p>I mostly shoot film on a Nikon N90s in ambient light, never in a studio. I'm looking forward to buying a Minolta light meter, either a IV F or a V F. Which one would you guys recommend and why? I almost never use flash, and prefer daylight while shooting.</p>

[howard_m]

<p>what doesnt the built-in meter do that you want/need?</p>

[john_horvath1]

<p>I thought I get more accurate/easier metering with a light meter, no?</p>

[User_6502147]

<p>Try, if you can, stay away from analog meters. Try working this in reverse, find out from Quality Light Metric which meters are most reliable and which ones you can still get parts to (repair orientation). From my experience, the digital type (like Pentax) or Minolta are most reliable....I'm sure there are others like Gossen, etc.</p>

<p>Les</p>

[SCL]

<p>You won't necessarily get more accurate or easier metering with a separate light meter. Just like using the one in the camera, they require a little skill and knowledge about how they and your film responds to light to achieve optimal results. Although I've had a digital Gossen Luna Pro for years, I rarely use it except to check my in-camera meters in unusual situations, or to refresh my memory in tricky "sunny 16" situations.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Incident meters can remove some of the subjectivity inherent to reflective metering. That's one reason why cinematographers usually prefer incident meters. But it also takes an understanding of how light works, how the capture medium (digital or film) handles the dynamic range, and how we want the photo to look. The "correct" reading suggested by an incident meter may not convey the look we envisioned.</p>

<p>Often I find that when I measure multiple areas in a scene using a reflective meter and average them together, I get the same results as with a single incident meter reading. So an incident meter can be quicker in some situations. But it still may not be quite what we envisioned.</p>

<p>In some situations, where the desired subject is in light that is significantly different from the light falling on the incident meter, it may be more appropriate to use the camera's built in metering - spot or other selective central metering. And with experience you'll learn when to compensate for smart or matrix metering that may be fooled by some tricky lighting.</p>

[Hector Javkin]

<p>What was said above, with small additions. First, even thought the manuals for both the Minolta IV and V discuss use as either an incident or a reflective meter, they are only worthwhile as incident meters--your D90 already has an excellent reflective meter. Second, the nice thing about an incident meter is that, once you have a reading, you don't have to change it unless the light changes or you shoot in a different direction. Third, if you want one of the two, the Minolta IV F is very accurate and handles nicely. It is often available used for little money. The V will cost more.</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>everything said above. - no clue about Minolta I mainly used Gossens. incident meters can be helpful in general; for example to decide if its worth bringing your camera somewhere or to gert a reading of stage lights (before a show) or to average the light for a white bride / black groom and similar contrasty stuff but still I think they are mainly for folks who shoot multiple older cameras without any built in meters at all or witth fishy meters they don't know well enough. I guess in camera spot metering can work as well as a handheld spot meter as long as it doesn't intimidte your subjects...<br>

Anyhow: grab something and give it a go. Personally I never manged to get the zone system really into my head to analyze and previsualize photos I want to take, but I am way more environment conscious when I 'm rasing a meter once in a while and i consider unpacking a camera and cursing "too dark" far from cool so yes meters have their place...</p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>Get the III. It's cheapest and does a good job.</p>

[john_horvath1]

<p>Thanks so much for all the elaborate responses guys! What I'm gathering from all of this is that I should get a cheaper but good digital meter, and give it a go. </p>

[jose_angel]

<p>If you want to know more about light, IMHO you need an incident meter.<br /> With them it is much easier to know the "real" amount of light and balance in a scenario.<br /> <br /> But I only use mine with film. For whatever the reason with digital cameras, I always check the histogram and shoot RAW after adjusting that levels. I still have not seen the point of using a hand held meter with my D700. Never use them here.<br /> I use hand held meters quite a lot because I shoot quite often with non-metering film cameras.<br /> <br /> I used to have a Minolta IVF, which I replaced with an all-in-one Sekonic L508, and then a L608. The IV F could have been serving me quite perfectly except for the spot metering. In fact, I still like the size and shape of the IV F (size counts a lot!). If you don`t want spot metering, I think the IV F is good enough for almost everything. Never used a III (but a Gossen Pro in that era) nor a V.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

I like incident meters, and they do tell a light level story that is not lens- dependent so much for one thing.... Most of the brand name older models have reflected light attachments too which make them even more handy...you have to be willing to slow down a bit in the shooting but that is not so bad I think. Meaning you can gain from a handheld meter as you desire. A digital readout is good,Htrue, but an analog model with a speedy dial like the one I show can also be reliable and not difficult. Has the virtue of being simpler and cheaper and shows the range of combinations to get the desired exposure value for light you are measuring. You still have to use judgment. No getting around that.

 

But as others say it can be a useful learning tool as well. Now the digital one I post in photo, which is a one AA power supply, the old MInolta IV can show you a combination of ambient and flash if you ever get into flash..and it will do some other tricks. A little fussy in use... Not nearly as easy to pick up and use as that old Gossen Luna Pro. If it is in calibration, or you get zinc oxide cells for it, still a great bargain tool to get started with. Yeah, don't pay too much/ buy from a reliable source.<div></div>