Recommendations for a Spot Meter?

[iShutterbug]

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When shooting my LTMs and carrying extra equipment like film and lenses in a bag I always pack this because it does it all and covers any situation:

"The Sekonic L-558R DUALMASTER is the first multi-function light meter that incorporates a wireless triggering transmitter built-in. It has been designed to meet the challenges of today's film and digital photographer. It offers a 1° spot meter that measures reflected flash output down to an amazing f/2.0 (ISO 100). Its parallax-free lens eliminates erroneous close-up photography light readings. A digital readout through the spot viewfinder displays all-important exposure information. With a turn of a knob the L-558R DUALMASTER changes from an incident meter to a reflective spot meter for both ambient and flash measurements, all-in-one rugged, compact, all-weather housing. Selecting aperture or shutter priority modes or EV is as easy as turning the Jog wheel. Simultaneous evaluation of ambient and flash is displayed in three convenient ways. Unique features such as meter calibration, exposure compensation and CINE settings offer the flexibility that today's photographers require."

 

When I'm travelling light I just use my VC II reflected light meter on the accessory shoe.

 

When shooting digital I just use the camera's built-in meter (reflected) and check exposure on the back, and if need be adjust from there.

 

So, to me, photography is a constant tension between subject, light, and the tools you use to facilitate their synthesis into your latest image.

 

Don

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[leicashot]

What in the world would you use a spot meter for? You need an incident meter -- and the knowledge about process (and basic physics) that Ansel and Edward lacked.

 

The old man from the Age Before Meters

 

Agreed, a spot meter still only reads reflected light and isn't the most accurate way to meter. Nothing beats an incident meter

[leicashot]

I've considered a spot meter too but concluded it is far more accurate and easier to just bracket your exposures. I often look at the suggested exposure when set to "A" and adjust using an estimate of the perceived tonal value. With some practice it becomes fairly easy to guess the correct exposure and takes much less time than using a spot meter.

 

Agreed, other good advice. Zone metering is a gimmick at best. Making calculations between different zones is a waste of time, as eventually you're gonna end up metering for highlights, shadows or somewhere in between. Metering requires a combination of shutter and aperture to best represent the scene. Once metering value representing the area of the scene that matters the most is where you take your reading, then you can add/subtract exposure from there to suit your needs.

[lars_bergquist]

Lars, with respect, I need to differ in opinion here, (as one old fart to another).

[ ... ]

Lars, I don't understand your comment about reflected meters NOT nabbing highlights. That is precisely what a good spotmeter (reflected lightmeter) does better than any other. It is the reason I chose to work with one in the first place. The failure of incident meters is that they must be exposed to the same light you are shooting, and that is often not physically possible.

[ ... ]

"The other old man from the Weston Master V era"[/i]

My comment referred to the "usual" reflected light meters -- those with a fairly wide angle of acceptance -- usually somewhere around 30--45°. These of course cannot separate a highlight out, but are integrating or averaging meters, just like in-camera meters (even when they are proudly dubbed "spot").

 

Unfortunately, even an acceptance angle of 1° is mostly too wide. This is where it comes in handy to carry your own synthetic highlight around, which is exactly what you do with an incident meter. This does also free you of all doubts as to the actual reflectance of that highlight! But that 1° angle is certainly enough to give you a "selective integrated" measurement from, say, an actor onstage.

 

For me, the major use of the incident meter is the situations where you have general reflectances that are far out in either direction, with few credible midtones. Snow is one fairly common situation here. But equivalents to the proverbial chimney sweep in the coal hole are not uncommon either. But the quick and dirty solution is of course the histogram, if you have one.

 

The old man from the Age When Meters Were For Cissies (fortunately, it's over)

[giordano]

Unfortunately, even an acceptance angle of 1° is mostly too wide.

 

Agreed. But the only meter I've ever come across with a narrower angle (0.5°) is the old SEI Exposure Photometer. Perhaps not by coincidence, this was a scientific instrument designed from first principles rather than relying on available photoelectric technology. It was also very slow to use.

 

In brief I suspect that 1° spot meters exist because they can be built to a (reasonably) sensible price rather than because they're very good at their job. But I'd rather have one than not.

[nrj]

I've a pentax digital spot meter, the one degree coverage works well. Also I can use it as an incident meter by pointing it at the light and covering the lens with a white plastic cone I got free with one of the camera mags a while ago.

[erl]

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I've a pentax digital spot meter, the one degree coverage works well. Also I can use it as an incident meter by pointing it at the light and covering the lens with a white plastic cone I got free with one of the camera mags a while ago.

 

So, as an example, how would this work?

 

Imagine an equilateral triangle with the subject at one of the base points and the camera (and spotmeter) at the other. The light focussed on the subject is at the apex. How could the incident plastic cone work? I suspect the reflected spotmeter method to be the operative one. Just one example of many that exist in life.

[giordano]

So, as an example, how would this work?

 

It wouldn't. I think nrj must have forgotten we're in a theatre.