Light Meter Information

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Okay so this is pretty new to me, and I am just curious before I go and buy it.

I will be starting my associates degree in photography on Thursday... But will not need to take any of my gear with me to school or anything until November or so.

So my question is... Do I really need the Mamiya Sekonic 558 Light Meter? The school has a kit I can buy for $2000 which includes a bag, the light meter, a 60gb hard drive, canon digital rebel, 1gb cf, card reader, and 50 sheets of matte paper.

And the school lends lenses out... So thats why no lenses are included.

By November, I will own the 5D. I already have a bag, cf cards, a card reader, and paper really isnt too big of an issue. I can get it anywhere.

What light meter may be better than this one of I do need one? I thought the 5D has some sort of light meter? Pretty new to the lighting end of photography.

I'd appreciate any assistance that can be given. Also, for those of you who print, can you give me a site where paper is of good quality for a decent price?

Thank you!

[woffles]

Rebel $649 without lens
Sekonic 558 $499
Ridata 2G CF card $45
Card Reader $20-30
Case ~60
Kodak paper 100 sheets $79

=$1362
+
50 1.8 $80
85 1.8 $350
=$1792

+
430EX $239
=$2031

Sounds like a rip off to me!! Hard drives aren't very expensive either. You can get an external 250G in a case for a couple of hundred.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

I realize its a rip off. I am not going to get the full kit.

All I am wondering is if I really need the light meter... And if there is a better one out there that anyone knows of.

No way am I paying for all that crap that I dont need.

[DocFrankenstein]

I would get the meter. Your 5D is going to cost about 500 bucks less the second you take it out of the box.

Your light meter WILL teach you to think about light in different ways and it won't depreciate as much. You'll be able to recoup half it's original cost after years of constant use.

Plus with digital you need a meter to keep the highlights in check. It does help.

[Lord_Malone]

Lately I've wrestled with whether I should get a light meter or not. I think I'm going to just break down and get one. Though getting a good printer profiler is on top of my list right now.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Okay thank you Doc.

Do you have a certain one that you would recommend? Dont worry about price...

[Eoseni]

Eagle, I have the sekonic L358, which is the little brother to the 558. You may check the specs of each model from their website, but it comes down to what your needs are. The 558 has spot metering, which I believe the 5D also does...so I don't see a need there.

The 358 has everything the 558 does except spot metering, including add-ons for reading reflected light and the optional radio transmitter for PocketWizards. If you can define for yourself your future needs, you may be better equipped to answer the question about what meter you need. But from here, unless you need spot metering, I don't see a need for the 558. The 358 is quite sufficient. It's a flash and light meter combined, and can do flash/ambient light ratios. I am happy with mine even though I've only had it for a little less than a year. I use it for weddings.

That said, I don't buy into Sekonic's hype that other brand meters are not as accurate for the digital age. So you're not limited to sekonic. I think any meter that has at least the capability of reading up to 1/3 stops differences will do the job...

I got my 358 off Ebay for a bargain $180.

Do you need a light meter? Most hobbyists may say no, but if you're serious about your photography, the answer is a qualified yes...again, in relation to your needs.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Sounds good. Yeah I dont know what brand to get either. This is just the one the school recommends. I have never looked into light meters before.

I appreciate the feedback. If anyone else has anything to add, feel free... Not in a big hurry to buy. I have time.

[Wilt]

Soaring, IMHO if you are there to learn fully the craft of photography (why else would you seek an AA in the subject!), that includes different metering techniques and also studio shooting...the ownership of a handheld meter comes with that!

Yes, dSLR histograms can help you not clip your highlights. But whaddya do when you have a medium format or large format camera to shoot with (and oftentimes clients will tell you what format they need, and walk away from you if you don't offer that alternative!) Or when setting up studio lighting, you need a flashmeter. What if someone says they need a photo that fits a 6:1 contrast ratio because they're running high quality print run (and printing press photos cannot handle 7:1)...your handheld meter will give you that information.

Maybe the 558 is going overboard. Lesser meters can do all of the above!

(BTW, I use a Minolta Autometer IV...similar to the Sekonic 359. But I also have a Minolta Spotmeter which can do flash reflective spotmetering, for those shoots that require a limited contrast range in the printed page.)

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Thank you.

[SkipD]

Jeff, if you don't feel the need for the spot meter functionality right away, you can't go wrong with the Sekonic L-358. There are accessory viewfinders that make the L-358 be a spotmeter as well, but you can get one later.

[PacAce]

My recommendation is to take a look at what features the meter in the kit has and then go out and get a meter with similar features yourself. Last thing you want to do is get a light meter and then find out that you need a certain feature that's included in the kit meter but not in the meter that you got. Granted, not all the features that the meter in the kit might be used in class but short of asking the instructors ahead of time, you won't know which ones will be so it's best to play it safe. :)

[Wilt]

PacAce makes a good point. Best would be to ask the photography department at the school.
The Sekonic 558R has built in wireless flash transmitter (Pocket Wizard compatible) to trigger suitably equipped studio lights, for example. If the school has studio lights with the Pcket Wizard wireless receiver (built in or as separate receiver), that is a feature you would lose access to while in class.

[DocFrankenstein]

Okay thank you Doc.

Do you have a certain one that you would recommend? Dont worry about price...
I have the 358 myself and would prefer to have a spot meter, but I don't need a spotmeter function most of the time. Had I been shooting landscapes or took a photography class, or shot professionally it would've been really different and I'd get a multimeter like 558

I have HEARD that minolta meters are more stable and drift less, but I have been happy with my sekonic.

I highly recommend against using 358 with an attachment.
1) It only meters to EV5 or so
2) There's no reading in the viewfinder.

So you'd have to point, take a reading, take it off your eye, look at it, put it to your eye again, meter another spot...

558 is better because you're "feeling around" instantly.

5D has a "spot meter" but only if you have a telephoto lense attached. And it won't spotmeter flash... and it won't give you exposure differences like the 558 will.

I would get the same model that school recommends, just from BH. 558R is a good meter which will be useful.

There used to be a package for 600 bucks where you get that meter and a color management bundle from monaco, so you'd calibrate your monitor at the same time.

[BLS439]

The L-358R (Model I have) also has the ability to trigger Pocket Wizards. I really like the 358. I agree though, find out which meter they were going to supply and find at minimum one of like kind.

[picturecrazy]

Another happy L-358 user here. It has worked well for me for metering ambient light, ambient+flash, and flash only. I also have the radio trigger (RT-32) module installed, though I've been disappointed with it's outdoor range. I can only trigger from about 15-20 feet away rather than the claimed 100ft. But other than that, it works like a champ and I'm very happy.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Thanks for all the feedback! The school actually has a student discount available, basically 10% so I will be getting it from them instead of B&H.

[forkball]

Okay so this is pretty new to me, and I am just curious before I go and buy it.

I will be starting my associates degree in photography on Thursday... But will not need to take any of my gear with me to school or anything until November or so.

So my question is... Do I really need the Mamiya Sekonic 558 Light Meter? The school has a kit I can buy for $2000 which includes a bag, the light meter, a 60gb hard drive, canon digital rebel, 1gb cf, card reader, and 50 sheets of matte paper.

And the school lends lenses out... So thats why no lenses are included.

By November, I will own the 5D. I already have a bag, cf cards, a card reader, and paper really isnt too big of an issue. I can get it anywhere.

What light meter may be better than this one of I do need one? I thought the 5D has some sort of light meter? Pretty new to the lighting end of photography.

I'd appreciate any assistance that can be given. Also, for those of you who print, can you give me a site where paper is of good quality for a decent price?

Thank you!

I wasn't aware that Mamiya made Sekonic light meters.

[gkas]

Thanks for all the feedback! The school actually has a student discount available, basically 10% so I will be getting it from them instead of B&H.

You might check. Sekonic/Mamiya/Manfrotto has a very nice student discount.