Light meter as a subsitute for Histogram in bright light

[danielyamseng]

I found it very hard to read the histogram under brightly lit environment. Even I tried to cover it with my hand, is still difficult to read.

Am I making a wise decision if I get a Sekonic 758 as to solve my problem?

[yogestee]

I found it very hard to read the histogram under brightly lit environment. Even I tried to cover it with my hand, is still difficult to read.

Am I making a wise decision if I get a Sekonic 758 as to solve my problem?

Nope,,,,you still need to meter your subject via the camera's meter.. I have found the current crop of DSLRs meters are very accurate.. Nearly all metering problems arise from user error and inexperience..

IMHO handheld meters are a waste of time unless the lighting conditions are very tricky.. With experience you will be able to access the scene/subject, where to meter and where approximately the histogram will lie.. Don't rely too much on chimping..

[DocFrankenstein]

Nope,,,,you still need to meter your subject via the camera's meter.. I have found the current crop of DSLRs meters are very accurate.. Nearly all metering problems arise from user error and inexperience..

IMHO handheld meters are a waste of time unless the lighting conditions are very tricky.. With experience you will be able to access the scene/subject, where to meter and where approximately the histogram will lie.. Don't rely too much on chimping..
Funny.

My thoughts on the topic are the opposite. Once you meter ambient towards the sun your pictures won't be overexposed. I find my L508 very useful.

On the other hand no matter how you meter ugly light it will still be ugly. ;) So a meter won't solve that problem.

[FlyingPhotog]

Gotta love human interpretation...

My reply to the OP:

- Histogram shows you what you already got
- Meter will help you determine what you should get before hand

[danielyamseng]

I'm trying to find a solution on the difficulty reading the histogram under an extremely bright condition i.e desert and the beach.

I'm thinking of using lightmeter to resolve these problem.


Another thing is if the subject I shoot doesnt has extreme color, I found it hard to determine whether the subject is under or overexpose.

Let say the subject fill most of the frame. If the face or neck is underexpose, the histogram not shown left or right shift. It's still show a balance histogram.

[SkipD]

Nope,,,,you still need to meter your subject via the camera's meter..... NOT. The camera's meter does not have to be part of the equation at all.

If one wishes to operate with a handheld meter (and I often do), merely use the camera in "M" (manual) exposure mode and use an external handheld meter to determine the exposure settings.

[danielyamseng]

Yeah that's right Skip. In you opinion, Am I making the right decision?

[SkipD]

Yeah that's right Skip. In you opinion, Am I making the right decision?I often choose to use my Sekonic L-358 with the camera set to manual mode. Most often, I use the meter in incident mode (reading the light falling on the subject rather than light reflected from it). I frequently find this both faster and more accurate than using the camera's built-in meter. So, yes, I think you would be making a wise decision to obtain a good handheld meter.

If you ever get into using a studio flash setup (or any manually adjusted flash setup), the camera's meter is useless. A good handheld meter or a lot of trial-and-error are the only two options there.

[yogestee]

I think everyone misread my reply.. What I meant to say is you still have to meter the subject before you shoot and check the histogram.. A handheld meter although a very useful tool is a substitute for the camera's inbuilt meter..

[PhotosGuy]

This works for me as a starting point. First set the f-stop & shutter speed you need. Then adjust the ISO.
Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123)

This shows how the subject can affect the exposure & why manual keeps me worry free:
Post #47 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5191658&postcount=47)

[TheHoff]

Yeah that's right Skip. In you opinion, Am I making the right decision?

A Sekonic 758 is likely overkill for what you need. If you do a lot of multi-light flash setups then it is perfect but if you just want a good light meter you can get away with spending $100 or $200 instead of $450. The Sekonic L-398 is based off of a classic design that has been used for decades and does not require any batteries.

And for the record, I agree with Skip and Doc -- the hand held meter is a great substitute for the histogram and built-in camera meter. While the camera meter can be useful there is no way it can act as an incident meter, only reflective. It can only measure the light that the subject reflects back to the camera position -- with a hand held meter you can measure the highlights from the subjects position , then the shadows from the other side of the face, and determine your own best midground exposure.

[Tixeon]

Just short of the Zone System, an Incident meter (used correctly) is the most accurate way to get a correct exposure. I've used the Incident metering method for over 40 yrs & it has never let me down. On the other hand I've let it down occasionally by using it incorrectly when in a hurry.

[yogestee]

Just short of the Zone System, an Incident meter (used correctly) is the most accurate way to get a correct exposure. I've used the Incident metering method for over 40 yrs & it has never let me down. On the other hand I've let it down occasionally by using it incorrectly when in a hurry.


Very accurate.. I came up using old blue cell Sekonics and Gossens.. Primitive by today's standards but still accurate.. BTW,,we had a draw full of stuffed Sekonics and Gossens which had been dropped dislodging the needle..

[danielyamseng]

How about Sekonic 358?Does it serve my purpose? It is portable enough for me to backpacked and travel with it?

[DocFrankenstein]

How about Sekonic 358?Does it serve my purpose? It is portable enough for me to backpacked and travel with it?
Well, even the largest multimeter like 758 is about 300 grams.

L358 is about 200

Unless you're backpacking for classical climbing, I doubt that problems will arise.