Light Meter

Do any of you use a light meter like the Sedonic L-358 while out on a rally or do you just meter from the camera. Would I benifit from having a light meter.

I've never been to a Rally.

But I tend to do things straight from the camera. The less extra stuff you have to carry the better.

Unless it's overcast or 100% open (ie no shadow areas) you probably wouldn't benefit much from a handheld meter. There will most likely be too much fluctuation in the lighting.

I have a Sekonic L-358, but it's for studio use only. I see some guys using handheld meters (mostly for film though) out in the California sun... but the thing you really have to remember about a meter like the 358 is that it is (for the most part) an Incident meter. You can get a good sense of the light that is falling on the meter, but if you're shooting (especially with a telephoto lens) the subject may not be in the same light. You could use a spot meter... but that's basically what the camera is doing anyhow.

I tend to just take a practice shot of the scene and review the histogram. If the background is exposed properly... the car shouldn't be too far off... and if it is, you just adjust your settings to get it right. I've not shot a rally event, but I would figure there are safety cars (or similar) going out before the racers... use them to check your settings... if not, maybe set-up an auto bracketing and blast-off a few shots for the first car and pick the best exposure after.

-Todd...

I use a meter all the time now.

Takes my mind away from blown highlights and lets me concentrate on composition. It's also a must for manual flashwork