considering getting a light meter

I don't know if this topic is common or not,
I'll try and do a search about it in addition.

But I've had some people recommend I purchase a light meter, specifically because I'm having trouble with exposures (generally under exposed) in my home studio setup.

I know nada about light meters.... can someone fill me in? Even if you have to send me links to go read? I noticed in a brief search about them that there is a huge price range, which makes me curious how good the low-end ones are and if I should go mid-priced or what??

So confused..
~Rae~

The Sekonic L-358 is a mid-priced meter that you couldn't go wrong with. It has optional accessories that would let you grow into the future with it without breaking the bank up front.

The L-358 appears to be one of the most popular meters among the serious and semi-serious photographers in this forum.

Hi Rae,

As Skip pointed out, the Sekonic L-358 is widely used and well liked. The Sekonic L-308S is also popular, costs a little less, does not have all the features of the L-358 but works very well.

Here are a couple of threads that compare and discuss the two meters.

https://photography-on-the.net …hp?t=282314&hig​hlight=358

https://photography-on-the.net …hp?t=239772&hig​hlight=358

You can quickly find many more threads by using search terms such as "sekonic", "358", "308", "light meter", etc.

Thanks for the quick responses and great links.

BTW being that I'm wanting to use this for a studio/strobe situation.. Do I understand this right that I actually 'need' a light meter.. is it true even with a grey card my camera won't meter right because of the strobes? Or will it work with a grey card?

sonshine_rae wrote in post #2961076
BTW being that I'm wanting to use this for a studio/strobe situation.. Do I understand this right that I actually 'need' a light meter.. is it true even with a grey card my camera won't meter right because of the strobes? Or will it work with a grey card?

Your camera cannot possibly measure light from studio strobes. The built-in meter is only useful for conventional continuous lighting.

You can, of course, use the guess-and-tweak method with the histogram displayed on the camera as a guideline. That is an extremely time-consuming and frustrating way to work, of course. It also does not work to measure the light from individual sources so you can control ratios, etc.

I love my Minolta AutoMeter IVf - they run about $100 used nowadays and it works great for everything I've thrown at it.

Okay.. so um how does a light meter measure it from strobes? Do you measure it during a flash cycle or what? (sorry newbie to this stuff)

sonshine_rae wrote in post #2961239
Okay.. so um how does a light meter measure it from strobes? Do you measure it during a flash cycle or what? (sorry newbie to this stuff)

The Sekonic L-358 can be connected to one of your studio flash units with the same cord that would connect the light to the camera. There is a female PC jack on the meter - the same jack that is on a camera (or on a hotshoe-to-PC adapter for those cameras without a PC jack). You push the button on the meter to take a reading and it fires the flash.

Another way is to put the meter into a "cordless" flash mode. Press its button and it waits to "see" the flash go off. You trigger the flash with the camera or whatever method you care to use.

A third (and rather expensive) way is to have a radio transmitter (optional) in the meter and a radio receiver on one or more of the studio flash units. The camera would also need a transmitter for this scenario.

Okay.. looks like I'll be investing in a meter first.. lenses later then.
Thanks ! That's what I've been trying to decide, what was needed most, and how well it would work with my setup. Since I am having (obviously) a terrible time getting my exposure's right in the studio, a meter would be a awesome investment right now .

I need to get my exposure's right, then branch out from there , into more lens options and fun things.

Thanks again,
*wanders off to read more about light meters..*

Hi Rae,

I'd say that's a very good decision. The meter is a very valuable tool in the studio and when using strobes. It's not just a luxury or expensive toy. It will help you to create lighting quickly with no guesswork and no trial-and-error, and ultimately have great exposures.