Does Histogram replace Light Meter job?

Histogram never replaces the light meter, but the two work in unison to give you an outstanding photo!

dave kadolph wrote in post #5978293
Really?

I've never had any luck getting a running back or a point guard to stop and let me meter them--much less hold a grey card.

Uh huh. But you've had great luck at getting the refs to stop the game and do the play over because your histogram says you got the exposure wrong on that last pic, right?



And no sports photographer has ever carried a light meter onto a field/court/etc. before the game to see what the lighting is like, right?

krb wrote in post #5983180
Uh huh. But you've had great luck at getting the refs to stop the game and do the play over because your histogram says you got the exposure wrong on that last pic, right?



And no sports photographer has ever carried a light meter onto a field/court/etc. before the game to see what the lighting is like, right?

lol.. "Mmm, I know they just scored but ive just checked my histogram and, well, the shot just didnt work out. Any chance ...."

No do-overs!

No it doesn't replace a light meter. The argument has probably been done to death by now. But essentially a light meter, (incident), will tell you what the camera settings should be *before* the event. The histogram will tell you how the exposure was *after* the event.

Yes... I know it's a lot more complex than that but I'm trying to simplify it as much as possible! In reality both have their uses, and you could manage without either if you had to. In fact in the film days you'd no real choice, and a histogram would have been wonderful! But that doesn't mean that I'd willingly throw away my separate light meter even though I don't use it anywhere near as much as I used to.

krb wrote in post #5983180
And no sports photographer has ever carried a light meter onto a field/court/etc. before the game to see what the lighting is like, right?

You missed the entire point--owning a meter and grey card is not what separates you pro's from us hackers. It's the ability to use all the tools at your disposal to get an acceptable result. And a healthy dose of experience doesn't hurt

A lot of us hopeless amateurs cover multiple events in a day and then process and post our finished product within hours--without the luxury of unlimited setup time and a controlled environment.