First Meter: A question, a photograph, and general amazement

So I finally got around to buying me a flash meter, a Sekonic L-358, and it's just...amazing. I tested it out when I pulled it out of the box by incident metering a white sheet of paper with a strobe, and sure enough, it put it right up against the side of the histogram where it belonged. Chimping like I used to do, I probably would have gone through three or four frames and ended up settling for something that would have needed a little correction in post, while this was perfect, right in camera.

Anyways, initial shock aside, I have one small question about its operation. When I'm flipping through shutter speeds, I find that it goes up to 1/8000, and then past that it goes back down to 1/400 and some other speed before proceeding on to the frames/second shutter speeds. Does anyone know why those are there?

Other than that, it's just been a joy to use. I can nail things on the first exposure now, and it also shows what percentage of the exposure the flash makes up, which was an unexpected and insanely useful feature. Now I can work out my strobe-to-ambient ratio in the field without even picking up the camera. Took it out for my first session to test it today, with the girlfriend, and sure enough it worked just as well for her as for the sheet of paper. Unfortunately, the session got cut short by a passing shower. Turns out, thankfully, photo umbrellas will also keep rain off of you: otherwise, I'd be dealing with a mightily soaked bunch of camera gear right now...

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Sounds about right. I wouldn't want to be without my L-358, I don't care that I could chimp. Incident metering (and flash metering) is just so much quicker, and looks more professional if nothing else. I find mine indispensable in the studio (for working out lighting ratios without guessing, as well as overall exposure). Congrats on the new meter, I can see that you're going to put it to good use.

From what I read, the odd shutter speeds are for movie cameras.

Well it's about time Robert!!

Glad you got the meter. As you can already see, it's going to make a world of difference in your exposures. You can now have consistent repeatable results without all the nonsense and you'll be able to work faster as well.

I have a question about the meter...How close do you have to be to your subject to make sure that it takes a reading on the subjects face or whatever else you want it to do...Maybe there is something i'm missing, but I don't understand that part

Hi Robert,

Lotto is correct. The second set of shutter speeds are for film or video.

yankees3791 wrote in post #6031584
I have a question about the meter...How close do you have to be to your subject to make sure that it takes a reading on the subjects face or whatever else you want it to do...Maybe there is something i'm missing, but I don't understand that part

You don't have to be close at all! As long it is the same light falling on you that is falling on the subject, just hold the meter up and face it the same direction as if you were next to them and pointing back to the camera.

yankees3791 wrote in post #6031584
I have a question about the meter...How close do you have to be to your subject to make sure that it takes a reading on the subjects face or whatever else you want it to do...Maybe there is something i'm missing, but I don't understand that part

You place the meter directly in front of the subject or object. Some people meter the subject by placing the meter with dome raised and facing the lens, and some meter directly in front of the highlight side of the face pointing at the light source.

Regardless of what method you are using the idea is to meter on or in front of your subject. If you hold the meter further away then that will affect your reading. If you point in the wrong direction that will affect your reading. If the dome should be up and it is down that will affect your reading.

Very simply, meter as close to the area you want to properly expose, or in the case of strong highlights you may want to meter those highlights to make sure you're not clipping.

Even with a meter yo have to use your eyes and common sense, and remember that the meter is still just a suggestion based on its positioning, but it can't see or know more than you give it to work with.

Either way, it is more accurate than setting it on Av or Tv and having the camera fluctuate frame to frame.

TheHoff wrote in post #6031592
You don't have to be close at all! As long it is the same light falling on you that is falling on the subject, just hold the meter up and face it the same direction as if you were next to them and pointing back to the camera.

Well, I have to disagree. If I hold the meter 6 inches from my subject I'll get a different reading than if I metered on or just in front of the face. When metering highlight and shadow it's very easy to overexpose the highlights and very easy to drive shadows into black if you're not metering correctly.

TMR Design wrote in post #6031602
Well, I have to disagree. If I hold the meter 6 inches from my subject I'll get a different reading than if I metered on or just in front of the face. When metering highlight and shadow it's very easy to overexpose the highlights and very easy to drive shadows into black if you're not metering correctly.

If you're talking about flash, sure, but I don't see how this would be under sunlight. The light 6 inches in front of your subject is very likely the light that is directly on them. Maybe we're misunderstanding each other -- I'm saying if you're going to only meter one direction (not comparing highlight and shadow values) by holding the meter in front of the subject's face, there should be little or no difference to the reading if you hold the meter up from camera position and face it the same way.

If I'm shooting people on the street outdoors, I don't have to meter each one individually, I just hold the meter up in the same direction as the main skin tones I want to render properly. (I re-read what you said and I think it is because I'm talking about a one-step simplistic reading whereas you're doing multiple readings -- the more accurate way -- to make sure you have an acceptable range.)

My response was based on Robert's post. He indicated he has a session and used flash. I wasn't trying to make a global statement. I simply answered Robert based on the information given and I didn't see any mention of ambient or sun light. He states he got a flash meter and was using flash.

Had he posed a question about ambient I would have responded accordingly.

TMR Design wrote in post #6031635
I simply answered Robert based on the information given and I didn't see any mention of ambient or sun light.

The person you answered was not Robert. Regardless, both answers were correct.

I did in fact respond to Robert. I indicated that my response was based on Robert's post and then another post that said nothing about ambient and simply asked about distance from the subject. Why would I assume that someone responding to Robert's post would then discuss ambient metering without using the word ambient.

I'm not trying to be cocky but lets stay on target here. This thread is about metering flash.

Wow, lively discussion :O

Anywho, I'm still not sure about those odd shutter speeds. I know that it has another set for cinema, but this seems to come between the normal speeds and the cinema speeds?