Light meter

C

Cobbler72

Suspended / Banned
Messages
46
Edit My Images
No
I was lucky enough to get a lencarta studio kit for Christmas.

Today it got its first use. I was very pleased with it but as a total studio newbie, I think I'd like a flash light meter to help me get the exposure right a bit quicker.

Can anyone recommend a good one which will not break the bank but will do the job?

Thanks in advance.
 
I was afraid somebody would point me in that direction :)

Is there anything any cheaper that would do me a job or would I be cutting corners and regret it?
 
A flash strob at said distance from
Subject in said modifier will alway give the same output at said power, so you can learn your equipment if you don't want to spend £££ it will just take you time :)
 
bryan elliott said:
A flash strob at said distance from
Subject in said modifier will alway give the same output at said power, so you can learn your equipment if you don't want to spend £££ it will just take you time :)
Click to expand...

This^

It's quicker than you think.
 
bryan elliott said:
A flash strob at said distance from
Subject in said modifier will alway give the same output at said power, so you can learn your equipment if you don't want to spend £££ it will just take you time :)
Click to expand...
Yes, that works - but please don't do it. It tends to get people lighting to a formulae, which destroys creativity.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a brand new clever meter, spend less money on a second hand one with less features. All meters provide the same info and cheap ones work just as well as expensive ones.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I appreciate that I might work it out but certainly, to get me going, I'd like to know whats 'right' in the first place. Then I can understand about distances halving/doubling etc.

Hence my original question, if I buy new, what is a reasonable meter to get which will do the job but wont cost £130? Or, given that if I want a meter, is that the one to aspire to?

I am sure you all take this sort of thing for granted, but as a newbie in this field, I don't recognise a good brand from a poor one yet.
 
Cobbler72 said:
Thanks for the advice.

I appreciate that I might work it out but certainly, to get me going, I'd like to know whats 'right' in the first place. Then I can understand about distances halving/doubling etc.

Hence my original question, if I buy new, what is a reasonable meter to get which will do the job but wont cost £130? Or, given that if I want a meter, is that the one to aspire to?

I am sure you all take this sort of thing for granted, but as a newbie in this field, I don't recognise a good brand from a poor one yet.
Click to expand...
I was at someone else's studio yesterday. He showed me a meter in mint condition that he had bought (presumably on Ebay) for a silly price.

It is a Minolta 4F and he paid 55 Canadian dollars for it:) It probably went so cheaply because the seller mistyped Minolta as Minotla - these things happen... Or maybe it was because it isn't a current model and meters are no longer made under that name.

What's the difference between a Minolta and a cheaper make? If it's a Minolta, and you drop it, you pick it up and carry on using it. If it's a cheaper one, you kick the bits into the corner and buy another meter - but they do exactly the same job. If you're an amateur who takes care of your stuff, you'll be perfectly happy with a cheap meter, whether new or second hand. If you're a professional, and especially if you employ assistants, get a meter that can be dropped, abused and neglected. Simple.

Polaris and Shepherd meters seem to sell for silly cheap money on Ebay. From memory, they are slow to use and heavy on batteries. But they work.
 
As another newbie I was in your position 3 months ago...
I have 3 friends (part time Pros)
1 has one & uses it all the time,
1 doesnt take take type of pics & doesn't know how to use it
the last uses the histogram & adjusts from that.

I bit the bullet & got 1 Sekonic L-308s. Why ?

Because its puts me in the middle of the ballpark from my first shot & time in a studio is everything - even when its your own.
 
oh, paid £88 in total - ebay -waited for 2 months....
 
Garry Edwards said:
Yes, that works - but please don't do it. It tends to get people lighting to a formulae, which destroys creativity..
Click to expand...

tell that to Trevor Yerbury :)

But I do agree a light meter is better :)
 
Get yourself on eBay, lots of people buy them, don't use them and eventually sell them
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top