Which light meter?

FlyTVR

FlyTVR

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I am going to purchase a light meter. Hands up, I know very little about them - so can anyone shed some 'light' :) on how much I need to spend etc

Cheers.

TeaVR
 
FlyTVR said:
I am going to purchase a light meter. Hands up, I know very little about them - so can anyone shed some 'light' :) on how much I need to spend etc

Cheers.

TeaVR
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Really depends what you want it for...if for studio use, something like the Sekonic L308S would suffice, or for flash and ambient lighting simultaneous measurements, the Sekonic L758D/DR are superb and hard to beat.

Cannot speak for any other brand, have only ever used Sekonic..

For landscapes, the L308S would be fine. Lightmeters cost from £100 upwards to about £400 IIRC :thinking:
 
What are you using it for? Studio work I guess?

I'd plump for one of the more popular ones - Sekonic do a couple of very good meters at the lower end of the price bracket.

The L-308s or L-358 - both very capable.

I bought a 308s and lost it so ended up buying a 358 and to be honest i don't use any of the extra features of the 358! i think the 308s is a bargain.
 
EOS_JD said:
What are you using it for? Studio work I guess?

I'd plump for one of the more popular ones - Sekonic do a couple of very good meters at the lower end of the price bracket.

The L-308s or L-358 - both very capable.

I bought a 308s and lost it so ended up buying a 358 and to be honest i don't use any of the extra features of the 358! i think the 308s is a bargain.
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Yep - for studio work. No landscapes.

OK - so, two votes for the 308 then.

Cheers.

TeaVR
 
308 is perfect for that and if you do use it outside and need an incident reading it's perfect.

The 358 is a better meter if you use pocket wizards as there's an option to use it with the radio triggers but if you don't need that then the 308 is fine and good value.
 
EOS_JD said:
308 is perfect for that and if you do use it outside and need an incident reading it's perfect.

The 358 is a better meter if you use pocket wizards as there's an option to use it with the radio triggers but if you don't need that then the 308 is fine and good value.
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Probably a stupid question, but here goes. My studio lights are triggered via a radio hot shoe. So, how do I go about triggering the lights when I want to take a reading using the meter?
 
mattyh said:
Use the test button on the triggers :)

Another vote for the 308 here :D
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Ok, so the only trigger I have is the one that is attached to the camera, so that means I have to have the camera around my neck. Maybe I should invest in another - or do some of the more expensive light meters have build in radio triggers?
 
Can't you take the trigger off the camera while you do the readings?

Another vote for the 308S. While I think it's a heck of a lot of money for something that can't have cost more than a tenner to make, it seems to be the cheapast decent meter around and does everything you could possibly want, flash or ambient, incident or reflected, accurately and reliably.
 
HoppyUK said:
Can't you take the trigger off the camera while you do the readings?
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I could but I'd prefer not to as the trigger / shoe seem very fussy!! I've started another thread on this issue.

I have Lencarta heads - can I just connect the meter to one of the heads via cable?
 
mattyh said:
You probably could do... Seems like more hassle than it's worth.. I think the meter has a sync cable port :)

I just used to keep the camera round my neck, easy enough :)
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Thanks Mat - I think I'll do that - just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious.
 
You can indeed connect the meter using the sync cable. Very easy but using cables is a pain! You can also use a second transmitter for your wireless system. If you use ebay triggers, buying a second transmitter is cheap. Velcro it to the back of your 308 and connect with a short cable.

Or (this is what I do) get my models to hold the meter and just take a shot with the camera - you just set the meter up to measure from the first burst of light it "sees". Basically means pressing the meter button and the meter waits for the flash to fire before giving the reading. Very simle and effective.
 
I use a Gossen DigiproF and have several triggers. Stick one trigger in your pocket and you can meter wherever you want. Job done

The Digipro seems pretty accurate, is nice and small, and does what it says on the tin
 
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