There are very few YT videos which directly discuss the pros and cons of various types of light meters, and many of those evidence ignorance of the maker. This one is surely one of the best out there. IMO he understates the difficulty of using an incident meter in general photography. It is a meter design which was developed specifically for movie and commercial studio use. There, it is unbeatable. Out in the field, in daylight of all types, it requires very careful us or its readings are going to be "off". To see how not to use an incident meter, look for videos by that group of YT video makers who haul them around, toting Mamiya RB67 cameras, shooting cottages and old car fenders.
Thanks for explaining the light meter use, especially about the range of stops when using strobes. I recently did a studio photoshoot with strobe/film, an it wasn't the best. Then I realized what I did wrong when I got my scans back. I want to be more proficient with my light meter, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Always appreciate the content you put out Jonathan, clear and thorough. I am certain you have your reasons for not talking about the analogue mantra "meter for the shadows and develop for the highlights" and the famous zone V metering. Yet I am pretty sure you'd be able to put out an interesting video. Looking forward to the next one 👍🏻
I have a Sekonic L308 that works very well and a Minolta Spotmeter F that I absolutely love. However, I'm surprised you didn't even mention or show any phone app-based metering options for folks to try. Many of these are totally free and, in a pinch, can substitute for a hand-held meter if you left it at home or your battery has died. In particular, I am fond of the Photo Friend App for Android as it allows you to have some quasi-spot meter capability.
Brilliant. I’m getting the Minolta Flash Meter V but like Sekonic L-358 or 558. What would be some feature differences? As far as available accessories
Started in the 80’s with a Hungarian photographer who taught me to know exposure by looking at it. 100 or 160 iso 125/f16 bright sunlight etc. knowing 3 or 4 basic exposures and modify them as you need them. Did you talk about metering with strobes?
great explanations, but one tip, for mf and lf you can also take a mirror-less camera with you the ] bracket of the histogram tells you if you have highlights that are too bright, a tip, esp. to see if you need a hood or ND filter to expose the scene correctly, and as a sanity check {if you get 1/3-1 stop difference you are GOOD}- this is what the diff is between film and digital, Digital can't take the highlights, Film cant be under exposed, so each meter is biased differently.
😬Warning! Rant: In my opinion light meters these days are WAAAAAAAAAY overpriced. I got one from the Seconic L-308 series two years ago and payed 260 bucks for it at the time (by the time I post this, you can get one NEW between 160-270 USD, depending on where you buy) and it is really not much more than a cheap toy calculator. They are made in the Philipines and production cost may be 3 bucks a piece MAX! The quality you get is underwhelming. I mean it didn't die on me after 2 years yet, but it is made from the cheapest china-toy-calculator-plastic and also looks like it, the little diffusion dome on that rail is super flappy and I am always afraid it will rip off if I'm not careful, the buttons are flimsy and feel cheap, nothing is properly sealed, so outdoor use is always a matter of weather conditions. Not even the battery was included. If the functionality was given, I might not even be triggered as much as I am, but you really only have four buttons, which you some times have to press simultaniously to get to certain functions, some modes can only be accessed or even UNLOCKED by holding down buttons in a specific order, then shut the whole unit off while the buttons are held down and then restart to get into flash-synch and funky stuff like that. You would guess that for the money, they could just add 2 more buttons to make it somewhat userfriendly. So you could go for other models, but the Seconic L-308 Series already is the cheapest one that also has the functions you really going to need. And going for more functions it gets even more expensive very fast. At the time I post this, you can get a Nokia G10 Smartphone for 130 bucks and you get the functionality of the latest IPhone with just a little less calculating power, but a freaking china toy calculator from Seconic with the most basic circuit and materials costs you more. Not to mention that I can also get light meter apps for a smart phone (which sadly don't work well in low loght conditions, so I am forced to get a dedicated light meter until the technology has also solved this problem). So I ask - in which way are these prices justified? Don't worry, I have calmed down by now. Have a nice day everyone.
Agreed. However, there are justifications. Of the traditional meter makers, I think only Gossen in Germany and Sekonic in Japan are still offering a range of types of meters. Sales volumes must be very small, which means prices tend to be high to cover ongoing fixed expenses independent from actual manufacturing costs. The second groups are a bunch of new makers of very small, solid state meters designed to clip onto your camera. These are all reflection type meters reading and average an area approximating the coverage of a 40mm lens on 35mm format. They use off the shelf electronic components, and most do a very nice job. The makers tend to be just above garage operations, so overhead is low, as are the prices relative to the larger makers. Quality is usually quite high, even if many are of Chinese origin. As a collector of meters (Nerd!), I warn that many of the best meters from the 1960s on either suffer from dependence on batteries no longer available or general component failure. Gossen is a major problem here. Unless you are DIY handy, repair is not going to be economically practical, even if possible.
Nice vid. I wouldn’t know what middle grey is, but I know where my clipping should be, and that’s what I meter for. Let the shadows or highlights fall where they may.
Well done, as always. I think the tip about metering the grass as a replacement for a neutral grey card is very useful. Thanks .
Informative, in-depth yet easy to understand. Classic Jonathan Notley Content
Thanks, great tips here especially about point light sauces throwing off readings 👍
Fantastic channel. Excited to see more
There are very few YT videos which directly discuss the pros and cons of various types of light meters, and many of those evidence ignorance of the maker. This one is surely one of the best out there. IMO he understates the difficulty of using an incident meter in general photography. It is a meter design which was developed specifically for movie and commercial studio use. There, it is unbeatable. Out in the field, in daylight of all types, it requires very careful us or its readings are going to be "off". To see how not to use an incident meter, look for videos by that group of YT video makers who haul them around, toting Mamiya RB67 cameras, shooting cottages and old car fenders.
Thanks for explaining the light meter use, especially about the range of stops when using strobes. I recently did a studio photoshoot with strobe/film, an it wasn't the best. Then I realized what I did wrong when I got my scans back. I want to be more proficient with my light meter, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Glad it was helpful!
Always excellent and brilliantly clear.
Always appreciate the content you put out Jonathan, clear and thorough.
I am certain you have your reasons for not talking about the analogue mantra "meter for the shadows and develop for the highlights" and the famous zone V metering. Yet I am pretty sure you'd be able to put out an interesting video. Looking forward to the next one 👍🏻
Very informative! Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
good tip about being careful with point light sources, glare when using reflective metering.
Congratulations
I have a Sekonic L308 that works very well and a Minolta Spotmeter F that I absolutely love. However, I'm surprised you didn't even mention or show any phone app-based metering options for folks to try. Many of these are totally free and, in a pinch, can substitute for a hand-held meter if you left it at home or your battery has died. In particular, I am fond of the Photo Friend App for Android as it allows you to have some quasi-spot meter capability.
Brilliant. I’m getting the Minolta Flash Meter V but like Sekonic L-358 or 558. What would be some feature differences? As far as available accessories
In the 60s, they started putting TTL meters in cameras. The Topcon RE Super was first in 1963. Pentax and Minolta soon followed.
Thanks. Now I know better what the function of the light and dark button on my OM4Ti is.
Started in the 80’s with a Hungarian photographer who taught me to know exposure by looking at it. 100 or 160 iso 125/f16 bright sunlight etc. knowing 3 or 4 basic exposures and modify them as you need them. Did you talk about metering with strobes?
great explanations, but one tip, for mf and lf you can also take a mirror-less camera with you the ] bracket of the histogram tells you if you have highlights that are too bright, a tip, esp. to see if you need a hood or ND filter to expose the scene correctly, and as a sanity check {if you get 1/3-1 stop difference you are GOOD}- this is what the diff is between film and digital, Digital can't take the highlights, Film cant be under exposed, so each meter is biased differently.
😬Warning! Rant:
In my opinion light meters these days are WAAAAAAAAAY overpriced. I got one from the Seconic L-308 series two years ago and payed 260 bucks for it at the time (by the time I post this, you can get one NEW between 160-270 USD, depending on where you buy) and it is really not much more than a cheap toy calculator. They are made in the Philipines and production cost may be 3 bucks a piece MAX! The quality you get is underwhelming. I mean it didn't die on me after 2 years yet, but it is made from the cheapest china-toy-calculator-plastic and also looks like it, the little diffusion dome on that rail is super flappy and I am always afraid it will rip off if I'm not careful, the buttons are flimsy and feel cheap, nothing is properly sealed, so outdoor use is always a matter of weather conditions. Not even the battery was included. If the functionality was given, I might not even be triggered as much as I am, but you really only have four buttons, which you some times have to press simultaniously to get to certain functions, some modes can only be accessed or even UNLOCKED by holding down buttons in a specific order, then shut the whole unit off while the buttons are held down and then restart to get into flash-synch and funky stuff like that. You would guess that for the money, they could just add 2 more buttons to make it somewhat userfriendly. So you could go for other models, but the Seconic L-308 Series already is the cheapest one that also has the functions you really going to need. And going for more functions it gets even more expensive very fast. At the time I post this, you can get a Nokia G10 Smartphone for 130 bucks and you get the functionality of the latest IPhone with just a little less calculating power, but a freaking china toy calculator from Seconic with the most basic circuit and materials costs you more. Not to mention that I can also get light meter apps for a smart phone (which sadly don't work well in low loght conditions, so I am forced to get a dedicated light meter until the technology has also solved this problem). So I ask - in which way are these prices justified?
Don't worry, I have calmed down by now. Have a nice day everyone.
Buy a used Minolta on eBay for like $100 👀
@@JonathanNotley Thanks man. 😎
@@JonathanNotley Second that!
Agreed. However, there are justifications. Of the traditional meter makers, I think only Gossen in Germany and Sekonic in Japan are still offering a range of types of meters. Sales volumes must be very small, which means prices tend to be high to cover ongoing fixed expenses independent from actual manufacturing costs. The second groups are a bunch of new makers of very small, solid state meters designed to clip onto your camera. These are all reflection type meters reading and average an area approximating the coverage of a 40mm lens on 35mm format. They use off the shelf electronic components, and most do a very nice job. The makers tend to be just above garage operations, so overhead is low, as are the prices relative to the larger makers. Quality is usually quite high, even if many are of Chinese origin. As a collector of meters (Nerd!), I warn that many of the best meters from the 1960s on either suffer from dependence on batteries no longer available or general component failure. Gossen is a major problem here. Unless you are DIY handy, repair is not going to be economically practical, even if possible.
Nice vid. I wouldn’t know what middle grey is, but I know where my clipping should be, and that’s what I meter for. Let the shadows or highlights fall where they may.
can't you do reflective metering with these hand held meters as well (Minolta Flash Meter IV in particular)? Do you just take the done off to do that?
How am I supposed to trust a photographer with nothing on their walls… Just kidding. Great video.
Anyone able to tell me the Sekonic L608 can that be used in digital photography ?
You can but it's much faster/easier to just take a test shot.
@@JonathanNotley Thank you 🙏 So the Sekonic L 608 and the Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D basically they are no different.
Isn’t it an incident meter?
White bobble = incident, viewfinder = reflective … some are both!
You're talking boloney.
Is that a word that means “sense, specifically in reference to light meters?”
"Show, don't tell" applies to teaching/how-to videos too. You aren't helping by sitting there flapping your gums with no real world examples.
Another good one is ‘those who can’t, teach’