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light meters Anonymous
can someone explain why "pros" still use light meters

is it just to save time from guessing exposures
>> Anonymous
pro's wouldnt guess exposures unless the had too.

perhaps they're more accurate?
more control compared to a built in one?

other than that im fuckin stumped as to why...
>> Anonymous
>>194998perhaps they're more accurate?

your camera light meter doesn't even work for flash lighting because it only reads ambient light

incidental vs reflective
>> Anonymous
>>195002
ITT, morons. Lightmeters can not only measure incident and reflective light, but there are models that are either dedicated flashmeters, or ones which have both incident, reflective and flash modes.

The main reason pros use lightmeters is that they provide a simple way to measure light, and can be used to get the correct meter reading for an image which would fool your pattern metering
>> Anonymous
>>195007
>morons

Or, you know, people who just don't happen to know much about light meters.
>> Anonymous
>>195007

>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> your camera light meter
>> Anonymous
because real pros don't chimp
>> Anonymous
1. Flash work. Though histograms on digital are,
2. Anything you need an incident meter for.

Otherwise, a spotmetering camera will do fine.

Protip: Don't ever stick your on matrix metering if you're shooting in manual. It'll be telling you an exposure you don't know how it got and you won't be able to make a good decision on what exposure settings to actually use. Ideally, set your camera to spot and point it at something you want medium grey. If you don't have time, use center-weighted average. There, you know what it's doing and can make an intelligent decision on if and how to deviate from the meter reading.

Also, with digital, histogram is really better than any lightmeter, because ideally (when shooting raw, which you should be) one overexposes digital files and pulls them in the raw convertor for better image quality, and the goal is to overexpose them 'til something blows.

>>194998

>pro's wouldnt guess exposures unless the had too.

Lol wut? Most photographers who pay attention while shooting can guess exposure with no problem. Never hurts to check it with a meter, but still.
>> Einta !!MWv3ICYobCM
>>195020
Total agreement on spot metering. How can you meter accurately at all without it?

I actually can't recall the last time I had anything other than spot metering set. I only wish I had a smaller "spot" - 4% is a little big. A key that momentarily switched it from 4% to 1% would be great.
>> Anonymous
>>195020

Lol wut? Most photographers who pay attention while shooting can guess exposure with no problem. Never hurts to check it with a meter, but still.
There is a difference between guessing an exposure and knowing an exposure by looking at a scene and comparing it to years of experience.
>> Anonymous
because most large format cameras don't have meters on them.
Plus don't have to move your camera after you've composed the shot to meter the image.
Also zone system applies to above
>> Anonymous
Depends really what kind of work you're doing, if you're working with only film there are no histograms to check if its exposed correctly or not. Even if you're working with digital, it is sometimes needed when you're interested in different light ratios between each. You can chimp if you want to I sometimes do, besides I only use it every time I change light setups to take the reading.
>> Anonymous
Ever see the documentary on James Nachtwey, War Photographer?
>> KB
spot meters are used mainly in portrait/studio photography... i've used them for finding lighting ratios and getting a decent idea of where to begin exposure wise ;\
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
Meters are fairly pivotal to landscape and portraiture/studio.

I've been messing with LF lately and obviously you need a light meter for it.

But boy they are expensive aren't they? That's my question. Why the fuck do they good ones cost soooooo much.
>> Anonymous
>>195275
good one vs bad one... I picked up a 50 year old Weston Master V for £3 at a car boot sale, and it works just as well as any modern one, admittedly, it doesn't do flashmetering and doesn't readout on a digital display, but YOU DON'T NEED ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES, because you get the same results
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>195327

500 dollars for a light meter just seems like soooo much...

but i guess for pros it's not much at all
>> Anonymous
My P&S has a damn lightmeter.
>> Anonymous
>>195334
Yes, but it sure as hell does not have movements or a sensor about the size of A4 paper.

OTOH, sticking a light meter in your pocket and using a view camera is something very possible.
>> Anonymous
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>>195334My P&S has a damn lightmeter.
>> Anonymous
>>195222
Yes, he used light meter and film cameras.
>> Anonymous
>>195275
>Why the fuck do they good ones cost soooooo much.

Because not very many people use them.
Fewer units sold means higher price per unit.
>> Anonymous
I use light meters for studio work with flash setups only.
>> Anonymous
>>195002
$500 is cheaper than fucking up an assignment you may not be able to re-shoot. That's the price justification for almost all pro gear: it's cheaper than fucking up.
>> Anonyfag of Borneo !bHymOqU5YY
"What is it?"

"Your father's light meter. This is the weapon of a
Photographer. Not as clumsy or as random as a built-in meter. An elegant meter for a more civilized time."
>> Lynx !!KY+lVSl0s2m
>>197190
I fuckkin lold hard.
>> Anonymous
Because they are accurate.
>>194993