Do I Need $ 634 US Dollars Light meter ?

[surapon]

Dear Friends and Teachers.
I just finish 1 st. Class of 10 Total class last nigjht , And The Name of The Class = " Creative Camera IV/ Photographic Lighting", Teach by the PRO, and Offer to me by our Local Technical Collage in my home county.
Yes !0 classes = 3 Hours per Class = $ 95 Us Dollars.
I have a great first class last night, And great teacher , that I will learn a lot from this PRO.
My question to my dear teachers and my dear friends in CR. = Do I need Sekonic L-758 Light Meter = $ 634 US Dollars---That Require in my class( Yes, my new teacher tell us to buy Start from the cheapest $ 115 US Dollars and up to high end = $ 634 Us Dollars).
Well, My Hobby is shoot every thing in my sight---But Rearly shoot Studio Photos , In side my Studio Area in my home ( That I already have most of the Require Studio Lighting that can create the great Photos)---
Now, The Question is =Do I need the High cost one---Just for this Class, and I might not use it again . because I do not like to shoot real studio photos?

Thank you Sir/ Madam.
Surapon

 

[AcutancePhotography]

You have to ask yourself two questions

1. What is your in-camera reflective meter not providing you?
2. What would an external meter (reflective and incident and perhaps spot) provide you?

Is the difference worth $634 to you?

There are advantages to using an incident meter and advantages to using a spot meter. Whether these advantages are worth the price to you, is up to you to decide.

I still have an old Setronic light meter from 20 years ago. There are times when it has really helped me, other times when it served as a "second opinion" in a tricky lighting situation, and other times when I never bothered to use it.

 

[Old Sarge]

Like AcutancePhotography, I have an older Sekonic meter, probably close to thirty years old, which I very rarely use for anything except checking exposure when I use my (cheap) studio lights for a project. When I bought it I would also use it to check tricky outdoor light when using my F1 or my Bronica. Haven't used it outdoors since moving to digital.

You said that you don't really like studio photography so I would suggest you find something in the middle of the road. Something like the Sekonic 308 or 478 would be about 1/2 the price of the top of the line and probably do everything you need and more.

 

[surapon]

You have to ask yourself two questions

1. What is your in-camera reflective meter not providing you?
2. What would an external meter (reflective and incident and perhaps spot) provide you?

Is the difference worth $634 to you?

There are advantages to using an incident meter and advantages to using a spot meter. Whether these advantages are worth the price to you, is up to you to decide.

I still have an old Setronic light meter from 20 years ago. There are times when it has really helped me, other times when it served as a "second opinion" in a tricky lighting situation, and other times when I never bothered to use it.

Thousand thanks Dear Friend Mr. AcutancePhotography.
Yes You are right on the Spot, " 1. What is your in-camera reflective meter not providing you?
2. What would an external meter (reflective and incident and perhaps spot) provide you?"

Yes, I am very happy of all Light Meter in Canon 1DS, 7D, 5D MK II and EOS-M ( Canon 20 D)----Special for 1DS that have Multi-Spots meter that get the best Exposure for me where the difficult light conditions..

Only thing that The High cost Handheld Light meter that can do better = in the Studio portrait Lighting, that have many Lights and the Handheld Light meter can save the time---With out Try to shoot 2-3 times and adjust the Manual setting. Yes, My Photix Odin TTL Flashes Control that I use for 3 years are doing the great job for me too.
Thanks you, Sir.
No, I will not buy yet, Until my new teacher show me in the class that Handheld Light meter can save my time and prevent my error camera adjustment that my cameras can not do..

Thanks you, Sir.
Surapon

 

[surapon]

Like AcutancePhotography, I have an older Sekonic meter, probably close to thirty years old, which I very rarely use for anything except checking exposure when I use my (cheap) studio lights for a project. When I bought it I would also use it to check tricky outdoor light when using my F1 or my Bronica. Haven't used it outdoors since moving to digital.

You said that you don't really like studio photography so I would suggest you find something in the middle of the road. Something like the Sekonic 308 or 478 would be about 1/2 the price of the top of the line and probably do everything you need and more.

Thank you, Sir, Dear Friend Mr. Old Sarge.
You and Our friend Mr. AcutancePhotography.---Have the same Idea.
Yes, If I buy , I do not have time to use that high tech tool any way, I already love my 99% Exposure perfection of my dear old Cameras----Ha, Ha, ha, Just show off , and let some photographer around me to see , me try to measure the Light at the big insect or the red rose that I try to shoot the Macro photos.
Have a great Hump day, Wednesday.
Surapon

 

[RLPhoto]

I have a sekonic L508 I paid 300$ used. In tandem with the built in light meter in my cyber commander, I've have sped up my lighting at least double the speed when working with 3+ light sources. It takes a different mind set than shoot/chimp/histo check but in the end, the results require less time in post and look better.

 

[surapon]

I have a sekonic L508 I paid 300$ used. In tandem with the built in light meter in my cyber commander, I've have sped up my lighting at least double the speed when working with 3+ light sources. It takes a different mind set than shoot/chimp/histo check but in the end, the results require less time in post and look better.

Thank you, Sir Dear Mr. RLPhoto.
That a great Idea too, I will go to the Classes first, And Learn the technique from the Pro, and Adapt to my Own way, If that Hendheld Light Meter can save time, with out Try and Error---Yes, I will buy the Mid Range one.
Thanks you , Sir.
Surapon

 

[grahamsz]

What lights are you controlling?

I have the 758DR because it can talk ControlTL directly. If i have my speedlites set up in different zones then I can actually meter them individually right from the meter. So I can in theory get it to show me the total light falling on a spot, what percentage is ambient and what percentage comes from each of my strobe groups.

That's really the only feature I can think of that really counts above the cheapest used flash spot meters on the market.

It's not super useful for digital since you can chimp as you go, but in test shoots I've been able to use that arrangement of pocketwizards, canon speedlites with my large format film camera. One of these days I'll think of a project that demands all that gear.

On the upside, Sekonic's gear seems to hold its value really well. I bought one of their older meters off ebay in 2002 and sold it in 2008 for $10 more (iirc).

 

[DarioVE]

I have the seckonic 758 and an old spot meter minolta f 1 degree.
In the old film days it was very valuable to predict the exact exposures and to apply the zone system (see Ansel Adams).
Nowadays most use chimping and istograms, they are a good approximation in ambient light, anyway a lightmeter is more precise.
For flash light and expecially multiple flash or balanced flash it is the only instrument to calculate ratios, istogram don't tell you.
For me, money apart, it is a great instrument to learn light, it force you to think about light and you can repeat successful combination of light in any environement.
you can look to webinars sponsored by seckonic with host Joe Brady, obviously it's a marketing thing nonetheless very istructive.
If you are a pro, and know well about lighting, probably you don't need for occasional studio light session.
If you don't need to ettr ambient light with 1/3 ev precision probably you don't need it, you can chimp and bracket. (your camera spot meter could be good enough also if you can zoom in, take a measure, zoom out and shoot).

 

[surapon]

Dear Friends.
Thanks you , Sir , for answer my post. After read your recommendations, I just Have A GAS. Illness again, Go to the local shop, My dear friend's Camera store, And Buy medium cost light meter , Sekonic Touch screen Litemaster PRO L-478DR, and Mr. Tony my friend, the owner of this store sell me same price as buy from Amazon = $ 399 US Dollars ( yes, include tax in this price), Yes , I also order my new toy Canon 7D MK II = $ 1,799 US Dollars, Plus The New Battery Grip for 7D MK II too = $ ?? US Dollars.
Thanksssss.
Have a great weekend, Sir/ Madam.
Surapon

https://shootthecenterfold.com/new-sekonic-litemaster-pro-l-478d-and-l-478dr-light-meters/

 

[Aglet]

I have a 758 and 558(?) but really only need the simpler 308(?)
The only time I find them useful is when mixing multiple flash sources with some ambient light. And for that it's quite useful. regular incident measurement and spot functions are of little use most times.
Video abilities of the high end models can be useful but you can also do that with a regular meter too and a little in-head math.

 

[YuengLinger]

I'm grateful my Paul C Buff CyberCommander has a built-in accurate flash meter. For studio lights, having the flash meter saves a tremendous amount of time.

For the life of me, I can't see the point of a meter if flash/strobe is not involved. My 5D3, and for that matter, 60D do such a great job. In M mode, I always use Center Weighted, as suggested by a friend, and get consistently excellent exposures.

 

[Old Sarge]

An excellent choice in meters, my friend, and a good buy. And now you have joined the ranks of us waiting for delivery of the 7D II. I to suffer from GAS.

 

[Click]

Congrats on this acquisition Mr Surapon.

 

[TexPhoto]

Call me crazy, but if you are shooting digital, the need for an accurate meter is much less even in studio, because you can shoot, review, adjust, 10 times in 2 minutes.
And you can probably pick up a used meter on ebay for $20-50 that will get you within a half stop of the high end meter you are looking at.
And last, even a super-duper high end meter is not going to give you a perfect exposure because we all have some personal taste in what we want to see. Are you shooting a scary Halloween scene, where you want it extra dark? Toothpaste commercial, where it has to be extra brute etc?

On the other hand is this the last piece of the puzzle in $100K studio where you intend to make a living or enjoy your retirement? Is this going to provide the inspiration you need to shoot that piece of art that will hang in a gallery and earn a ton a $$? Go for it.

 

[Sporgon]

Call me crazy, but if you are shooting digital, the need for an accurate meter is much less even in studio, because you can shoot, review, adjust, 10 times in 2 minutes.
And you can probably pick up a used meter on ebay for $20-50 that will get you within a half stop of the high end meter you are looking at.
And last, even a super-duper high end meter is not going to give you a perfect exposure because we all have some personal taste in what we want to see. Are you shooting a scary Halloween scene, where you want it extra dark? Toothpaste commercial, where it has to be extra brute etc?

On the other hand is this the last piece of the puzzle in $100K studio where you intend to make a living or enjoy your retirement? Is this going to provide the inspiration you need to shoot that piece of art that will hang in a gallery and earn a ton a $$? Go for it.

You're crazy

I use an incident light meter a fair bit. Knowing where the 'correct' exposure is for a given lighting situation is really useful, at least for me. It also gives a clearer picture of where the histogram should sit in relation to the latitude of the camera.

 

[Don Haines]

Call me crazy, but if you are shooting digital, the need for an accurate meter is much less even in studio, because you can shoot, review, adjust, 10 times in 2 minutes.
And you can probably pick up a used meter on ebay for $20-50 that will get you within a half stop of the high end meter you are looking at.
And last, even a super-duper high end meter is not going to give you a perfect exposure because we all have some personal taste in what we want to see. Are you shooting a scary Halloween scene, where you want it extra dark? Toothpaste commercial, where it has to be extra brute etc?

On the other hand is this the last piece of the puzzle in $100K studio where you intend to make a living or enjoy your retirement? Is this going to provide the inspiration you need to shoot that piece of art that will hang in a gallery and earn a ton a $$? Go for it.

Back in the good old days, you took the shot, bracketed a bit because you were not sure, and sent the film off for processing and a couple of weeks later (for Kodachrome) you got the slides back and got to see if you exposed properly. In those days, having a light meter let you make a far more accurate assessment of exposure than the in-camera light meter did. A separate light meter was absolutely essential in studio work...
Today, I use the camera light meter to see where the camera thinks exposure should be and use that to expose for a test shot. I look at the test shot on camera.... I can see the histogram.... I can look at the overall image or zoom in to particular areas to see what they look like. I get instant feedback....and a lot of the same info I would get from a light meter....
So if you are going to get a light meter.... Get a REALLY good one that will tell you more about your light than the camera will.

 

[Omni Images]

I bought the Sekonic L-758DR last year, but I use it exclusively for landscape with my film Linhof 617s
I use the 1 deg spot meter and the "average" function. You can also dial in all your filter compensation factors.
You meter on the lightest and darkest points in your shot, can also do a number of mid points if you want, hit "memory" then hit "AVE" it then gives you the average of all the metered points. Brilliant !
I have used it with multi flash (580EXII) pocket wizard Flex TT5's with my digital, the wireless function is great that you use the meter to trigger the flashes.
Outdoor use is great as it seems the weather proofing is top notch, I have used it in light rain and snow.

 

[Old Sarge]

Back in the good old days, you took the shot, bracketed a bit because you were not sure, and sent the film off for processing and a couple of weeks later (for Kodachrome) you got the slides back and got to see if you exposed properly. In those days, having a light meter let you make a far more accurate assessment of exposure than the in-camera light meter did. A separate light meter was absolutely essential in studio work...

And it wasn't like Kodachrome (wasn't it ASA 10?) had any latitude at all. You got it right or didn't get it.

 

[TexPhoto]

Call me crazy....

So if you are going to get a light meter.... Get a REALLY good one that will tell you more about your light than the camera will.

Not to worry. I am not going to get another one. Actually I have a nice mid 90s Minolta flash meter, and a 1910 era model from my grandfather that seems to work quite well. But my favorites are embedded in my cameras...