Light metres

bradnailer

There was a thread here a few days ago with American teenagers in it.
They were awesome shots, somebody the comment that the lighting etc was bang on (note a quote, general idea:))
Anyway it got me thinking about light meters, does anybody use them?
Are they hard to use? Are they worth trying?
I know in books I read years ago they got mentioned a part of a kit.
Has the modern camera's metering system made them partially redundant ?

ThOnda

I was using light meter with my russian leica-like camera. The metering is accurate, so no problems with EV compensation.

You measure the ambient light independently from the colour and material of the surface as all TTL metering in cameras. It is essential for technical photography. Quite few photographers use them just to check the light and to work in problematic light situations.

I had an old analogue one, however it wasn't hard to use it. The digital ones are much quicker and comfortable. Most of them have also contact for studio flashes, so if you have chance to use equipped studio, light meter with built-in flash meter is what you need, not what you want.

If there was small and cheap light meter, I would had it and used in cca 30% of my pictures.

bradnailer

So do many people here use them with Digital SLR's

stcstc

I use a sekonic 358s with my 40d and studio lights

I prefer it to the camera metering when shooting with the lights and it triggers the lights etc

I you really get into the zone system and get yourself a 1 degree spot meter you can be more accurate than you in camera metering and be much more in control, but hey that involves a lot of work and effort, i just cant be bothered with that amount of effort