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Affordable and Effective Light Meter
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  • shianshian

    and here's a free light meter (if you have an iPhone), and it's $2.99 if you love it, and feel like buying the developer a beer... i did.

    http://pocketlightmeter.appspot.com/

  • stoneystoney

    EV reading between 8 and 12 satisfies 1/60 SS and f/2~f/8.

    A full stop gain in ISO gives one EV gain. There is 3 and 1/3 stop difference between ISO 160 and 1600.

    At 160, if EV reading is below 4 and 2/3, use fast lens or more lighting. At 160, if EV reading exceeds 12, use ND filter. Something like that... I guess.

    It's a good little device. I like.

  • stoneystoney

    I see. Literally just timer. Got it. Thanks.

  • shianshian

    It's for timed exposures, like when doing timelapse sequences or b-mode stills.

  • stoneystoney

    @shian I'm playing with the digisix. Yeap it worked on human skin.

    BTW what's the purpose of TIMER function? Is it getting average EV reading over the wait time?

  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    I never worked with the old analogs. Wish I had, but my old Minolta IV did alright by me.

  • shianshian

    @rockroadpix I know. That Gossen even makes this little wonder is stunning, and that it's so affordable is just icing on the cake.

    This is the dinosaur the digisix replaced for me.

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  • stoneystoney

    Adorama sells Digisix at $136. Also the gray cards at $9.99. Get 3% cashback from mrrebates.com. Free shipping.

    http://www.adorama.com/GSDS.html?utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Shopping%20Site

    http://www.adorama.com/DKGC.html

  • shianshian

    @No_SuRReNDeR If my gaffer didn't already have the L758, I'd get one.

    But for the purposes of having and using one that almost anyone could afford lends itself to the stuff I'm trying to teach people. Using all low end stuff is a challenge, but it's like learning on a crappy guitar, and then finally buying a really nice one, those who have done it know what I'm talking about.... it just makes things easier, but you appreciate that crappy guitar for making you work harder.

    Not that the Digisix is crappy, just not as full featured as other more expensive meters.

  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    Over expose by 2/3s eh? Sounds like Vision 5293...

    And I remember when Sekonics were the cheapo film student meters...

  • kavadnikavadni

    @No_Surrender .. my spectra is old .. old .. old .. drop in black plates with holes for each ASA .. it hasn't been sent back for calibration over 15 years .. it's over 40 years old .. they make great stuff .. it still works.

    I should test it .. but it allows me to measure contrast

  • No_SuRReNDeRNo_SuRReNDeR

    My spectra never lets me down...granted its not "cheap"

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=783629&Q=&is=REG&A=details

  • shianshian

    @mrbill no it doesn't, but I could take it into Samy's and have them adjust it, but then it would be off with every other camera I shoot with. I'd rather memorize the offset and compensate myself.

  • mrbillmrbill

    I ask because the 308DC has an offset function that does just that - of course, it's trial and error before you get it right for your particular dslr. Wondering if the Gossen has a function like that.

  • shianshian

    @mrbill you r opening a huge can of worms with this. Every meter is off depending on manufacturer, so you'll have to calibrate it using a gray card, a waveform monitor, your cam's meter, and your meter.

    My Gossen is within a 1/4 stop of being dead on - minus the 2/3 stop the camera is underexposing, except on Nostalgic.

    http://dpanswers.com/content/tech_kfactor.php

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  • mrbillmrbill

    @shian 'Too complicated to go into here because every film mode profile has a different curve, but basically over expose by 2/3 of a stop to a stop, except on Nostalgic.

    And use a gray card'

    So ignoring what color profile you're using, does iso 320 on this meter match iso 320 on the GH2? No offset calibration required?

  • kavadnikavadni

    @shian .. Cool .. that's the way I have been doing it. I think your use of 'extensive testing' and 'Too complicated to go into here' made me think there was more to it.

  • shianshian

    @kavdani Gray card and waveform monitor, there's one in almsot every NLE, just learn to read one. I go over all of this in my tutorials.

  • kavadnikavadni

    @shian .. Can you explain how to determine if a camera is underexposing or the meter is overexposing .. vizaviz I am asking not because I doubt you, but because I'd like to determine which of my tools .. need calibration.

    I agree I think the GH2 underexposes .. using my eye. While I like the look of the 308, currently I use an old Spectra which has not been calibrated for 15 years .. so it's presumably out

  • shianshian

    Too complicated to go into here because every film mode profile has a different curve, but basically over expose by 1/3 to 2/3 of stop, except on Nostalgic.

    And use a gray card

    I'll go in depth in the ColorGHear Film School series, where I examine each camera profile, and show you how to get better exposures on the GH2.

  • mrbillmrbill

    How do you calibrate the meter to the Gh2? thanks.

  • shianshian

    I will always use a hand held meter because I can light a scene without a camera being anywhere near the set, I can work things out on a scout, I can work without a monitor. So I'll never NOT need a meter, but I LOVE false color. The only problem is when you shoot RAW and you are applying a LUT for the monitor feed, the LUT affects the False Color, and will sometimes lie to you. So like for this recent television gig, where it was independently produced, and needed to be sent to the Network for final approval. They weren't sure they were going to be able to keep the "look" on final delivery because it was so dark and contrasty. They might be forced to go with a different grade, and that grade may not work for the lighting, and under those conditions, the balance of the picture might be way off. So I had to light for both, and the RED M-X has this weird bug where you have to toggle the raw, deselect the curves when you check the raw image, then reverse all that to get back to the LUT, and if you do that too many times (like more than 5), the camera will lock up, and/or start acting really weird.

    SO while I love FC, I know my meter won't lie to me.

  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland

    @shian Would you prefer a light meter to an external monitor with false colour?

  • shianshian

    @Rambo now that I've done intensive testing, I've found that the GH2 actually underexposes everything. A meter reading of +/- 0 is not a true 50% even exposure but in fact a 40% exposure EXCEPT in Nostalgic mode. Nostalgic boosts the shadows and mids to the right levels, but does not handle the highlights very well. There's a very short IRE span between stops above 50%. Very easy to overexpose on Nostalgic if you are not careful.

    (edit: the histogram also lies)

  • RRRRRRRR

    @shian Seems like a very good idea to prefer a dedicated light meter over the gh2 one.. I expose by histogram rather than the light meter which works ok; as a result I tend to forget which settings I use and it's not failsafe; particularly for skin-tones (faces) like you suggest.

    In dark situations I've found the gh2 meter particularly hopeless.

    One more item to the list!

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