Comments on: Light Meters 101 — When, Why And How To Use A Light Meter

By: steff

steff — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 01:40:19 +0000

i love my flash meter. i don’t use it all the time but when the situation calls for it, i love to pull it out. i much prefer an external meter. i bought it because i do shoot film and needed it. however, it really does come in handy when i am shooting digital as well. i am a boudoir photographer primarily and my meter is one of my most important tools.

By: Allan Cox

Allan Cox — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 00:05:31 +0000

@ Shivanand Sharma. Actually I do shoot studio portraits! and I teach the shooting of studio portaits. And once again, in the days of film I used a external / flash meter all of the time (and taught it of course). But now days when teaching studio photography I don’t teach the use of an external light meter.

By: Shivanand Sharma

Shivanand Sharma — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 03:21:34 +0000

In reply to Allan Cox.

You haven’t shot studio portraits, have you? And you are here to advise us about the uselessness of light meters. Beginners in the comfort zone of exposure compensation may not need a light meter. Those who plan to make photography their profession do.

Trigger happy users can choose to stay away from light meter. There’s a reason the pros use a light meter. May be it helps to boost their egos as well. Instead of shying away from technology, learn to live with it, catch up and use it to make photography better.

By: Allan Cox

Allan Cox — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:16:34 +0000

What a load of rubbish. Sorry but this is old technology that is just not needed any more. Yes, in the old days of slide film an external light meter was sometimes a godsend, but these days with instance feedback, they are just not needed. I haven’t used an external light meter once since I switched to digital. In the time it takes you to take an incident light reading, I’ve taken a shot, evaluated it, made the appropriate adjustments, got my shot and move on. Sorry if this all comes across as a little harsh, but I’m sick of people trying to make photography more difficult for beginners than it needs to be, just to boost their own egos.

By: Phillip

Phillip — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:13 +0000

This was extremely informative. My father (coming from the film era and borrowed me his light meter of some 30 odds years old) had a hefty debate and discussion on the dynamics of the current cameras. This article will help me to explain the concept better.
Thanks!