[MyPerspective]

I as well have the L-358, having it for a little over a month now. My success story didn't start out so well as I didn't realize that you've got to calibrate the meter to your camera and lenses! Therefore, purchased Lastolite's collapsible calibration disk, which MADE A BIG, BIG DIFFERENCE! Since buying the Lastolite collapsible calibration disk, am now also for the first time doing on-site custom-white balancing, which I stayed away from as I thought it was too complicated to mess with. But on the contrary! Custom-White-Balancing is very easy to do!!!

The Lastolite collapsible calibration disk, called EZBALANCE, is basically a Lastolite collapsible reflector with an 18% gray "card" on one side that has white cross-hairs in the center (like looking through a rifle-scope). The disk has a black-outer ring on the "reflector" giving you the three main calibration colors; 18% gray, white, and black, giving you 3 spikes for easy exposure calibration in your camera's histogram. It really works great, making for an easy, inexpensive, and accurate exposure / white-balance calibration. Westcott makes a similar (and MUCH BETTER) collapsible calibration disk, but its priced accordingly.

Anyway, after calibrating the L-358 light meter to my camera and lenses, find that I'm using the light meter for all-of my portraits and other close-up shots of things as it's just so much more ACCURATE than the reflected meter. I simply cannot believe what a HUGE DIFFERENCE that an incident meter makes on black objects! I never knew that my camera was over-exposing dark objects till I started using the L-358! WOW! What a DIFFERENCE! BLACK-things ARE NOW BLACK like they're supposed to be! And colors? EVERYTHING is dependent on correct exposure -and- white-balance!