What Light Meter to Use for starters

[00silvergt]

Yep, since the ISO equivalent is not exact, you may have to fidge around 1/3 stop here, 1/2 stop there...etc. Learned that the hard way too! LOL

[cyclohexane]

DPReview usually publishes the actual sensitivities in their more recent camera reviews, so it is a possible resource to consult. You're one step ahead of the game if you already know exactly how much it is off.

[Gary Mayo]

Put your money in good glass and a modern DSLR. After you progress as far as that will take you, maybe then you can improve 2% with a light meter. I have one and rarely use it.

Modern cameras with modern flash systems have what you need built in 98% of the time.

Taken without a light meter. Dificult lighting with four flashes.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by lincolninked

Put your money in good glass and a modern DSLR. After you progress as far as that will take you, maybe then you can improve 2% with a light meter. I have one and rarely use it.

Modern cameras with modern flash systems have what you need built in 98% of the time.

Taken without a light meter. Dificult lighting with four flashes.

Easy for you to say, you shoot Nikon...Noinks have superior flash and metering! ...so I have been told several time!

[opticalexposure]

A very simple yet effective meter is the Digiflash. No bells and whistles but accurate.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by opticalexposure

A very simple yet effective meter is the Digiflash. No bells and whistles but accurate.

What's Digiflash?

[Gary Mayo]

The Canons have it pretty down compared to what everyone had to work with in the film age.

I am told the flash is the best on the Nikon's but it is mainly from a wireless flash stand point. Their on the camera flash is pretty decent, is it not?

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by lincolninked

The Canons have it pretty down compared to what everyone had to work with in the film age.

I am told the flash is the best on the Nikon's but it is mainly from a wireless flash stand point. Their on the camera flash is pretty decent, is it not?

Have my Nikon friends tell me, Nikon is superior to Canon in every aspect. I would tend to think that a good on camera flash would be anything to tout about, especially since the 3 top pro bodies, don't have one.

[jfrancho]

Canon's IR wireless system is OK, as long as you are indoors. Outdoors it can get sketchy, since there is less for the IR signal to bounce off of.

These were made using Canon's wireless speedlights:

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by jfrancho

Canon's IR wireless system is OK, as long as you are indoors. Outdoors it can get sketchy, since there is less for the IR signal to bounce off of.

These were made using Canon's wireless speedlights:

How many speedlites did you use for the first one?

[jfrancho]

Two.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by jfrancho

Two.

Key and Fill?

[jfrancho]

No fill. Main at 45° to the right and high, and kicker almost on the same axis behind the subject, slightly above head level. Shoot through umbrellas provide lots of spill that works as fill, though not much control, so you have to look at what you are doing. I shoot tethered to my laptop.

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by jfrancho

No fill. Main at 45° to the right and high, and kicker almost on the same axis behind the subject, slightly above head level. Shoot through umbrellas provide lots of spill that works as fill, though not much control, so you have to look at what you are doing. I shoot tethered to my laptop.

I was told by the "lighting expert" at a local shop here that Speedlites are not powerful enough to shoot through umbrellas, I guess he was wrong. So full manual or ETTL-II?

[JDArt]

I vote for Sekonic meters. The L-358 is all most folks will ever need.