🟡 8 Ways to Meter Your Exposure for Photography (Best Lightmeter for photography?) 

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I like to travel light being a street photographer. The TTArtisan would be the one for me. If I had the chance to shoot in a studio, I would love one of the Seconics. Generally I use the in-camera light meter, as it's been very reliable for me. Thanks Matt for this great info!

When working as a photo asst I came across many different light meters. Gossen was the most common--usually a Goss lunapro. Regardless, polaroids were the final check before committing to film. Reflected light meters were almost never used except for a Honeywell spot meter on rare occasions. I learned to read light by understanding the way film would react to it. I could tell when the latitude of brightness in a scene would be beyond the film's latitude or where to place the exposure to preserve the highlights and let the shadow details fall where they may or vice versa. Otherwise, additional light would be needed for "fill" to bring up the shadows. Of course, this entails using a set range of films, either color or b&w, and a set range of developers. The light meter in incident mode would just get you into the exposure "ballpark" and give you an average reading. An average reading means that the meter-indicated expos

I use a very old vintage Gossen Sixtomat meter for my old medium format camera's like the Fujica GSW690, Bronica Gs-1 6x7, Rolleiflex TLR with great results. It is still very accurate and very simple. For my Nikon FM 3a I use the internal meter which is also very accurate. And I use some intuition and experience. I admire and like your portrait work. Greetings from The Netherlands, Hemmo.

I have a sekonic L308s it’s a great bit of kit fits in the pocket I only use for my medium format it i need to spot meter I just use one of my cameras but remember any meter will only give you middle grey so change exposure accordingly depending on the look you want I also have a light meter app for quick reading it works perfectly well great video Matt 👍🏻

I don't hate my lightmeter app on my phone, and I always have it with me. Useful and well put together equipment presentation.

Been using a Sekonic spot meter for many years but I’ve just received the super small Reveni Labs spot meter; great for travelling light!

I also use the TTartisan and love it! Or the Leica X1 for metering.

Matt, I love all your video, btw. For camera without light meters, I use the little Sekonic 308 x-u. I can use it for motion picture camera and video by setting shutter angle and frame rate.

I've used quite a few but the only one I'd keep is my Minolta Flashmeter VI. Same design is still made in Japan by Kenko, model KFM-2200 (Minolta sold the rights to the flash tech like they did with camera to Sony). Fantastic meter and quicker to use than the Sekonic, plus light and much more compact. Still with averaging, incident and 1deg spot. Awesome little thing.

Nice video ... I'm using a Voigtlander VC meter VCII on my M3 but I also have a FlashMeter Minolta VI when using the 501C or Bessa II outside (I chose and found this one because it has the spot metering and it is smaller - and cheaper - than the Sekonic)

Hi Matt, I have an L308S which I've had for donkeys years (great bit of kit), but have mostly used this for setting up studio lighting. I used it a bit with my M4 film camera initially but quickly learned Sunny 16 which is my go-to for film which is also quite forgiving I've found. When using digital M's, I tend to meter the ground in front of me using the built in meter, then point at the scene. This seems to work well for street stuff. I have downloaded a couple of apps on my iPhone, which are generally OK but it's hard to find a free one now which isn't filled with adverts.

Yes please, I would be interested in a video about metering steps/process involving models. I like the 758 Sekonic because it has a module to activate my Pocketwizards but it takes a pretty expensive battery. Cheers from Canada.

🙏Thanks, i use the lightmeter of the camera AND the digital screen (my eyes). If some parts have to much or less light, I simply adjust it. And take another picture (the landscape cannot escape) For analog shooting i use Sekonic L-408. (I can see 4 spot-measurements on screen, this works fine) 🙏

Back then with film, I used the Gossen Pilot (selenium), Gossen Profisix SBC meter with various attachments, Gossen Sixticolor Color meter, Minolta Auto Meter IIIF, Hasselblad meter knob and Soligor spot meter. With digital, I use a Sekonic Litemaster Pro and Color meter.

Hi Matt, I guess I use onboard metering for most shots (usually spot) but if I bring the V. Perkeo III(E) then it's the Weston Euromaster (with removable incident cone ). Obviously an averaging meter but it gives remarkably good readings. Along with HM Queen Elizabeth II, it deserves a medal this year, if not quite a Platinum Jubilee one.

i use a Sekonic 478, which is nice, but it takes a little longer to start compared to the older LCD light meters. But I also use an app called pocket light meter which is spot on, never missed an exposure with it. i found that the internal light meter of my MP and Pentax 67 are quite accurate, so i use them sometimes as well

Hey Matt, I just subscribed to you channel. Could you create a video on how you meter when you’re shooting model portraits or headshots on various situations. I really love the sample pics you put out on your videos. Thanks.

Gossen Luna Pro analog light meter primarily. Although I recently got a Hedeco light meter that mounts to the iiif quite nicely similar to the TT artisan recommendation. They are both quite accurate and also not far off from my iPhone app. I prefer dedicated meter purpose built.

Thank you for posting another nice video. I would love to see some more meter reading videos.

Thinking about that little TTArtisans meter for the side of my Hasselblad 503 when am shooting street with the waist level finder.

Brilliant ideas. I started with the little Voigtlander for my little 35mm & 120 rangefinders but grew to the larger Gossen ProfiSix w/ a load of attachments on Lf & medium. Minolta FM-V for more flash work. I'm looking to the Gossen SpotMaster Digital for its more features in reflective spot metering. I have not owned or used a Sekonic yet. Looking at a used L-358. Or their compact shoe mount to compare to the Gossen DigiSix mini. I'm actually looking for a compact mini flash meter even if standalone. The Gossen DigiFlash is a tad bit high. Did Leica ioffer any newer mini shoe mount meter?

You can also use any digital camera and its built-in meter to meter for analog cameras. I often carry a small digital compact such as a Ricoh GR or an Olympus XZ-2 just for the purpose of metering. They all do spot metering.

Good morning , Mr. Matt Osborne . I bought SEKONIC AUTO - LEADER L - 188 . It was the cheapest one about 50 years ago . I only used it several times. I believe the light meter and auto exposure in my camera . I always set the EV setting on minus 2.3 around . I’m not the professional photographer . And I always failed in the most important shots . All those digital cameras are used one . And I could enjoy the shootings . Mostly , using iPhone iPad are enough for me now to upload . But I loved to shoot with Camera . Thank you very much . Feb. 8th 2022 Tue. 07:34 am from Yokohama City Japan

I use a Pentax Spotmeter occasionally, a Sekonic 308-B occasionally, but I use the Leica MR4 the most (street photography)..

I always have used a old Soligor one degree spot meter with a zone system scale on it, works great. I did buy a Minolta digital spot meter F after my Soligor stopped working i did not care for it because it made taking a reading too complicated and you could not use it for the zone system. I purchased a Soligor on Ebay and have not touched the Minolta ever since. Vintage light meters are best for me to use when I can fine a working one at a reasonable price.

I got the Sekonic L-308X and you can slide the lightmeter difuser off to the side, which then becomes a spot meter and you aim it towards your target while metering.

Very useful video, Matt - thanks. I like that little TArtisan meter for travelling really lightly with my M3. I am also very interested in a spot meter to go along with my Minolta Flashmeter IV. The Sekonic 758 looks like a definite possibility. Best Regards.

Oh, cool tip on using the modern camera as a meter. I did exactly that w/ a Nikon D3s in spot w/ 35-70 at 70mm zoom. worked awesome as long as I had it w/ me anyway. Compared it to my 47 yrs young Gossen ProfiSix & Profi-Spot 1/5/10 in 1 degree. Testing shows it needs a lens hood to keep stray light out in some scenes but otherwise, "spot on"

matt for my metering, I use another method to, that is a Nikon z6 as this has a histogram, which can tell me if there are glary highlights, and what the exposure range of the scene is, and also this gives metadata, aka the notes, where, when, ev, and other data, and for a small system (only one lens on it, the 24-70 f4) it is a lite kit; the way I use it, is to set EV, then on my hasselblad 500c\m lens, use the ring locking features, to keep this ev, then select aperture according to the scene, safe in the knowledge the shot will work out.

I have a black ttartisan light meter on my bronica S2A, super handy

I use a Pentax v spotmeter for landscape work, a Weston master v for general outside photography, really accurate & reliable. I also use a Gossen Sixtino for travelling light, it's so tiny & weighs nothing, have recently bought a Doomo on camera meter for my M4 for travel & out & about, finally I use Sekonic meters for studio work. I think it's important that users are aware that there will be a difference between reflected/incident(using the lumisphere) and spot metering & then there is matrix in camera metering. Each method requires the correct interpretation by the photographer for best results.

pico der teide, well done, I love biking on the canarias, specially on Lanzarote Im using a Gossen lightneter for my M2 and my Haba 503cw. I’m very satisfied.

one boon to the mirrorless method is that all filters added are accounted for, as the meter is behind them, and with a square system filters, just add them to the hasselblad, then shot done, compensations all pre-figured out, so just assemble, and shoot.

I can highly recommend Gossen Lightmeters. If you are nostalgic, then the Weston Master´s IV, V and Euro-Master are quite good, but beware there are much sensitive, so if you drop them, the needle falls off and it will cost you.

Thanks Matt, for such a useful vid! Sorry, but I love most of your photos and I'm rather jealous you shoot models and landscapes so well...Can I bother you for the location of the Lake/house/tree at 1'26 in the video please?

Thank you! Can the spot meter also do flash?

I have meters in most my cameras, but my OM-2n seems to want to overexpose my last roll of film so I'm trying a couple of apps right now. I will see how the pictures turn out once I finish it.

Landscapes, I use dedicated spot. Portait/studio, incident meter. Everything else, sunny 16.

Like another commenter, I have an old Soligor spot meter for landscape work, but use a Gossen Sixtomat for portraits and flash metering. I’m contemplating a Sekonic, but my current meters work well, so I’m probably going to stick with them. When one of them dies, I’ll replace it.

Selenium as well as "on camera" and TTL meters can only measure reflective light* while the Sekonic meters can be used for both reflective and incident light measurements. *There are workarounds for using TTL meters to take incident light meters.

Went out today to photograph in the bright sunlight. Big minolta spot/lumi meter, recommended a stop and a half higher aperture than the multi zone in my pentax 67ii. Couldn't decide which one to trust so never took the photo😀

Analogue Weston master V simple to use and works well for Kiev 4a

G'day Matt. Yep I have the smaller of those two Sekonic meters with me all the time. Neat, small and reliable. 👌 But my favourites of all time are the Gossen analogue meters.. alas . the batteries are no longer made. One company in the UK makes an adapter/converter for a current battery, and I want one, or two? ... 3? The meter most used, because it's in the most used M is the one in the M7. .. which is always loaded with Portra. The M6, when I finally get to collect it, will be loaded with E6 film. Well, I will shoot some transparency films through both the M6 and M7 to see which meter is the most transparency film friendly. (M2, 3 and M-A are for B&W) Interest video, thanks. 😊

I relied on a Minolta Autometer IV-F for many years. Not discussed is the difference between incident and reflective metering.

My wife (a DoP on film and television) uses a couple of (paid) apps on her iPhone on set when working on lighting set-ups.

When I shoot portraits I fire a couple of test shots and check the histogram to see where I’m at. I guess that’s not an option when shooting film but I am not that advanced yet.

Matt, if you are not in a hurray i have several S.E.I. spot-meters if nothing else you get lots of comments and very accurate.

Hi Matt. I'm doing a portrait shoot in a couple of weeks on slide film (Provia 100F). I'm relatively inexperienced with portrait photography (though fairly competent with digital) but shooting slide film is completely new to me. My plan is to use the spot meter on my Z6 to measure the highlights at mid-grey (I don't have a dedicated meter), then bracket how much compensation I add (+1EV, +1.5EV, +2EV). I've learned from others that +2 stops is the exposure ceiling of Provia. Sound like a good plan?

I use the Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D, but I am not sure what the difference between this one and the spot meter you mentioned (L-758D) is.

Leningrad-4 and Zenit-19's TTL😎

I shoot my Mamiya RB67 almost exclusively with some free lightmeter app i downloaded on my Honor 10 and i never had an issue. I usually meter for the shadows or midtones and add +1 or +2 stops if i feel like it. Definitely nothing to be worried about, shooting on film is not rocket science :)

As I started with Nikon SLRs all my film processing was based on my F3's reading. The other Nikons read exactly the same (cheers to Nikon!). My M6 reads sufficiently consistently with the Nikons, my Gossen and other handheld meters don't without tweaking them into line. So my advice: Select _one_ meter as your standard and make the others agree with the standard by correcting the ISO setting. There is a limit to this, because not all types of meters can be thus brought into parallel over the whole range of EVs. In particular selenium meters only work reasonably well in the mid range, being rather off in the dark and in the bright. In the old days people knew this and compensated accordingly. Nowadays I see no reason to choose a selenium meter, except perhaps for nostalgia.

Again I am late to the video, but better than never. You mentioned that you do not use iPhone apps and I get the sense that you question their reliability. Well, if you are doing paid work that is sensible. I will tell you from my experience using the Pocket Light Meter app (free), this one uses a matrix metering pattern and so far it has been spot one every time I have used it. I went through a rangefinder phase a number of years ago having gotten "cheap Russian rangefinder" GAS. During this time I also acquired a Leica IIIc, a Canon IV, a Nikon S2, a Contax II and a Kiev II. Of course none of these have meters, including the FED's and Zorki's I bought. All of my test rolls of both color and B&W (400 speed) were shot using this metering app and all appeared to be well exposed. Somehow though, it does not feel quite right to use a 21st century software app to support a 60 or 70 year old mechanical image capture device! So, I have one of the TTArtisan meters (like yours) plus a Sheppard flash meter with incident reading capability and a Sekonic spot meter (can't remember which model at the moment). To me the only way to have full control is to know and understand how meters are calibrated to 18% gray, and when examining your scene, pick out the area or "zone" that appears closest to 18% gray (helps to have a gray card too), and spot meter that. An alternative to the incident light meter reading (through the light dome) is to take a reflective reading off a gray card in the area of the subject (near models' face). Knowing all of this is why I have a special affinity for my cameras that incorporate spot metering or its approximation (as in the Leica SL/SL2), and this includes the Olympus 4T(i), Canon T90, Canon EOS 1V, Nikon F4, F5, F100, Leica R7, and the Rollieflex 6008 Professional. I recently acquired an Olympus 35 SP but have not gotten results back on the inaugural roll of Fuji 400 Superia film so I did not include that one. If you do consider producing a video on metering I hope you get into the details of how the meters read and are calibrated. I would also include information on different metering patterns, which you alluded to here, but could use a more in-depth description. I guess it depends on what your followers want to see. Good video.

I recently downloaded a light metering app for my phone. Then I tested it against my good old Minolta and my Nikon D7500. To my surprise these three devices agreed to disagree and I don’t know what to make of that. I probably will buy the Ttartisan light meter for my Minolta when the 40 year old battery in it dies.

I use a sekonic 478 with both normal and spot meter heads. Just swap the heads as needed,

Does it make sense to use a small digital camera to get the right parameters and then transpose them to the film camera? What would be the limits of this?

Minolta Flashmeter 1V - best light/flash meter ever.

Hi Matt: Someone gave me a Sekonic L-358 light meter but without instructions. I don't think it's made any more and have no idea how to use it. Can you offer advice or help? Thank you.

Matt, you forgot to inform that the Sekonic 308 is also a reflective meter by simply moving the dome to the right. You should be aware of this if you have been using a 308 for years. I have more meters than cameras. I only use the 308 as it is the smallest and measures incident, reflective, and flash and can be carried in a shirt pocket

I would like to see the free phone light meters compared to the hand held meters. Maybe the app isn't terrible, thanks.

You forgot one method, I often rely on my experience. In normal daylight settings, I usually get the same as the lightmeter, if I bring one to check. One stop is half or double the light, so it's not strange. And, if I don't agree with a built in lightmeter, I can adjust accordingly. I would avoid using an app, the ones I've tried are unreliable.

I always carry my phone so why bother bringing another device. I meter with my phone and overexpose 1 stop. Good results so far. Cheers!

You are an Englisman, it would suits more to have a selenium meter. A Leica 1965, Trix-X plus a WESTON MASTER plus the Invercone. A misty narrow country lane, an old grey bike and a ginger hair girl. New photograpers check the EV with their Sekonic L308s plus AA battery.. The spotmeter Sekonic is three times the price of the L308s ............ Spotmeters should stay in the studio, like the Minolta, Pentax and Gossen. And ...........the Sinar spotmeter in the 4x5 film holder. Most LF amateur photograpers have a spotmeter for their landscapes. They look rather lah-di-dah in the yard while pointing the spotmeter at the hen house, the dead apple tree and the Morris Minor. Juggling arond with so much different F-stops, they wished they had a point and shoot camera. My girl friend gave me her grandfather's lightmeter in 1965. It was an AGFA meter made in Berlin in 1912. A carboard 13x18 sleeve, printed with the location you were somewher on a continent, the month, the time, the kind of weather, rural/urban, film speed and aperture. Then moving the two slides with numbers and text to find the correct exposure time. It looked like a portable enigma decoder. As a matter of facts, it was the best way to learn to look at the light, the shadow and the subject.

I just received my TT Artisan lightmeter and it's faulty, unusable. Not great.

Unless you are shooting analog or doing filming they are a waste of money, I haven’t used one in 15 years except for a spot meter in certain situations and a incident light one in long exposures exceeding 10 minutes at dawn/sunset. Even with analog film photography the only 2 instances that I can think of are using a camera that hasn’t got an internal one or using flash/strobes

I’m waiting for the day that my F2AS metering head dies, then I’ll happily get a sekonic meter.

@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom have you ever tested the Asahi Pentax Spot Exposure Meter from the early to mid 60s?