PDA

View Full Version : studio Light metering


phildemon2
31st July 2008, 06:36 PM
Hi there forumers

Ok I've got some elinchrom lights and use an aperture of f16-22 usually.
I was watching a photographer in a shopping mall and asked him some questions - the thing is he said he used an aperture of f2.8 most of the time -to me you would have to turn the lights down to get this result - i'm wanting to throw a crumpled - bed sheet background out of focus. He said set the light reader to 125th then take the reading to get the correct aperture and you will get a reading of 2.8 - 5.6 ish - tried but got sameresult using a f16 - 22 - might be using meter wrong.
Going to dig out the metering manual.

Oh another thing - I've just been on You Tube looking at basic light metering
The guy who posted the vid used a reflective metering and said that incident was wrong to use- .... i'll copy the text from comments.
"Why didn't you use an incident light meter reading? You rejected it without explaining why. (Incident would have been simpler, more accurate and less complicatedin this case..... the whole point about incident being it is NOT mislead by an all white subject/background.)

reply by the poster of the vid
"Here goes... an incident reading only works if the subject has an an average amount of lights and darks. The reading is always the same regardless of the subject. It will underexpose an all black subjects and overexpose an all white subjects."
Surely he's got it the wrong way round - isn't that reflected".> an incident reading isn' tmislead by an all the colours textures reflectiveness etc and gives a more acurate result.
Ta phil

Eastern_herp
1st August 2008, 07:40 AM
In order to reduce the light to get to 5.6 you need to turn the power on the lights down. Your camera will most probably only sync correctly with speeds up to 1/125th sec.
Using an incident reading will as the user said give you the average reading but that will usually expose the faces correct. You then use your skill to know if it is a dark scene (a lot of dark clothing) then you open up the aperture half to one stop and close down if it is predominantly light.
The best way is to use a spot meter if you need a particular part of the scene correctly exposed otherwise a reflected reading can be as far if not further out than an incident reading.
Hope this makes sense

copycat
1st August 2008, 07:58 AM
Phil, I use the cameras built in metering system rather than a handheld, setup, fire a test shot, check histogram + image and work up or down from there depending on what I'm after.

I know the output of my lights on full power means basic settings of 1/250 f16 iso 100.

Chris Hawkins
1st August 2008, 09:18 AM
[QUOTE=copycat;209104]Phil, I use the cameras built in metering system rather than a handheld, setup, fire a test shot, check histogram + image and work up or down from there depending on what I'm after.

QUOTE]

Exactly - nothing else to worry about.

BarryM
1st August 2008, 09:38 AM
Depends on standard your trying to get, Steve Howdell (crazy monkey) was discussing histograms at his seminar and said best thing that could be done is to tape it up so u cant see it. Light meter is much much more accurate.

phildemon2
1st August 2008, 10:33 AM
Thanks for the replies.
I need to get some studio light practice time in - i reckon "thats the way to do it" punch n judy (ohh)

I'll try to turn the lights down, though the photographer had his on 4.8 Max is 6 on a style Elinchrom400fx he said always used F2.8 because he had a sigma being a fixed 2.8 all through the zoom range. ?

What do you guys think about this statement though - should it be A "incident" reading only works if .....or Reflected ? I'm going reflected if i remember rightly.
"An incident reading only works if the subject has an an average amount of lights and darks. The reading is always the same regardless of the subject. It will underexpose an all black subjects and overexpose an all white subjects."
Enjoy your photography
Phil

phildemon2
1st August 2008, 10:44 AM
In order to reduce the light to get to 5.6 you need to turn the power on the lights down. Your camera will most probably only sync correctly with speeds up to 1/125th sec.
Using an incident reading will as the user said give you the average reading but that will usually expose the faces correct. You then use your skill to know if it is a dark scene (a lot of dark clothing) then you open up the aperture half to one stop and close down if it is predominantly light.
The best way is to use a spot meter if you need a particular part of the scene correctly exposed otherwise a reflected reading can be as far if not further out than an incident reading.
Hope this makes sense

open up the aperture half to one stop and close down if it is predominantly light.

I'm confused now, I thought if you wanted to keep a dark scene dark - underexpose and a light scene light overexpose (snow scene) eg.
Phil.

Blue72
5th August 2008, 11:46 AM
everytime i use the studio the camera and light meter gives me f16 ish.
I only go down to f11 or under when using 1 light or low key..
I dont know enough to go into furtehr detail but f2.8 at 1/125 shutter speed with lights on would shurely giev you a white out?? unless your lights where very very low??

Cheers

Andy