What is the best (or at least great and accurate) light meter. I need one for outdoor shoots measuring ambient light and my studio lights for flash and or fill.
Also for indoor use in my studio.
You really should do yourself a favor and look into the Sekonic line, I shoot products in studio with flash and also videos for training. Really love my Sekonic 758 Cine and use it all the time. If you don't need all those features then I don't think you can go wrong with the 358 http://www.sekonic.com/products/Sekonic%20L-358%20FLASH%20MASTER.asp there is a lot written about them on the net and 90% of it is favorable to say the least.
I have to agree with Rick. The Sekonic 758 is a powerful tool that I use frequently. One of my favorite features is that it tells you percentage of flash vs ambient which I sometimes find helpful when getting set up and either mixing ambient or trying to eliminate it completely in bright settings. You can also profile it to your camera (which I have always wanted to try but haven't coughed up the money for the target yet) and make it as accurate as possible. I also find the spot meter useful in some situations although not as often as I thought I would. If you are looking for the big daddy in flash meters the 758 is it, not to say that the 358 or others won't get the job done though.
I have to look but I believe I have an extra 758DR in the closet if you are interested. I ended up taking it in a trade last year and meant to sell it and don't think I ever got around to it.
Robert Hume wrote:
I have to agree with Rick. The Sekonic 758 is a powerful tool that I use frequently. One of my favorite features is that it tells you percentage of flash vs ambient which I sometimes find helpful when getting set up and either mixing ambient or trying to eliminate it completely in bright settings.
The 358 does that as well. If you don't need the spot-metering or camera-profiling functions then the 358 will do most of what the 758 will.
Marcel VanEerd wrote:
Gossen LunaPro - F and Pentax digital spot.
plus one for the old Luna pro. I still have one from 1980. Highly sensitive even in low low light. It takes Mercury batteries and musy be converted however. The Seconic 308 is a little Gem also for flash and ambient light. Dont overlook the Seconic 398 for outdoor use. No need for batteries on this one and has a rotating sphere although analog. They all get the job done with the 308 as my personal and most used favorite..Bruce
I've been spotmetering for decades, so I like my (now old) Sekonic L-558. However, if you're not spotmetering, the L-358 is gets more work-out in professional studios than any other single meter.
I'm not yet sold on the camera profiling system in the L-778...I don't know if people who had learned to get good results without it are getting any better results with it.
The 358 also does spot metering if you buy the attachments,1degree, 5 degree, or 10 degree. You can also buy the PW module and fire your strobes wirelessly for metering.
