Hello

i am looking for a portable device so that i can check exposure
i will have a mobil studio - so 4 lights - paper reflectors etc

a very similar setup to my permanent studio but sometimes i move to a building for a studio shoot

now i cannot take with me my nec spectraview and i dont really want to but i need a device that i can check to make sure the lights have the correct exposure -

my 5d is not very good for checking exposure

i do have an epson p-2000 but that is not good for checking exposure - very dark even on the lightest setting -

my old laptop does not have a good screen and i used my sons Asus eee pc which has quite a decent screen when i checked some shots in C1 pro

so i am looking for some recommendations for something that will enable me to see very good exposure - i dont shoot out of permanent studio often but when i do i really need to make sure that i am getting the best exposure
as i dont shoot so often please dont recommend a 3000 usd laptop somthing under 800 - 1000 usd

many thanks

I use a Gossen Luna Star F Exposure meter to check my exposures. That way I don't have to worry that the LCD screen is calibrated properly or some other problem with the computer.

This should do the trick
http://www.sekonic.com/products/products.asp?ID=130

thanks for the replies

i have a sekonic light meter which works very nicely

i am looking to check on a screen how the exposure looks before the shoot will start
so i can tweek the main or fill as needed

i do not need to shoot therthered (sp sorry)

Wasn't the Thinkpad W700 designed with a screen intended for photographers and precise calibration? I've never used one personally, but I seem to remember it getting written up in PDN and other sources when it was first released.

shatterkiss wrote:
Wasn't the Thinkpad W700 designed with a screen intended for photographers and precise calibration? I've never used one personally, but I seem to remember it getting written up in PDN and other sources when it was first released.


thanks for the laptop info
sadly its far too expensive for the need of only checking exposure with C1
i am also considering gettting a small nec lcd and bringing it with me and then will use it for a seconf pc...

but i wanted to find out what other screens , laptops or portable media devices were being used by others

thats what i am looking for at this stage

The problem with using a portable for exposure validation is that the screen changes visibly as it is tilted.

I have found that using a color checker chart set at the subject position, then exposing it until the blinkies start to appear in the white square and backing off on click (1/3 stop) on my 5D results in a raw file that has almost a stop and a half of clipping protection in the whites and still has a right side biased exposure to maximize the SNR to ensure a clean image in the blacks.

As for getting the ratios and "look" of the lighting just right, make sure the environment is dim enough so the modeling lights are the main source on the subject and rely on your eyes. Naturally your light meter is a valuable tool for setting ratios at the onset.

thanks

well thats half of the problem i have in that the room is sometimes bright even with some covers on the windows and often the room size changes - celing height is more, room is bigger and darker , sometimes the room is small and very white walls so all these factors make it hard for me to see exactly how much light is needed

now i can get the correct light reading for location 1 and in location 2 it will be quite off so i need a screen to hook up C1 and check my exposures

Histograms

Have you ever tried the Photovision digital target. It will help set your exposure and get a white balance. I have one and it works great.

Thanks for the info

but i am looking Only for a screen of some kind so i can evaluate the shot in C1 pro- could be like the p-2000 type thing or a laptop or something else - i have not been keeping up with recent models

Why not a simple netbook running Lightroom or something similar. If you're really worried about clipping your highlights, you'll want to underexpose about .3 or .5 a stop. The 5d has terrible highlight retention.

bacilonur wrote:
Why not a simple netbook running Lightroom or something similar. If you're really worried about clipping your highlights, you'll want to underexpose about .3 or .5 a stop. The 5d has terrible highlight retention.

yes thats what i am looking for some recommedations on "Which screen to get"

as written in my first post

i was hoping someone who uses a screen in studio or location indoor studio would be using a laptop or a p-2000 type device or even a small lcd monitor

like i mentioned the most accurate screen i have right now is my sons Asus eee pc small netbook which is far better than my old laptop but i wouild like a screen which has closer qualities to my nec spectraview

some recommendations please

ilegales wrote:
bacilonur wrote:
Why not a simple netbook running Lightroom or something similar. If you're really worried about clipping your highlights, you'll want to underexpose about .3 or .5 a stop. The 5d has terrible highlight retention.

yes thats what i am looking for some recommedations on "Which screen to get"

as written in my first post


Actually your first post made me think you were looking for a light meter

So I can easily understand the confusion that others have had with your question.

sorry it made sence to me but maybe it was not written clearly

so now we know that i am looking for a Laptop or a portable viewer or even an lcd monior (small)

i am not keen to spend 3000 on a laptop as i do want it just to view some shots and i dont really use a laptop very much to be honest - i have an older laptop and i can always use my sons asus netbook if needed. But its good for size to travel

a portable viewer may be nice but i dont know how the screens are these days on them as i have a p-2000 which is not good to check exposure - good for storage purposes

an lcd monitor (small) is the last option but i would have a larger box to stick in the car hooked up to a netbook to check - i would use this monitor at home as secondary lcd

I'm a little confused...

If you're worried about the technical side of things, your camera's "blinking highlights" combined with its histogram and a decent light meter should be everything you need.

If instead you're talking about quality of light, you shouldn't need anything crazy in order to judge. Any halfway decent screen should show you what you need to see in terms of where light is falling and the contrast between your shadows, diffuse highlights, and specular highlights.

If you can get a netbook that fits your budget but still has the kind of specs it'll need to shoot tethered (if you'd like to do it that way), or at least handle the volume of images you'd like to view during a shoot, that would probably work.

Take my suggestion with a grain of salt, when I need on location previewing I just use my Macbook Pro. It does what I need.

EDIT: Unless you're looking for specific recommendations (brand, model, etc.)... I can't help you there.

I have two laptops, an old Thinkpad X24 Notebook I paid $250 for on eBay a few years back when it came off lease, and a somewhat newer HP someone gave me for free. In the field I use the Thinkpad. I have tried using the HP tethered in the studio (fancy name for my bedroom with a few lights), but the software I have for my camera only works with jpeg's and I shoot raw. Also, I am too cheap to buy a battery for the HP.

The point I am trying to make is that you do not need the latest most expensive thing out there, both those notebooks show images that are perfectly OK for proofs, even today. It is not how much money you have in your equipment that counts, it s what you do with the equipment you have.

cheap laptop better job than a netbook
instal photoshop,picassa or other and your set freedom from mains electricity well for a couple of hours anyway .....
heres a set up that impressed me doent rember whos it was but liked it enough to copy pic
going to make one of those next wet sunday ............

mdelrossi wrote:
Histograms

+1 That's why it's there.

Histogram or a light meter that is what they are used for. In the studio once you have your lights the way you want them look at your histogram and remember what it looks like for that type shot then you can use that to double check your light meter reading for everything.