Sekonic L558 / L358 Light Meter

[Stewka]

I have a Canon MKIII ( which I'm loving ) and am buying some strobes to do some portrait & wedding gigs. A friend said I need to get a Sekonic light meter. Is this solid advice? I'm new to off camera lighting and feel like an idiot for even asking this question?

[Luke_Miller]

Keith - You might get more responses in the Lighting Equipment section, since your question is not really Canon specific. I am pretty much a novice with studio lighting so take this for what it's worth. I bought the Sekonic L358 when I got my monolights for a couple of reasons. I wanted to be able to explore different lighting ratios and using a meter seemed to me to be the easiest way to determine how much illumination I was getting from each light. Also, I do some paid work and I wanted to be able to get my setup dialed in before the clients arrived. The meter also works well for this.

I haven't tried it, but I have read many posts that say you don't need a flash meter. Just use the histogram in the camera to set the camera and monolight settings. I have no doubt that will work, but I don't want clients seeing me going through that drill.

[Dennis_Vied]

You're right, Luke. I moved it to Lighting Equipment and Technique discussion.

[ChrisPerry]

You need a flash meter if you're using more than one light, or using modifiers.

You'll tire right quick of using a cord to trip the strobes, and most folks go with pocket wizards. To measure the light output you have to trip the lights - by plugging in or pushing the test button (not always feasible). You can get a plug in module for sekonic meters that is compatible with pocket wizards so you can trip the lights wirelessly. Better than slide bread!

If you set up two lights, one as main and the other as fill, you'll usually want the fill 1 stop less in output - you need a meter to know this. Or if you use it as a hair light or on the background, or as a rim light - you need to be able to set the light to what you need it to be - taking multiple exposure and then run over, adjust, run back take a picture, etc is not time consuming, tiring, innacurate and unprofessional.

So add two or 3 PW Plus IIs, and a sekonic 358 and PW module...it's gonna set you back another $650-700, but you'll only spent it once and you'll enjoy the benefits everytime you shoot.

[Michael Perini]

Stewka
You truly can go either way. I personally come from a long background of flash meters and heavy duty pro strobes. Meters are accurate and helpful for measuring (and learning about) lighting ratios.
My daughter is a Wedding/event/location photographer. She bought 3 medium power Alien Bee monolights and never uses her flash meter anymore.
She can set them up & do a few test shots on a tricolor target in 10 minutes before the client walks on the set.
If the set is protected she'll use built in photo slaves, public venues require pocket wizards.
Joe McNally does a really excellent Studio Lighting segment for Kelby Training where he uses multiple monolights and never uses a meter (other than the one in his camera). It is well worth watching.
One thing a meter will do is get you in the ballpark instantly, which can be comforting if you are new to the process. However the flip side is that if you buy a monolight/umbrella/softbox and spend one day practicing,and taking accurate notes, you will quickly develop a sense of the unit's inherent power. What I mean is at iso 200, white umbrella, 4 feet from the subject gives f/8 (or whatever) once you do that all you have to remember is that f/stops are geometric (half & double) and changing the distance (light to subject) follows the inverse square law.
If money is an issue, a good meter is more expensive than a monolight like an Alien Bee, and I must tell you I am very impressed with the build quality and attention to detail that Paul Buff puts into those things.
I've borrowed them myself (and left my Speedotrons home)
I hope this helps,
Michael

[Paul Kuroda]

I purchased the L558 and never use it. I got to know my modifiers and do things more mathematical....and go by watt seconds and distant on each light. After a few times....you get the hang of it. Then do a quick check photographing my hand from each light's view. I used to shoot slides where a meter was so vital...but not with digital cameras. However when you experiment with different modifiers...I may pull the meter out....but I doubt it.

[DougAxford]

I guess I'm the odd man out.

We use light meters and flash meters for everything. Our exposures are exact and I would rather spend a few seconds taking a reading prior than chimping, retaking, rechecking, etc. We take tens of thousands of shots and I do not have the time to fix bad exposures in post.

See the other post on blown whites - correct exposures will eliminate almost all of that.

Doug

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