On Thu, 29 Mar 2001 07:07:10 -0800 (PST), you wrote:
>I use it mostly in tough lighting situations (i.e. real contrasty) or when I
>want to guarantee I get either highlight or shadow detail. It allows me to
>check the exposure range of a particular shot to see if it fits within the
>films latitude.
>
>It's particularly nice when the light is pretty consistent, you can take an
>incident reading, set the camera and go!
>
>I also use it to setup my 550EXs manually. That way I don't have to move the
>storbes around so much. It can be used with or without a sync cord.
Interesting post, thanks. I also find that as super as my Elan 7's
metering system is, there are situations, especially high contrast or
wierd flash situations, where it isn't perfect. Of course I'm always
learning how to use it better - using AE lock, for example.
But one of the main reasons I personally want to use a hand-held is as
a "consciousness raiser" or educational tool. I want to be much more
intimately connected to the visualizion/realization process, and I
think a meter can only help that. I've also been reading Ansel Adams
a lot, and I think that there's a lot of the work of photography that
needs to go on without the camera up to your face. Learning to
visualize the values you want and expose for them intentionally,
instead of only accepting the algorithms programmed into the camera's
metering system. The camera's metering system WILL produce
consistently beautiful exposures, but there's a creative side to it
that requires learning to override that aesthetic. I think a meter is
necessary for that, along with a lot of practice and experience, or
course.
As a side note, it was interesting to notice that one of the
spotmeters, I think the Gossen, actually included a calibration system
for the Zone System. Maybe others do as well, but that's the only one
I've noticed.
Ken Durling
http://home.earthlink.net/~kdurling/
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