Steve: We all have been in your situation at time or another. I think we can give you all the reasons for using one type of a meter or the other according to our experience. But perhaps it would be useful to do some serious reading on the subject and make your decision then. Ansel Adams' "The Negative" is a good start. Fred Picker wrote extensively on the subject in his newsletters and in his books. These were my main sources some years ago and the measuring technique using a reflected light spotmeter is simple and very reliable. No huge inaccuracies or huge misinterpretations, but there is a bit of a learning curve. You are obviously outgrowing the build in camera meter and hence are looking for more accurate or interpretative light measuring method and device. The Zone VI modified Pentax digital spotmeter has served me well for many years and it may still be available from Calumet. But before you buy, I think it would be wise to read up on the theory and practice and see if it would suit your working style.
The Zone VI newsletters are out of print but I still have a nearly complete set. I could search the ones on the topic and send you relevant copies, if you like. Let me know. Cheers, - Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: Steve Desjardins [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: March 25, 2003 10:58 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Hand Meters Y'all will have to excuse me if I seem to be struggling with this, but I am. There seems to be some agreement (but not all) that an incident light reading gives "better" (more consistent?) exposure than a reflected light reading. I read that part about the color response of the sensor matching the character of the light. That makes sense. Why, however, does this imply that a reflected light reading can be prone to huge inaccuracies, but the incident sensor is not? Wouldn't the sensor problem affect both readings in the same way? I also realize that it very easy to misuse a spot meter reading since you have to understand at least some primitive version of the zone system. The meter tries to make the area being read reproduced on film as 18% gray (actually, I read somewhere that it should really be about 13%). You obviously have to make adjustments so that the highlights and shadows come out correctly, and this requires some thought and understanding. The incident reading, OTOH, is simple since there is only one kind of light striking the scene. As long as the meter is correctly oriented, there is only one possible reading to make. It this the trick then? The incident reading is better because it is easier to use the result without making a mistake? Sorry I'm being so dense about this, but this is an important thing to get right.
