It is easy and cheap for the manufacture to add features to an electronic meter, so as Don says, most modern meters have several features. That being said, some meters are intended to be used as incident meters, and reflected use is an afterthought (the Sekonic Studio Meter is a prime example). Some are intended for reflected reading and incident readings are add ons (Don's old favorite the Weston Master is an example of this). A lot of current incident meters, have flash capibility because one of the prime uses for an incident meter is with studio lighting. You point it at each light with the flat disk and note the readings, if the main light is say f5.6, and the fill is f8.0 then your lighting ratio is 1 stop (fairly flat lighting). Then using the dome you point it at the camera and you get your exposure reading. You can use the dome for lighting ratios, but you have to shut off the lights you are not reading. Nothing could be easier. As Anthony mentions the disk can be used for copy work also, but that was hardly the primary purpose. As an aside: incident meters were used almost exclusively for motion picture work.
What you have to realize reading these answers to you questions, is that nobody here can honestly tell you about meters that they have not used themselves. Most of us have only one meter, so that is the one we will recommend if we like it. Some of us have used quite a few meters (Me? The Weston Master, the Vivitar 250XL, the Sekonic Studio Deluxe Meters --the L-398 and the older version L-28C, and currently the L-308B-II. You may note that all of those meters are very good incident meters). Aaron Reynolds and myself at one time were the primary proponents of the incident meter on this list. It is interesting to note that both of us were using the L-308. However, to me, the L-308 has one major flaw. That is that it has only a digital readout. An analog readout allows you to see all the shutter-speed/f-stop combinations at once so you don't have to figure them in your head, or change the settings of the meter. Minor flaws are the tiny dome, but it is what allows the meter to be pocketable, and that the disk does not come with it. Major advantages are small size, and that it uses one AA battery. Are there other meters that will suit your requirements? Certainly, but I can not recommend them from my own experience. Ciao, Graywolf http://pages.prodigy.net/graywolfphoto ----- Original Message ----- From: "zcaballero" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > It seems that there are several meters that will be very close to the > minimalist meter that I want. So, what I want is available new it > seems. And you say that "most meters" have many functions. Most is > not all, so that would mean that some have few or minimal functions, > yes? It is those few that are of interest here. I say that reflected > light is OK, but that I do not want many features. The group here tell > me of two or three new meters that would be suitedable for my needs.
