SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

I never use one for landscapes, other than the one in my camera.
Unless you're measuring the light FALLING on the subject might as well ilusexthe camera meter.
Now there are a few meters made that have two spot meters, a regular 3 degree and a more narrow spot of 1 degree. 1 degree would certainly have some advantages for some landscape applications!
SS

Hammer Loc: London UK

Thanks sharp shooter , that really

Hammer Loc: London UK

Thanks sharp shooter , that really helped . I just could not see why a hand held meter wold be better than the Camera's . You mention a 1 degree being a help , it would be interesting to know what the "spread " of the in camera meter was, I can't find it anywhere.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I would say the advantage of the handheld meter in the case of the 758 is that it can be calibrated to the camera's specific dynamic range and you can determine if and where the scene's lighting falls within that range and how you want to place the exposure. Certainly in photography there is usually several ways to address any problem or challenge. Happy shooting...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

As for the light meter. My cameras have one built-in, and that works fine.

whitehall Loc: Canada

You may wish to consider ine of the free or very inexpensive apps available on the net. They may be used to cross check your camera's light meter.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Definitely, yes. A resounding YES!!! I've used several over the years, but still stick with one of two. One, an SEI PHotometer (http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-113454-1.html). The other is a Sekonic L758DR. I use the latter a lot more frequently as of late. This is due to the ability to profile the meter to the camera I'm using and, more importantly, the use of an iPhone app 'Expodev'. To assist in metering, especially for digital work, I also use a Peak Color Tone Viewer.
--Bob

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

The in camera meters of today are so sophisticated that except for studio flash I do not see why a hand held meter is necessary. I do not use matrix often, keep in mind that it is an AUTO metering usually compensating the exposure and gives the photographer no actual control. Many pictures with matrix will be acceptable but many more will not.
Center weighted metering is what we had for so many years. It is predictable and the majority of them concentrate 80% of the exposure in the center. Spot meter is very accurate in the experienced hands since it only meters between 1 and 5% of the whole frame which assures a perfect exposure for the subject. Use spot meter and do the metering from a middle tonality for a perfect exposure. Like any "non-intelligent" meter compensation of the exposure is needed for bright and dark areas but knowing the behaviour of the meter that is not difficult to accomplish to obtain the correct exposure.
I do have a Minolta meter that I used to use for studio shots with flash. I have not used it in years and I do not believe I need it anymore since I do not photograph in the studio that often.

williejoha

I never understood what a hand held meter will do for landscape that your camera cannot do. The only time I use a hand held is when I do studio shots using flash?
WJH

kerry12 Loc: Harrisburg, Pa.

I don't use one as often as I did when my cameras were all manual, but do on occasion. I have a 60 year old Weston that still gives good accurate readings. Sometimes it's just fun to use one.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

All things aside, I have used several versions of Sekonic meters and was very comfortable with all of them. Nowadays, I use a lightmeter more for studio type work than anything else. I am very pleased with the internal metering capabilities of my Nikon bodies. Best of luck.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

For digital photography of landscapes, I sometimes use a Sekonic L358 meter. That's an "incident meter" (I think sometimes called an "ambient" meter, although it also works with flash & studio strobes), so is used to measure the light falling onto the scene, not what's being reflected off of it (as all built-in camera reflective meters do). This makes for much more consistent readings. The L358 is discontinued now, but I think the L308 is pretty similar (it just lacks the radio flash control feature of the L358)... and there are various other incident/flash meters from Sekonic and several other manufacturers (Gossen, Kenko, Shephard/Polaris and others).

I've used various incident meters for many years. Still have a couple older Minolta (now Kenko) and a Sekonic L398 (analog, ambient/incident only... no flash metering... but no batteries required). The reason I updated to the L358 is because it's better suited to the range of ISO and shutter speeds of digital and can be set to read out in the 1/3 stop increments I use (or 1/10 stop with flash/strobes).

Back in the day with film, for landscapes I often used a 1 degree spot meter (reflective)... But I was using the Zone System and processing my own film accordingly. That's not done (or very possible or necessary) with digital. I still have a couple 1 degree spot meters stashed somewhere, just in case I want to get out my 4x5 field camera and burn some film.

Many cameras that have spot meter mode... BUT it's not anywhere near fine enough for the technique, when using the type of lenses typically chosen for landscape purposes. Built in meter spot mode is usually 2 to 3% of the image area... maybe even larger. The most precise I have are a couple cameras with a 1.8% spot meter. HOWEVER, "1% of the image area" is typically much larger than "1 degree". The reason camera meter specs are stated in % of image area is because the degrees of coverage vary a lot depending upon the focal length being used... With a powerful telephoto, it might actually be 1 degree, but how often do you use those for landscape photos? With a wide angle lens, far more degrees of arc will be covered by a camera's spot meter mode.

Incident meters such as my L358, when used correctly, give a very accurate reading... often better than reflective metering methods which are strongly influenced by subject tonality, which can require the user to make some judgments and apply some Exposure Compensation. That's not necessary with an incident meter.

There are also many separate, handheld reflective meters... such as the 60 year Weston someone mentioned above (I have my Dad's Weston Master II). Those are used differently and subject to the same concerns as the reflective meters built into cameras.

Charlie157 Loc: San Diego, CA

I tend to use cameras metering. I'll meter for the highlight and for the shadows then figure out where I want to set my exposure. I tend to meter more for the shadow and print for highlights

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

You have been on UHH for around 5 years and you still haven't realized the advantage of "Quote Reply"?

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Are you using them for digital or film, or for both.
If digital, do you feel it's an improvement over your camera's meter?
SS