Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Camera TTL light meters try to achieve the brightness of middle gray we need to over expose light subjects, ie snow or sand, and under expose dark subjects ie a black cat to get a good exposure. Are handheld light meters the same, or do they give a true reading?
Thanks

Lee Thomas Loc: Michigan

Hi Mac. If using a handheld meter taking a reflective reading off of the same part of the subject, I would assume the reading would be very close. The other method of using a handheld meter is to take an "incident" reading using a half sphere covering the meter's sensor. That measures the amount of light falling on the subject as a whole. I have never done any tests comparing results to reflective readings in the past I used the incident meter reading using studio flash and also outdoors. The incident reading always gave me accurate exposures. I think for the extremes that you mentioned, one would always have to figure in some exposure compensation so you didn't end up with gray snow or a gray cat.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thank you Lee.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

All meters, except one with which I'm familiar and use, indicate an exposure for middle gray. Yes, they do produce exposure indications to place the measured area, spot or average, in Zone V (middle gray).

To correct your statement, one does not want to overexpose any part of a scene. The concept is to push the exposure in order to place that measured value in a suitable Zone for that particular scene.
--Bob

BebuLamar

Reflected hand held meters do the same. In fact they are more likely because they are either spot 1 degree or average 40 degree or so. The built in meters are spot (the spot in degrees vary with the lens used but in most cases not at narrow as 1 degree), Center weighted, or matrix (or evaluative). Now hand held meters don't have matrix or evaluative mode which can help to some degrees when you shoot black cat or in snow.
Incident hand held meters don't have this problem. I don't know of any built in meter that does incident metering.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I have found, over the years, that most in-camera and handheld meters are only accurate and consistent IF the photographer knows exactly how to use them! This applies across the board for every kind of meter, reflected or incident light, spot meters, and in-camera integrated and spot readings. Learn to use them properly starts with firstly following the instruction manuals for the basic methodologies and the lots of practice and experimentation in getting the "feel" of your meters or in-camera systems, observing the results and getting to the point where known how and where to "probe" or sample the light become second nature.

Weh using a reflected light meter, there is no mechanism in the meter or the camera to detect where the 18% gray is in or on the subject. If you are shooting under controlled or studio conditions you can use a gray card. If you are shooting landscapes, distant objects or action, using your in-camera meter you have to be able to quickly find a substitute object in the frame to probe, lock in the reading and recompose. With a handheld meter, you can use a gray card if possible or again, find a substitute surface of an object in the same light and probe there. Matrix or integrated readings from in-camera metes may work well by averaging out areas of different reflectivity within the frame. The strategy you use in film processing and print or digital work determines how and where to probe. You might, however, want to make a defused highlight reading with transparency film or digital, expose for the shades and print down for the highlight with negative film, meter a middle gray, or adopt a shoot to the right strategy in digital.
Weh using a refected light handheld meter, make certain it is at the prescribed distance from the subject and it is not read its own shadow.

Incident light meters can solve the issue of the 18% reading- it's kind of built-in the meter's system. Just place it at the subject, aim the light collector dome toward the camera and supposedly, you are good to go- but there are caveats. The function of the little white dome is that of a light collector. It will pick up light from all directions and integrates all of it. If you want to make individual highlight and shadow readings to employ any particular ratio control or post-processing strategy, you may want to use a flat or recessed light collector. Some meters can be fitted with an accessory flat disk and others have a mechanism to recess the light collector probe. When shooting a portrait out of doors, I may just shade the dome from the light coming from directly above the subject to confining the reading to the side lighting that I am utilizing.

I am not suggesting that you always second guess yo meters With experience, you will get to know what to expect under various lighting conditions, so if your readings seem out of sorts or your results are way off the norm, if the meter is functioning properly, it is often a matter of reading from the wrong area in the frame.

fehutch Loc: gulfport, ms

I think “operative word” that if the camera is set to spot meter and you read one color object exclusively, that item should read as zone 5.
i.e. reading a white bed sheet or a black blanket exclusively; both should come out a zone 5 rendition. Probably should have camera set to a monochrome mode and fully automatic to measure the meter’s accuracy. Know this works for good old tri-x and Pentax spot meter in the old days. Got me curious. Time to get out the white sheet and dark blanket and set Fuji film simulation to Acros. Thanks for the post…

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

This is actually a very simple "lab" experiment to do. I posted a topic which might help. https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-653330-1.html
--Bob

IDguy Loc: Idaho

There is no “true reading”.

If you don’t like metering your subject with the sophisticated tools in today’s cameras you could meter the incident light. Google how.

Today’s cameras give many alternative metering choices. Best to learn how to use them.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thank you Bob. I’m confused by your use of “push”. With film pushing involved extending the developing time of the film. How is pushing accomplished with digital?

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thank you BebuLamar. Do you mean an incident reading wouldn’t adjust the reading toward middle gray?

BebuLamar

Actually the incident meter reads the same regardless whether the subject is white or black. It only measures the light falling on the subject.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thank you for the in depth reply E.L. When using my TTL metering I mostly use either Center Weighted or Spot depending on what I’m shooting and what I want to accomplish. I don’t use Matrix very much. My handheld meter is a Sekonic Twinmate L-208. It’s been so long since I’ve used it I’ll need to look online for a manual to refresh my memory.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thank you fehutch.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Here is the manual for your meter:


https://www.sekonic.co.jp/english/product/dl/pdf/L-208_E.pdf