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<blockquote data-quote="WayneF" data-source="post: 394556" data-attributes="member: 12496"><p>I am in full agreement. Just elaborating.</p><p></p><p>Probably very few beginners ever heard of an incident meter, so it seems important to explain. Camera meters are reflected meters (sees light reflected by the subject). Most Sekonic hand held meters can also meter incident light (sees direct light incident onto the subject). There have been early handheld reflected meters, but today, when one says "hand held meter", they most likely infer incident meter.</p><p></p><p>Incident meters also seek a middle gray level, same as reflected meters do. That is all any light meter can do, they are just a dumb chip with no knowledge of what the subject is, or what the readings mean. No experienced human brain to think it out. That's what we use the photographer for. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Reflected meters see very little light is reflected from the black dress, so they boost it to middle (which is overexposure). Reflected meters see a lot of light reflected from the white dress, so they pull it back to middle (which is underexposure). Both dresses come out gray. Neither is correct.</p><p></p><p>But incident meters read the light directly, which means black dresses come out black, and white dresses come out white, relative to that gray midpoint.</p><p></p><p>Incident meters are aimed the other direction, away from the subject towards the camera and the light source, so the subjects colors do not affect its reading. It literally measures the light. But reflected meters only see what the subjects colors can reflect.</p><p></p><p>Surely incident meters could be built into cameras, but incident has to be metered at the subject, to see the specific light actually on that subject. Handheld meters are greatly more convenient for that.</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html" target="_blank">How Camera Light Meters Work</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WayneF, post: 394556, member: 12496"] I am in full agreement. Just elaborating. Probably very few beginners ever heard of an incident meter, so it seems important to explain. Camera meters are reflected meters (sees light reflected by the subject). Most Sekonic hand held meters can also meter incident light (sees direct light incident onto the subject). There have been early handheld reflected meters, but today, when one says "hand held meter", they most likely infer incident meter. Incident meters also seek a middle gray level, same as reflected meters do. That is all any light meter can do, they are just a dumb chip with no knowledge of what the subject is, or what the readings mean. No experienced human brain to think it out. That's what we use the photographer for. :) Reflected meters see very little light is reflected from the black dress, so they boost it to middle (which is overexposure). Reflected meters see a lot of light reflected from the white dress, so they pull it back to middle (which is underexposure). Both dresses come out gray. Neither is correct. But incident meters read the light directly, which means black dresses come out black, and white dresses come out white, relative to that gray midpoint. Incident meters are aimed the other direction, away from the subject towards the camera and the light source, so the subjects colors do not affect its reading. It literally measures the light. But reflected meters only see what the subjects colors can reflect. Surely incident meters could be built into cameras, but incident has to be metered at the subject, to see the specific light actually on that subject. Handheld meters are greatly more convenient for that. [URL="http://www.scantips.com/lights/metering.html"]How Camera Light Meters Work[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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