Hand held light meter

[studiocarter]

Hand held light meters are used with Regular 8mm and 16mm cameras. Usually, those type of cameras do not have a built in light meter like most Super 8 cameras do. So, it is necessary to learn how to set the lens by hand. Not an easy task.
My choice is a Weston light meter, and although I have several different kinds, the chunky 715 is my favorite. They have been purchased at camera shows for $5 to $10 each. It, the 715, came with an instruction booklet, which I have scanned and uploaded to this site. That is the booklet which I used to shoot my two latest rolls of Fomapan R8 film.
Too bad the booklet is not specific enough to start with as is the booklet for the Weston 735 meter. It is a good thing I am a collector of information on this technology or I'd be really in the dark on how to use these versatile and useful meters.
Instructions for how to use a held held light meter are few and far between. If you have any, would you please consider posting them to this site?
New users could benefit greatly by reading up on best practices prior to shooting film. And ruining most of it like I just did. Well, it wasn't a total loss. Some of the shots did turn out. My records allowed me to figure out what was done right and why the bad shots came out wrong.
The instruction book for the Weston 735 is the better of the three I have. If there is any interest in using such instructions, I'd be glad to do the work of posting them here.
Andreas, could you tell me how many times the instructions for the Weston 715 booklet have been accessed?
Thanks.

Michael Carter

[mattias]

get a real incident ligth meter. they're super easy to use and your results will be better. i use and can recommend the sekonic studio deluxe II.

/matt

[studiocarter]

There is a LOT of information on light meters I see, now that I have been to the proper web site. That meter, L-398M Studio Deluxe II, sells for 119.90 Pounds in the UK.
some day, after I get crystal sync I suppose. Thanks anyway.

Isn't anyone on a shoe string budget like me?

[mattias]

Isn't anyone on a shoe string budget like me?

i think a used version of the regular studio deluxe, which is basically the same one but with less low light sensitivity, can be had for around $50. it will last forver and works great for still phography too. i'm sure you can find a cheap digital incident meter for next to nothing as well. probably not as accurate but just as easy to use and more accurate than the cheap reflected light meters.

/matt

[mattias]

oh, and a good light meter is of course much more important than crystal sync. think about it.

/matt

[Lucas L/Feat in Library]

Yeah, I use th original Sekonic Studio Deluxe - it is every bit as accurate as the second model, but as Mattias says, it does not read very low light conditions, which although a little annoying, is acceptable for Super8 where we are usually using lots of light to get a reading. The purpose of being able to read lower levels comes into play if, for example, I want to do an underexposed night-time scene, where characters are registered at less than normal brightness levels, but I can guess that ort of stuff. It cost me $50 from eBay. A good buy - it won't last forever, but it is well made and easy to use - it was the industry standard film-maker's light meter 30 years ago, I'm told. Recommended. Easy to use. Accurate. Well Made.

Lucas

[mattias]

it won't last forever

why not? do you think it will break or do you think you won't find use for it in the future? i'd say neither is very likely. the only thing that can break is the needle, which can be easily replaced, and it's always good to keep the old workhorse even if you move on to the fancier stuff.

/matt

[Lucas Lightfeat in Libra]

The Titanic syndrome affects us all, but not even the best made stuff lasts forever, especially when we assure ourselves they are unbreakable. I remember "shatterproof" rulers at school, and the punishing we used to give them, determined to shatter them.

I have actually seen and tried to use a broken Sekonic Studio Deluxe II, by coincidence, on a 16mm college project. Somebody had dropped it, and the plastic screen was smashed and the black plastic all broken. The disc and globe would not stay in place without tape....

Nothing lasts forever, I have found.

Lucas

[Guest]

I definately agree with Mathias on this matter: Sync is something which can be worked out, you have time to do it in post, although labourous, whereas exposure once set is there to stay (even with negative film you´re not given endless room to manouvre). Using the same sekonic as Mathias, I highly recommend it as well; and if on budget, get a used one instead. Just remember to compare it with a reliable source before you start using it, and batteries (if there are any on the incident meter you get).

Øystein

[istvan]

Sorry, that was me not logged in! And, although sturdy, it´s a delicate instrument so buy with care, unless at a give-away price (or maybe especially then...).

Øystein

[Lunar07]

Hand held light meters are used with Regular 8mm and 16mm cameras. Usually, those type of cameras do not have a built in light meter like most Super 8 cameras do. So, it is necessary to learn how to set the lens by hand. Not an easy task.

Michael Carter

There are situations where you have to avoid using built in light meters. These meters use an average reading of the whole entire scene in the frame. That is why it is important to have a Super8 camera with a manual over ride.
As mattias mentioned - a good light meter is more important than crystal sync. There are regular incident/reflected Sekonic meters that are very cheap.
OR, do what I did - I got a used Sekonic (forgot name of model) that has incident, and spot metering in addition to a flash meter. I got it used in good shape on layaway from the consignment section of a photo store here. Took me 4-5 months to pay for it.

[studiocarter]

By then I'd have learned how to shoot with this Weston one. Actually, it does a good job, when it is used properly. The shots where I metered up close or close enough to eliminate all sky worked great. It is supposed to be held half way between the feet, straight down, and the horizon line, straight out, for open shots, like of a field or houses down a lane. I had been only lowering it a little from the horizon line. It must be lowered much more, that's all.
All that, and I wasn't using anything about the A and C positions of 1/2 the light and 2x the light. Most of the castle shots required the 2X position and didn't get it.
I'm going to try to get some good films out of the Weston 715, since I'm this far into it.
There are a lot of the Sekonic ones on e-bay. I'm glad to read about so many film makers using light meters from a live company. The Sekonic site certainly has a lot of manuals on line. That is good for learning all about this difficult aspect of the art. I never used incident reading yet even though I have the invacone and all.