is anybody using a light meter anymore? (ETTR)

[Phuong]

i used to use a L-558R but it has been collecting dust for a year or two now. i haven't found a reason to use it again. today i just took a look at a few photography magazines and noticed an ad of a new Sekonic light meter, the L-785DR. checking it on Sekonic homepage, it has a long list of features and i noticed the first one being Exposure Profiling. however it doesnt seem to be very convincing at all even though these features are more "digital friendly" now. for portrait, food, or product (basically studio photography) it is certainly important to have a light meter in order to ensure the right propotions of light, rather than to get the right exposures. however, for outdoor shooting, with ETTR and/or on-camera histogram (and RGB histograms for that matter), it seems it is a complete waste to carry around a light meter.

so i'm just wondering if anyone is still using one of those?

[David Anderson]

I still use mine on film sets, I can walk around doing readings to look busy when nothing much is hapening, helps justify my exorbitant fees...  

Seriously, they're still good for getting a big white background even in the studio..

[BernardLanguillier]

They are obviously a must for those still shooting 4x5... but I prefer the Pentax spot meter over anything more complex...

There is just A single unique function associated with A single unique button. That's a good match for my single digit IQ.

Cheers,
Bernard

[mahleu]

I would be if mine hadn't broken. Maybe i'll try and fix it again. I got it second hand for free from a shop, the guy didn't even know what it was.

[NYRich]

I was using a Sekonic L308B quite often until I sold my two unmetered bodies.

Since I'll be using a D80 (just ordered it) with some AI/AIS lenses, I'm sure that the meter will continue to see some action.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

They are obviously a must for those still shooting 4x5... but I prefer the Pentax spot meter over anything more complex...

There is just A single unique function associated with A single unique button. That's a good match for my single digit IQ.

Cheers,
Bernard
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I'm with Bernard on this. I no longer shoot 4x5, but I can't bear to part with my Pentax spot meter, although it seldom travels with me any more.

Now if I could somehow rig that single button to do a mirror-lockup on my Canon 5D . . .  

[digitaldog]

I just picked up the L-758DR and target and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it works, especially after camera calibration with the target. From the demo's I've seen, looks pretty darn useful for many shooting situations. Having the ability to peg the dynamic range should be useful as well as knowing how to expose for Raw after calibration. I plan to take it to the Amazon for the LL Tour coming up next week. Should be a good test.