metering flash

[boku]

If you're looking for a cheap flash meter, there's always the ones made by Wein.

I used to use them years back and they work.

I now use a Sekonic, mainly for balancing light ratios. Overall exposure (I shoot digital), tend to be based on the histogram.

[tshort]

I have a Sekonic 558R, which I believe operates pretty much same way as the 358.  Main differences are 558R comes with a spot meter and a radio remote built into it.  The radio chip can be added to the 358, as can a spot meter, but if you want both, obviously the extra $$ for the 558 is worth considering.

For metering flash the 558/358 can be set to trigger the flash via radio or sync cord, so you can set up your shot and then fire off the camera, metering the flash as either reflected or incident. They also can handle multiple flash units, and provide an average.  

A cool feature they also offer, tho, is the abilty to read the flash that is triggered from the camera, or by hand, rather than triggered by the meter.  So if you don't have a radio trigger on one of your flashes, for instance, and you want to take an incident reading at your subject, you can set the meter up so that when you push the "read" button on the meter, it waits until the flash and then reads it.  Then you have an assistant fire off the flash and voila, you have your reading.

Or you could put the meter on a tripod next to your subject, and using the same method walk back to the camera or strobe and fire it off, and still get the reading.

These meters will also tell you the amount of ambient vs flash that makes up the reading.  (I'd confirm all of the above for the 358, but I'm pretty sure it's the same - I use these on my 558 quite a bit).

In short, the Sekonics cost more money, but in my view the extra features are worth it if you're going to be doing studio/flash work with them.

[paullantz]

I got some inexpensive flash units from Henrys (Opus 100 w/s and 40 w/s). I realize they are not the greatest or most sophisticated things going but they do work and it gives me an idea of how to set things up.

I want to take a few individual and small group portraits and I need to get a system for metering flash.

I plan to get a flash meter, e.g. Sekonic 358 but interested in suggestions that other people have for somone whose primary interest is not portrait photography but wants to be able to turn out acceptable images.

Right now I can trigger the flashes with sync cord or with a camera mounted flash.

I would like to be able to do it myself, e.g. trigger the flashes take an incident light reading in front of the subject.

The radio controlles stuff looks intriguing but expensive (pocket wizard on camera controlled by transmitter in flash meter).

If I got the Sekonica 358 would I regret it later on? The only other light meter I have is a much older selenium cell system from the dark ages before I had a camera with a light meter.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[paullantz]

Will probably get one of the Sekonic units, getting a little less mystified by the idea of having multiple light sources (under my own control). Found it was not impossible to guess reasonably closely what was going to work and then do a few test shots. I suppose once people have done a few of any kind of shots they have a pretty good idea of exposure is going to work.
Stuff like this I learn from books and it sounds very complicated and time consuming setting up shots.

[paullantz]

I decided to get a 358 as I didnt think I needed the spot metering although I guess there is a lot of other stuff in the 558. Probably will get the radio module for the 358 and some pocket wizards.
So far just used histogram in camera which works ok with a reasonable first guess but I think flashmeter is good for actually knowing what lighting ratios are.
Have read a few posts on using, lots of differences of opinion about how to use (aim at camera, aim at key light, turn off fill....)so guess will enjoy figuring out.