Minolta Flash meter IV User Manual download pdf (Page 2)

TO LIGHT METERS

INTRODUCTION

LIGHT METERS

720

PHOTO - VIDEO - PRO AUDIO

Choosing Hand Held

Exposure Meters

Hand-held exposure meters

measure light falling onto a

light-sensitive cell and con-

verts it into a reading that

enables the correct shutter

speed and or lens aperture

settings to be made.

Hand-held exposure meters

come in many variations, each

with specific benefits. By

using the appropriate meter

for your specific needs,you

can be assured of consistent

professional results.

Incident vs.Reflected

The two distinct techniques of

measuring light, incident and

reflected, each have their own

advantages in different situa-

tions. Hand held meters can

give you both capabilities,

along with features not found

in even the most advanced

cameras with built-in meters.

The 18% Neutral Gray

Standard

Light meters are designed to

measure light in a consistent

way. They cannot see the

subject and interpret it as a

photographer can. For exam-

ple, a light meter cannot dis-

tinguish a black cat from a

white cat, a red balloon from

a blue balloon, nor textured

powdery white snow from a

shiny white auto paint finish.

Given the same lighting situ-

ation, each of these objects

would reflect a different

amount of light.

Reflected measurements

would indicate different expo-

sures for each object.Incident

measurements would indicate

the same exposure for each

object, to render a consistent

exposure. Light meters are

calibrated to assume that all

subjects are of average 18%

reflectance, or neutral gray.

The use of the 18% neutral

gray standard allows a reflect-

ed light meter to render cor-

rect readings for “average”

subjects in “average”lighting

situations. (The value of 18%

neutral gray is also referred to

as Zone V in the Zone System,

an advanced black and white

exposure method.)

IncidentMetering

The incident meter is aimed

at the light source and meas-

ures the light source falling

directly on a scene and is not

influenced by the reflectance

of the subject being pho-

tographed. For more precise

control of the photograph,

incident meters are also used

to measure various levels of

light from multiple sources

falling on separate parts of a

scene.

Using Incident Meters

Incident metering measures

the intensity of light falling

on the subject and gives

accurate and consistent ren-

dition of the tonality and

contrast regardless of

reflectance, background,

color, and shape.Subjects that

appear lighter than gray will

appear lighter. Subjects that

are darker than gray will

appear darker. Colors will be

rendered accurately. Highlight

and shadow areas will fall

naturally into place.

NOTE: Most light meters allow

for both reflected and incident

light readings.

Advantages of Incident

Measurement

Incident meters measure accu-

rately and consistently and are

not affected by variances in

reflectance of the subject or

scene. Because of this, incident

meters give the most accurate

exposure for the majority of

situations and subjects.

Reflected Metering

Reflected metering reads the

intensity of light reflecting off

the subject and may vary

according to variances in

tonality, color, contrast, back-

ground,surface, or shape.

Meters are designed to regard

all subjects as 18° neutral gray

reflectance. Reflected measure-

ment of any single toned area

will result in a neutral gray

rendition. Subjects that appear

lighter than gray will reflect

more light and result in an

exposure that renders it darker.

Subjects that are darker than

gray will reflect less light and

result in an exposure that ren-

ders it lighter.

Using Reflected

Measurement

Hand-held reflected light

meters and built-in camera

meters read the intensity of

light reflecting off the subject

and measurements are taken

from the camera position.

Generally, reflected measure-

ment of a wide subject area

can include many different

reflective surfaces or colors

that can bias the meter and

result in inconsistent and erro-

neous readings.Accuracy of a

reflected measurement can be

improved by reading an 18°

neutral gray test card placed in

front of the subject.

Incident Measurement

Reflected

Measurement

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Minolta Flash meter IV User Manual Page 2

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