• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Best light meter for film (not digital)

Hi...

I am new to this site and am still wet behind the ears in my filmmaking journey. Forgive me for lacking knowledge with the questions that I ask, but...you have to learn somewhere.

I am wondering if there is a general concensus as to what the best light meter is for motion picture FILMing, not digital media.

I am gathering together everything I need for a 16mm shoot this summer- a mix between experimental and documentary filmmaking.

Can anybody help me out?

Thanks so much...
 
Welcome!

Read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_meter

Which will answer some questions. If you are looking for a brand name, Sekonic is well known especially for the analog meters. If you get a cine meter it has a special mark on the dial calibrated for a typical 1/48th shutter speed which is really handy except my krasnogorsk-3 has a shutter at 1/60th. My Auricon Pro-600 has a shutter at 1/48th so it works great for that. Light meters are really actually a very fun way to learn about and demystify the relationship between all of the components of the camera and how they affect the light recorded too. Just remember, if you are using neg it is ALWAYS better to slightly overexpose than to underexpose. If you want to really test yourself, get some reversal B&W and try to hit it exactly. Reversal won't let you screw up by more than half a stop without hurting the image. Spot meters and digital incident meters are expensive, but obviously worth it if you have the cash for them.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top