From false-colors to light meter - What's a good start?

[Nicolas U Hepburn]

Hello,

I love to expose with false colors but consistency in light ratios is what I'm looking for in my shots and the ability to replicate shots from other DPs I love would be easier by measuring and actually feeling what I'm doing which then could help me develop an eye when using false colors only.

Would a classic Sekonic Flashmate L-308X be a good start to create key to fill and key to bg light ratios?

[Steven West]

For sure. I checked the manual and it has frame rate and shutter angles. The only thing is it doesn’t do spot of course.

For about half the price of the L-308X, you could pick up a used Minolta Flashmeter V. You can get 5 and 10 degree spot accessories for them and they have a DIP switch in the battery compartment that allows you to switch it to ‘CINE’ mode, similar to that Sekonic. Because the accessories are not permanently attached, it can be a bit cumbersome to be switching from incident to spot and back again all the time. (Though they just twist on - only takes a second)

When you’re reading your key to BG without a spot meter, you’ll be limited to incident readings and that won’t tell you what the reflected reading is of whatever is in the background.

For example, if you have a dark grey BG and light that to be say, 1 stop under key, it’s going to look completely different to the same scenario but with say, a yellow BG.

Or pick up a monitor that has Ed Lachman, ASC Zone System implemented. I think SMALL HD added it in an update recently. Also more and more camera manufacturers are doing so.

https://www.elzonesystem.com

[Nicolas U Hepburn]

Oh, I didn't think of that. For sure both black backgrounds and yellow receive the same light but one reflects more than the other so the ratio would change meaning that I would need incidental metering in that case. I did find the Minolta but cannot find the accessories. If I cannot find them and decide to go with the Sekonic (which has also replacement parts if needed), is there an affordable spot meter to pair it with?

Regarding the El Zone. That looks very interesting! I will definitely upgrade monitor from the Shinobi to SmallHD in the near future. Would this new reading system basically replace the spot meter and viewed in form of false colors?

Edited December 27, 2023 by Nicolas U Hepburn

[Steven West]

Just for clarity, you would need to a reflective reading from like a wall or something, not an incident reading for the key to BG ratio.

Also, a spot meter is handy because light reflects off of the same surface at different angles and intensities depending on its surface properties and how it’s lit.

EL Zone system is based on stops rather than IRE values so yeah it does the same thing as a reflective metering solution would. And, as tempting as it may be to solely lean on that as a metering solution, you will still want a lightmeter for…. Just so many reasons (when you’re learning / tech scout / setting up etc). 

The Minolta meters are old, but from time to time you will be able to find the accessories on places like eBay I’m sure. Old as they are, even if the calibration has drifted over time, they have a calibration dial built-in so you could calibrate it with a known accurate meter.

I used mine for about 20 years and recently got the latest Sekonic and when I tested them side by side, they both gave the same incident readings.

I think the old Pentax Spotmeters are a favourite with many folks. More of a street cred thing I think these days so their prices might be pretty high due to the desireablity. Unfortunately lightmeters are more of a niche product these days so for something with reflective, spot and incident - either you go all out on the flagship Sekonic or take your time and build you own kit like with the Minolta.

[Nicolas U Hepburn]

My bad, I meant Spot meter in regards to reading the background. I'll still keep an eye out for the Minolta accessories. I found that the Sekonic L-478D litemaster pro can read both incidental and spot and is reasonably priced used at around 200 pounds (UK). I really appreciate you taking your time to clear my mind on this. Thank you!

[Steven West]

That’s great. I didn’t know you could get a spot attachment for that meter. It’s a bit pricey and only does 5 degree spot but should be good enough.

The previous model to the flagship Sekonic is a great choice too. It’s a non-touch screen device which makes it a bit easier and quicker to use, but popular because of this and even used, almost the same price as the touch-screen model.