Lewis Fernandez Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Hi All. I'm a new cinematographer. I watched this video (https://youtu.be/ovmvF9n2Bt8) about exposure and it said about using spot meters. Usually I just expose by eye and get generally good results. I was wondering if spot metering is important, and is industry standard? I found the video a bit confusing towards the end. Also I wondered, if I do indeed need one, where can I get one for under £200 (I'm in the UK). They seem to be expensive! Many thanks in advance, Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 If shooting video or digital formats, it's very unlikely that you'll need a spot meter. An incident meter is handy if you're doing a lot of lighting, especially on larger or more complex set ups, you can also use this to set the exposure, but even then it's possible to work without one. These digital cameras have their own displays in the viewfinder and having a correctly set up monitor aids lighting a scene. I had a spot meter when shooting film, but it rarely got used, the incident meter was the workhorse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Fernandez Posted March 3, 2022 Author Share Posted March 3, 2022 3 minutes ago, Brian Drysdale said: If shooting video or digital formats, it's very unlikely that you'll need a spot meter. An incident meter is handy if you're doing a lot of lighting, especially on larger or more complex set ups, you can also use this to set the exposure, but even then it's possible to work without one. These digital cameras have their own displays in the viewfinder and having a correctly set up monitor aids lighting a scene. I had a spot meter when shooting film, but it rarely got used, the incident meter was the workhorse. Thanks Brian for your response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Eckert Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 I've been doing some gaffing lately on small sets with digital cameras and I've wondered if I need an incident meter just to be on top of things when the DP asks for a change. It seems like I can get by without one as I've learned generally what I need to do to raise or lower a light's output a stop or two. But I'm green still, and I don't want to be caught off guard if a DP asks for something specific. Are there instances anyone has had on set where they were glad they had a light meter and knew how to use it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 It really depends on how the DP likes to work and if the gaffer is going to be rigging and setting lights without the DP being present. Traditionally, they used foot candles on feature film sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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