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Home: Video University Forums: Wedding & Event Videography:
Light Meters?

dennykyser
Novice

Mar 3, 2008, 12:54 AM

Post #1 of 5 (355 views)
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Light Meters?	Can't Post

Does anyone use a light meter for video. I have one like this for my cameras, but this one does video as well. Wondering if I should sell mine, probably get $450 for it, and get this one.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ght_Meter.html
and have a way of getting accurate exposures in churches and the SNOW.

Have never used a cine meter so have no clue how well they do.
Denny
www.kyserphoto.com

imacron-usa
User

Mar 3, 2008, 6:51 PM

Post #2 of 5 (306 views)
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Re: [dennykyser] Light Meters? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I used to be anal about exposures that I carry with me an exposure meter and a color temp meter. The light meter is pretty useless in video work because the exposure readings don;t match with the f/ stops on the camera. Videocamera lenses behave differently compared to 35mm lenses. Probably the best use of a light meter in video work is lighting ratios. Say, for example, you are in a set with multiple lighting instruments. You can measure each light source and precisely set them up with your preferred ratios. For, example, if you want your key light twice brighter than your fill light, then a light meter will give u a spot on accurate reading.

For videos, accurate exposure readings are done with a waveform monitor.

If you're using 35mm lenses with your videocam, a light meter may be useful.

dominic

(This post was edited by imacron-usa on Mar 3, 2008, 7:36 PM)

Mark Von Lanken
Veteran

Mar 3, 2008, 11:56 PM

Post #3 of 5 (277 views)
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Re: [dennykyser] Light Meters? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Denny,

I do not know of a videographer who uses a light meter for weddings and events. On a typical wedding there is not time to take readings, especially during the prep and reception.

I have always adjusted the brightness of my camera LCD screen to my monitor. Then when on a wedding I use zebras to protect from being over exposed. After you have shot with your camera for a while you can tell when it looks too bright or too dark.

Until you have become comfortable with your camera you can follow this approach. As long as there is not a strong light source in the background of the shot, temporarily switch your iris to auto, while the gain and shutter speed are in the manual mode. This will tell you what the camera says the exposure should be. Then switch the iris back to manual and you can brighten or darken the exposure slightly. If there is a strong light source in the background, the auto setting will average the subject and the strong light source and under expose the subject.

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
www.VonWeddingFilms.com

imacron-usa
User

Mar 4, 2008, 3:41 AM

Post #4 of 5 (264 views)
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Re: [Mark Von Lanken] Light Meters? [In reply to]	Can't Post

It's also added knowledge to learn about light meters and its application to video. The exposure meter in video cameras is a reflective meter. This means that it measures light being reflected from the subject. And so, light meters should also be used in reflective mode. ( The other type of light metering is called incident metering which measures light falling on the subject. This is the common type of metering used by photographers when they adjust their strobes.

Get an 18% gray card. Set your camera's iris so that the EV or exposure value is set to 0. This is the exposure meter usually situated on the upper side of the viewfinder. Get the iris reading. Then set your light meter to measure in reflective mode to measure light on the gray card. Use 1/60 shutter speed, initially set ASA to 100. Get an f-stop reading. Compare this with the iris reading of the camera. If for example, the camera is f/4, and the light meter registers f/8., this means that there is a two stop difference. Adjust the ASA of the light meter by two stops or ASA 400. Do a test again until the readings are the same.

dennykyser
Novice

Mar 4, 2008, 11:24 AM

Post #5 of 5 (240 views)
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Re: [imacron-usa] Light Meters? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks guys, I do have a little flip open gray card on one side, white on the other for white balance,
When shooting in the Open Snow, the light meter works great for photography, exposures are dead on, I was not sure how it would work with video.

We have a church we work at regularly, that the entire back wall is Stained Glass, and the sun sets that way. Everyone says its beautiful, be we know what that means to us, Strong backlit, changing exposures as the ceremony goes on. I have mastered the church with the photography end by metering the ambient light at the alter, and just letting the stained glass change as the day goes on. I will do the same with a gray card and video before the ceremony starts.

Thanks everyone
Denny
www.kyserphoto.com