i finally did it!

[CrackedButter]

Expodisc, can lid, coffee cup- there are lots of ways to get an incident reading from a built-in reflected meter. For example:

http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/0063U8

Touche. 🙂 Do you suggest he gets this instead then, though it is a bit hardcore?

 

[compuwar]

Touche. 🙂 Do you suggest he gets this instead then, though it is a bit hardcore?

My point is that spending $180 or so on a good meter isn't necessary to put the camera in manual mode and learn to expose- heck, with digital, the histogram and chimping give you enough information to expose well. Barring that, a gray card, white card, or learning where your reflected meter readings differ when pointed at different tones all work without spending any more money, as will the incident cover-the-lens methods.

There's a proclivity to throw gear at a solution, where the photographer learning to read the light will gain over the photographer learning to read the meter- there's nothing wrong with a good meter, but most people will use one less than they use a good tripod, so why not use what's at hand, or what's economically more feasible and save the money for gear that'll get more long-term use and practical value?

 

[CrackedButter]

Well you make a good point, and you're right of course. But we all have our own ways of working.