mstudios78
Member
I just bought a Sekonic L-558R and I am reading the manual but not sure when I make a reading what to input in my DVX!! Any light meter experts out there can help???
How to use a light meter!!!!
- Thread starter mstudios78
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mstudios78
Member
Asa?
Karl151k
Well-known member
You really don't need to use a light meter when shooting with video. It can be useful to take a few spot readings and average them to find the "mathematicaly" perfect exposure to set the camera to, but in general, all you do is just open and close the iris until you have a shot you like. I've been told a typical ASA for video is 320, although someone else may have more information on that.
PaPa
Major Contributor
i heard the same thing
ASA/ ISO, the rating of film and the stocks sensitivity to light.
i would never use a light meter on a digital camcorder because the beautiful thing about zebras, is it allows you to check the exposure yourself.
but if you are really keen on using it
set your sekonic to ISO or ASA around 300-320 , or whatever the proper value is, do the whole footcandle thing, at 24fps and see what fstop it gives ya.
ASA/ ISO, the rating of film and the stocks sensitivity to light.
i would never use a light meter on a digital camcorder because the beautiful thing about zebras, is it allows you to check the exposure yourself.
but if you are really keen on using it
set your sekonic to ISO or ASA around 300-320 , or whatever the proper value is, do the whole footcandle thing, at 24fps and see what fstop it gives ya.
SchneiderDV
New member
ASA is Film Speed. Once you know where your camera is rated, you can take readings on your light meter (even without your camera set up ) and knowing how much lattitude you have to work with, you can light an entire scene while the camera is on another set shooting, for example.
I hear a great deal about using solely zebras for lighting, but they are just another tool, not the defacto tool.
If you're lighting for video, you have less latitude than you would for film. We all know this. Metering gives the photographer numerical data from one fixture to the next - with accuracy to fractions of a stop.
Having a meter gives the DP an easy way to communicate his needs to the electricians and grips - bringing down a fixture one or two stops becomes a simple equation: green or red net instead of "let's try a single... no, better make it a double - oh, heck.. I don't know!"
It's much easier to control your lighting if you know the value of same. Metering takes little time and assures better continuity from scene to scene. Reverse angles match and compliment each other, because the DP has the ability to paint-by-number. You simply cannot get this with zebras alone.
Also, when pre-rigging future set-ups, the DP can give the gaffer a stop to work to that he can match without having a camera on-hand during the set-up.
Zebras are a good way to confirm what your meter tells you, but the do not eliminate the need to meter when lighting under controlled conditions.
e
If you're lighting for video, you have less latitude than you would for film. We all know this. Metering gives the photographer numerical data from one fixture to the next - with accuracy to fractions of a stop.
Having a meter gives the DP an easy way to communicate his needs to the electricians and grips - bringing down a fixture one or two stops becomes a simple equation: green or red net instead of "let's try a single... no, better make it a double - oh, heck.. I don't know!"
It's much easier to control your lighting if you know the value of same. Metering takes little time and assures better continuity from scene to scene. Reverse angles match and compliment each other, because the DP has the ability to paint-by-number. You simply cannot get this with zebras alone.
Also, when pre-rigging future set-ups, the DP can give the gaffer a stop to work to that he can match without having a camera on-hand during the set-up.
Zebras are a good way to confirm what your meter tells you, but the do not eliminate the need to meter when lighting under controlled conditions.
e
Consultant
Member
Light meters and how to determine the DVX100's ASA
Light meters and how to determine the DVX100's ASA
http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=34551
it tells you how to determine the ASA of your DVX100:
Built-in Spot Meter (only available on some cameras)
1. Frame up a gray card.
2. Activate the camera's spot meter. Not all cameras have this function. The Varicam and SDX-900 have a "Y GET" function. The DVX-100 has this as the third option when you toggle the zebra button. Adjust the camera's iris until the spot meter function reads "50". This is middle gray.
3. Set the appropriate shutter speed on your light meter. Hold the meter against the gray card and face the white sphere towards the camera. Read the light level.
4. Adjust the ASA setting on the meter until the iris reading on the meter matches the iris reading on the camera. This is your ASA.
Also - The Hand Exposure Meter Book is about the only reference you will find. Hard to find, but Studio Depot has it for $19.95
http://www.studiodepot.com/store/index.cgi?cmd=view_item&id=65037
Exposue is one of the most critical aspects of video or filmmaking - knowing what it is, what is should be and being able to replicate it to get the results you want is something to strive for. Elsewhere on this site is a discussion of the 11 stops of exposure latitude that film has, and the 4 or 5 of video. Knowing how to control the light precisely will help you get the most from your camera.
Light meters and how to determine the DVX100's ASA
here's an article on using a lightmeter for digital video:mstudios78 said:
http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=34551
it tells you how to determine the ASA of your DVX100:
Built-in Spot Meter (only available on some cameras)
1. Frame up a gray card.
2. Activate the camera's spot meter. Not all cameras have this function. The Varicam and SDX-900 have a "Y GET" function. The DVX-100 has this as the third option when you toggle the zebra button. Adjust the camera's iris until the spot meter function reads "50". This is middle gray.
3. Set the appropriate shutter speed on your light meter. Hold the meter against the gray card and face the white sphere towards the camera. Read the light level.
4. Adjust the ASA setting on the meter until the iris reading on the meter matches the iris reading on the camera. This is your ASA.
Also - The Hand Exposure Meter Book is about the only reference you will find. Hard to find, but Studio Depot has it for $19.95
http://www.studiodepot.com/store/index.cgi?cmd=view_item&id=65037
Exposue is one of the most critical aspects of video or filmmaking - knowing what it is, what is should be and being able to replicate it to get the results you want is something to strive for. Elsewhere on this site is a discussion of the 11 stops of exposure latitude that film has, and the 4 or 5 of video. Knowing how to control the light precisely will help you get the most from your camera.
Consultant
Member
DVX100B ASA rating - the Zone System
DVX100B ASA rating - the Zone System
For those who are interested - there are some interesting tutorials on lighting and light meters on the Cyber College course on television/video production:
This one on applying the Zone System to Video (e.g. Ansel Adam's technique) is pretty interesting -
http://www.cybercollege.com/zone.htm
Module 33 is on Lighting Ratios
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp033.htm
Module 29 is on Light Intensity (light meters are discussed here)
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp029.htm
Module 16-2 is on Maintaining Video quality and deals with brightness
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp016-2.htm
Bottom line - there are about 5 f-stops in exposure latitude in video (or 30:1 contrast ratio) compard to 11 in film - keeping within that latitude and getting great shots is the challenge.
DVX100B ASA rating - the Zone System
Following upon my prior post - I used the technique described for rating my DVX100B's ASA and came up with ASA 500 - using a grey card with both the spot meter and averaging (zebra) metering functions. Need to do some more testing - but that's what the technique repeatedly came up with.PaPa said:
For those who are interested - there are some interesting tutorials on lighting and light meters on the Cyber College course on television/video production:
This one on applying the Zone System to Video (e.g. Ansel Adam's technique) is pretty interesting -
http://www.cybercollege.com/zone.htm
Module 33 is on Lighting Ratios
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp033.htm
Module 29 is on Light Intensity (light meters are discussed here)
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp029.htm
Module 16-2 is on Maintaining Video quality and deals with brightness
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp016-2.htm
Bottom line - there are about 5 f-stops in exposure latitude in video (or 30:1 contrast ratio) compard to 11 in film - keeping within that latitude and getting great shots is the challenge.
