Will Gunadi Photography

An importance of a small handheld meter cannot be understated when you want the most accurate exposure for your shots.

Why use a meter?

It is more likely that nowadays people would ask the reverse, why wouldn’t you use a meter. Since almost all new cameras out there sports a built-in meter, you’d think that this is not even an issue, correct?

Well, it is a problem if you are like me, who enjoy using old cameras that do not have meters onboard (yep, *meters*. You read it correctly, some cameras have more than one meters). Most of the time, in daylight situations, I can use such cameras using the ultra-cool Sunny-16 offset system.

But if I’m stuck in a place that has a lot of irregular shades (like in the forest) or situations where I want to get the subject’s face even when there is a strong back-lighting going on, I want a meter.

Why handheld?

Reason #1: Because we can use a handheld meter along side the cool vintage cameras without adding anything to the camera which could disrupt the coolness :)

Reason #2: Because most handheld meters have dual mode, incident and reflective.  The incident mode measures the light as it falls on the subject (given that the subject is within reach, of course).  This is something that not even the most expensive built-in meter in a camera can do.

Next question: Why *small*?

Simple, because small handheld meters makes us look cool when we pull it out of the pocket and it disappears when we’re done measuring.

Which brings me to the point of this particular journal entry.  Look at the slideshow above (which you can pause, by the way). I have selected for you two of the cutest, smallest handheld meter I know. There may be more like those two out there, but I definitely suggest that you go for one of these.

I happen to get the Gossen Digisix along with a big stash of Nikon gears that I purchased last year from a retired photographer.  Since then the meter and I were inseparable.  It is accurate enough for my use and it’s small enough to fit in any pockets.  What more can you ask?

Why are they expensive?

Trust me, they are worth their weight in gold. Problem is, they don’t weight much at all :) … but I digress.

To me, they are not expensive because first, they last a lifetime - not much moving parts in them - and second, they do produce better looking images through more accurate exposures. So if you aspire to produce masterpieces, then you will increase your chances a lot if you bite the bullet, purchase one and use it.