Re: [Leica] incidently

["Isaac H Crawford" <isaacc@flashcom.net>]

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 1999 11:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] incidently


> Mike Durling wrote:
> >
> > I'm not going to argue that reflected or incident metering is inherently
> > better.  I just think that people who knock incident metering miss the
> > point.  You are measuring the light.  An incident reading, taken at face
> > value, will allow the relationships between tones in a photograph to
> > approximate the relationships that exist in the original scene.  After
the
> > reading the placement of tones for creative expression is the same
mental
> > exercise regardless of metering technique.
> >
> > Most motion picture photography, something I have a lot of experience
with,
> > is done with incident meters.  The reason is purely practical, it helps
to
> > ensure consistency between shots that have to cut together.
> >
> > There are many different techniques for incident metering.  I took a
seminar
> > with a Hollywood cinematographer who used a flat disk on his meter and
only
> > measured the key (primary) light.  He then lit the rest of the scene by
eye.
> > Takes a lot of experience but it certainly worked for him.
> >
> > Mike D
> >
> I have seen documentaries and read about the great cinematographers at
work and
> I find it an enigma on the fact that they all seem to use incident light
> readings. Could it be they never had an Ansel Adams? Don't know. I can't
see the logic.
> But a flat disk does what exactly I thought it might be for copy work?

> Mark Rabiner

    One of the many reasons that incident metering is used on set is that
you can see where hot spots and dropouts will be before anything that will
reflect light is there... If you have lit a set, and action will take place
across it, how do you measure where the actors *will* be? Instead of
bringing a stand-in all over the place to take reflected readings off of,
you simply hold the meter where they will be, and viola! Accurate readings!
It is also quicker and easier to determine lighting ratios (which will
determine your contrast range) with an incident meter. It is also helpful
for consistancy's sake. You can specify to the entire camera crew and
gaffers and grips, a specific EV to light to. Once again, very easy to do
with an incident, a little trickier with reflected...
    I sell cameras for a living, and one of the most common questions is,
"Which is the best meter?" It's really a very silly question. While there
may be certain types of meters that have some advantages in certain
situations, the fact is that you can get an accurate exposure with any of
them if you use them properly. I personally find incident metering very fast
and intuitive, but then again, I used to shoot a lot of motion picture stuff
too...:-)

Isaac
>