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Using your Camera as an Incident Light Meter
Through-the-lens and other on-camera metering systems measure “reflected light”: the light reflected from your subject. That is not the best system for all subjects, but usually you need a separate light meter to measure the light falling on (instead of reflected from) the subject. This is called “incident light. If you can set the aperture (f/stops) and shutter speeds of your camera manually, there is a way to use your auto camera into an incident light meter. The trick is in a simple Styrofoam or blown paper cup - the kind you get from hamburger shops. Cut the base from the cup at a point where it is large enough to fit over your lens. Leave 1mm to 2mm (up to ½ inch) between the end of the lens housing and the bottom of the cup. If you have a particularly wide lens, upsize the cup, because it has to be large enough to slip on easily, and fit well enough to stay in place without force. With the diffuser (i.e. cup) on the camera, place the camera beside the subjectand face it toward the place where the photo is to be taken from. if yu can't put it beside the subject (for instance, if it's too far away) place it near asomething similar in tone. Activate the meter by pressing the shutter half-way and note the f/stop and shutter speed. You have now made an incident light reading of your subject! Shift the camera to manual and ensure that the settings you recorded are still set, then return to the place from which the photo is to be made and expose your shot. Not all poly cups are made equal, the distances between the cup and lens may vary and the degree to which the lens is recessed into the barrel is different on different cameras. Despite all this, the results from this technique are remarkably consistent. You will want to make a few trial exposures of course and perhaps tweak the exposure reading a ½ stop one way or the other, but you will soon learn to trust you new incident meter. |
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The copyright for this content entitled "Using your Camera as an Incident Light Meter" has been specified by the contributor as:
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This intel was contributed by David Rich
David Rich
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May, 2012
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