Light Metering Basics: Using a Spot Meter to Maximize Dynamic Range

[@sailoves4039]

my firend, this is the most functional real world vlog I have seen. This feels so immersive and great for learning. Thanks for creating great content like this; its simultaneously informative, cohesive and thoughtful. This goes without saying that you have a great aptitude for teaching. Thanks for sharing.

[@skywilson699]

Awesome workshop bts- thank you!

[@38media2]

3:44 i can never unsee that dead pixel! lol ... your videos are great BTW

[@philiprakesh]

Very helpful. Keep making these. Thanks!

[@christopgaylord4886]

best video i've seen on this topic

[@jamesl.9776]

The model is totally in character 😂

[@michaelfrymus]

One thing I did once was use a large 8x8' double frame. Placed it outside to drop the exposure of the outside but making sure I placed it so that I wasnt cutting the light from going inside the room. Its possible, but the f-stop must be fairly wide open so the net is completely out of focus. Its a cheap method for lowering the outdoor brightness but it would only work in certain situations

[@Andrelas11]

Nets are a great trick that you can usually hide in plain sight like you said, depends on your aperture being fairly open.

[@NathanKatash]

what you do if you use slog with internal 200 iso to get clean image? you put 200 iso inside the light meter or 800 iso?

[@MammadAliyev]

another informative video!

[@bdawg6900]

Great video sir, I am wondering can you still achieve the same thing ( checking if the object in the shot is within camera dynamic rang) with an incident meter? Like, perhaps I could walk next to the window with an incident meter and take the measurement on how much light is coming from the window then determine if I am overexposing the shot? Thanks!

[@byronchang4330]

So if my camera when shoot in log has a dynamic range of 14 stops, but my final delivery is going to be in rec 709, which only has around of 6 stops of dynamic range. Do I meter for the rec 709 ( +3 and -3) or the camera dynamic range (+7 and -7) thank you.

[@trizzleseven]

Hey Rob, I learned a lot about metering thanks to your videos! I still have a question: Do you set your meter to a certain exposure compensation when switching for example to Slog-2? You talk about the middle grey being on a higher IRE in Slog2 in comparison to Slog3. And do you intentionally overexpose Slog3 by a stop, or are you metering exact to the middle? I got a Sekonic meter and have a A7III and I'm right now not sure how to take the meter readings to the camera in regards of different profiles like HLG, Slog2 and Slog3.

[@volturngaiden]

Hi, beautiful video congratulations. I'd like to ask you a question. If I have many actors on set, where do I put the light meter to measure light?

[@jalilmdx]

Hey man, really useful video, but I do have a question. According to Sony, the Slog2 curve doesn't clip until 107 or 109 IRE (don't remember the exact value right now). However, the waveform and false color on SmallHD monitors only goes up to 100 IRE. How do you find yourself working with a curve like this when for example, the false color would show you the red if that part of your image is at 100 IRE, but according to the camera you are still not clipping?

[@Andrelas11]

Correct me anyone if I am wrong, but I believe those values (107ish) are close enough to 100 IRE that it won't really matter much except if your already on the very edge of the value and you need to push it that extra little 5-7 IRE. Either way, you could just use the camera's monitoring system if it has one. If you were really needing that 107-109 range and HAD to use the monitor, perhaps one could create a LUT that brought those 107's down to a 100 and then monitor off the LUT???

[@clydetower1933]

Hi Robert! Your channel is awesome, its inspired me to go a step beyond and get a light meter and push myself to have a better understanding of how light works. I see that you use a Sekonic L-758 Cine in this video. I have the opportunity to pick up a used a L758DR... I know its aimed mostly at photographers but I was wondering if it could work for cinematography as well. I shoot with a Canon C200 btw. Thanks for your input!

[@Ivanovfcpys]

So even if my camera has, say, 12 stops in log, I should be metering for my LUT, not for the whole dynamic range of the camera, am I right? I mean, even though my camera captures 12 stops, if my LUT shows only 6 stops, then I should consider +3 and -3 as my limits, is that correct?

[@petarpetrov5548]

Hmm, I am not the most knowledge guy on the topic, but I think you got it wrong, you can set up a viewing LUT on the monitor(either rec.709 or a custom LUT) so you won't look at the flat log image, but the waveform will show you the actual log data, not the LUT ( thats just for viewing) .

[@Ivanovfcpys]

@@petarpetrov5548 Yeah, but I mean, what happens with your log footage when you grade it in post? Is the dynamic range reduced when adding contrast? I've had some trouble with footage that is within the 12-stop range of my camera (eg. -4 stops in the shadows and +5 in the highlights), but once I grade it I end up losing detail in the highlights or the shadows anyway. So what am I doing wrong with my light meter readings?

[@petarpetrov5548]

@@Ivanovfcpys Hmm I don't know how can you loose data that you recorded in LOG , except if you crush the blacks below zero or blow out the highlights in post , if see in your waveform that nothing is clipping and everything is in the range when you record it, then all the available information is still there doesn't matter how you tweak it in post. Btw what light meter are you using, not that this matter that much.

[@Ivanovfcpys]

@@petarpetrov5548 Oh, let me check, perhaps I'm accidentally blowing out the highlights in post. I'm using an old sekonic l-28. Thank you so much!

[@raredreamfootage]

Did your two 300D's use the fresnel attachment at full spot? I'm curious to know how they were configured. And how many stops of diffusion did you use?

[@杨大大-x8x]

amazing content

[@celonziajohnson]

Keep up the great work! But feed use more tutorials💯 You make them easily understandable

[@celonziajohnson]

Hi, question are you using spot metering in camera as well? On the a7r iii

[@robchado]

I only ever time I use the camera's spot meter is when I set the ISO to auto (which is pretty rare).

[@celonziajohnson]

Robert Machado so I should use multi?

[@ribbitrocks]

so if these are the basics I'm lost and out/ you might consider explaining more about what your starting settings mean. sounds like you're speaking to a bunch of professionals, f stops, latitudes, dynamic range and 6 stops over or under... etc... the point is this is nothing basic about spot metering .... at least not for me / so I'm out/ thanks

[@Andrelas11]

Not to sound harsh, but if your watching a video about spot metering its probably safe to assume you know what these basics (f-stops, dynamic range, etc) are. There is no point in becoming efficient in metering if you don't know how to work the basic exposure functions of a camera and lens. Its like trying to learn how to be a stunt car driver before learning how to turn on a car.

[@s8AEPdeqb699uQVcyV4e]

@@Andrelas11 Finally someone says this. I've noticed a number of people commenting on Robert's videos about how it's not beginner friendly, etc. But you can learn those basics from pretty much anyone on youtube. Do they want his videos to be dumbed down like the rest of the content creators? I don't think they should be. It's a breath of fresh air to hear advanced technical explanation without filler. (From a working cinematographer, not a youtuber) I can't tell you how many times I've clicked on a video and the majority of it is spent explaining "what dynamic range is." The same rudimentary stuff just gets recycled over and over. Robert gives us the information. Period. I really like his content, and I don't think it should be any different! Also, for this person, they may be looking for a video explaining the basics of metering for photography, not cinema.

[@leevyse5319]

wish i could understand this camera stuff, looks like ill have to find another hobby.

[@nachofarias785]

vendiendo humo del bueno