Wanted: Hey Photo folks... got a light meter?

I know a lot of you guys are photo sorts so I thought i'd ask if any of you had a cheapish light meter you fancied selling? Don't think i have anything worth trading really. Quite a nice front ritchey mtb wheel or a ladies raleigh 531 shopperish frame (double downtubes) that i stripped and was going to get powder coated and build up as a ss or fixed but got distracted by other things. But that's about it so i guess straight cash. I think ideally something like one of those little sekonic ones but i'm no expert.

Basically im going to shoot a few stills in a cheap studio for my gf, basically straight-ups of different outfits, but it's all flash based so i'm thinking i'm going to need a meter - if i can even remember how to use it. Though i'm sure i'll use it again so i don't mind buying one.

Also, does anyone know if i can plug a flash sync chord straight into my D80? I loaned it to a mate so don't have it at the mo to check connections etc.

Cheers for any help / abuse,

B.

I just threw a very oldskool one away - tell me you need a digital newfangled meter...

yea, i need a newfangled one. I'd be even more lost with one of those ones that look like a big compass.

B.

Music to my ears. Normally when I chuck something I find someone who can make use of the thing I chucked.

Sharkstar, why don't you post it on freecycle next time ?
http://www.freecycle.org/
*when you sign up give the rarely-used email address as the default one as you might get quite a bit of emails from people offering stuff, but i think you can opt out of getting "offered" emails altogether if you only want to give something away

And for sure someone out there will need whatever you want to get rid of, and will come and pick up

why do u need a light meter with a D80? just whack it on a 60th for the shutter speed as this will sync with the flash, then vary the f stop usually around f8 depending on the power of the flash, then just experiment.

they're studio flash units and i was intending on using a couple of them so i was assuming it would be a lot easier with a meter. Though i might be wrong...

B.

Studio, lights, digital its 1/60th at F11.
Thats it.

erm lets agree its between F8 and F11 shall we lol.

Detail in the highlights.

shite, sorry I shoot film. But it still does depend on the power of the lights.

shoot tethered and do it all on the histogram and set your exposure warning at 253.
check which channel the warning works on can give a false reading if it only works on one channel like the one on the back of the camera (that comes off a jpeg in the blue channel i think).

"Studio, lights, digital its 1/60th at F11.
Thats it."

well that depends on how many joules your flash is, your ASA, flash distance from subject, what softbox/light modifier, if you turn the flash up or down etc etc

you'll need a hot shoe sync cable adapter. the d80 dont got the right holes.

if you decide to go down that road that is.
i'd just experiment, its digi after all.

anyway, its all computers these days

:-)
i think i have a nikon hotshoe to pc sync thing in it's little box somewhere if you want to buy it?

no u will need a safe sync hot shoe adapter

http://www.theflashcentre.com/wein-safe-sync-hotshoe-to-hotshoe-i358.html

or you run the risk of blowing your camera up if the flashes are old or not suited to digital cameras.

NIck

the only issue i had like that was with old strobe city/magnaflash packs which have a reverse polarity and 100+volts.
i used the adapter with elinchrom and it was fine. think there is a list on the net somewhere with all the flash trigger voltages.

if that hotshoe to pc sync thing is what i need to fire them then yes, i probably do want to buy it.
where
when
much?

cheers,

B.

it's a nikon AS-15. used once, boxed.
yours for a tenner.
in tooting.
PM me if you want it.

I used to have one of these, paid £125 for it brand new, cant believe they are £185 now man, jesus!!!

wish i hadnt sold it on ebay, really need it now, but was skint at the time

i don't know anyone who uses one anymore. i have a pentax spotmeter with the zone system marked white to black next to the dial that i used for large format black and white back in the day.
i don't even own a flashmeter as the histogram and eyedropper tool is all i need.

maybe i'll google histogram...

B.