Do you have a lightmeter? A flashmeter? Do you know what they are? So many photographers now rely on the meter in their camera that they don't have a clue what a lightmeter is and how to use it -- or WHY they should use one, and when. That's going to lead to a series of articles here, some of which already are ready for you to read and some of which have yet to be written.

This meter, the Sekonic L-358 Incident meter, is both a lightmeter (meaning you can use it to measure "available" light, the light just hanging around you right now) and a flashmeter (the light put out by flash units, whether designed as on-camera flash, a remote flash, or "studio" lighting, with big professional systems. As an incident meter you use it from you subject's position turned either to the camera (the "right" way) or to your light sources (my way!) to measure the light "incident to" or falling upon your subject.

You can use it with the little plastic bubble out (as shown above) or in, as shown to the right. Most "guru's" INSIST you use it with the bubble out, as a reading with the dome out "sees" both the light and shadow of the subject, and average the two naturally, as this kind of meter is "designed" to do. I normally use it with the bubble down, and use it to read the light falling on my subject that will create the highlights, which I am most interested in controlling. I'm not a guy or a photographer that has ever found "average" interesting or useful!

There are many meters made, some spendier, some cheaper, some with more features, some more basic. But unless you are a commercial shooter doing intensive table-top work, this unit has every feature you could probably ever use and then some, and it is very accurate (once you've practiced in different lighting) and quick to use.

The controls are Power; take a reading; a command button to alternately "Average" multiple readings or to give the results in "EV" units; ISO 1; ISO 2; Mode; Memory; and a thumbwheel to adjust the settings of the meter. On the back in the battery compartment are some little switches to set things like third- or half-stop readouts and ISO settings.

We'll forget the cool button "Average/EV" for now ... what these controls allow you to do is quickly set two different ISO ratings into the meter, and go from one to the other at the push of a button (ever use two cameras?), change the f-stop or shutter-speed readout as the meter automatically changes the other, change the mode from Shutter-priority (you tell it the shutter speed, it gives you the f-stop_), Aperture priority (the opposite of Shutter), reading a burst from a flash unit "remotely", and reading a flash that you trigger with the "reading" button.

There is one more option ... and this is WAY cool! ... IF you've got Pocket Wizard radio-remote hooked up to your flash and/or camera ... AND the little added transmitter gizmo mounted inside the L-358 ... you can "pop" your flash units to test and read their outputs by just pressing the reading button on the meter ... AND you can even trigger your camera from the meter! OK, it costs a pretty penny extra, but ... it's WONDERFUL to use this way!

You probably don't need the memory function either, but if you do ... it's invaluable. This is a tool that goes EVERYWHERE with me. And when I'm using my flash on "remote", you better believe I'm reading out my exposures with my Sekonic L-358.

If you've looked around other forums for discussions on which lightmeter to get, this unit DOMINATES the responses. For a very good reason. It does everything you'll need and a couple extra tricks for good measure, it is simple to set and use, and it is reliable. What more could you want? It even comes with the strap and carrying case.

As always, if you want to head on over to Amazon to check it out, click HERE!