Do i need a light meter

[moosh]

do i need a light meter for studio work if so, what make size or colour?just joking on the colour,after siting here for 3 days contemplating what studio lights,backdrops ect you tend to go funny.
My kit 20d,3 head bowen 500 580ex speedlight.
Thanks for looking.

[EmbeddedMatt]

I'm not sure if you need one or not. How are your photos coming out? With digital you can get by without one fairly easily by trial and error but you have a lot of lights and it would seem to be a handy thing for you to have.

I use only 1 1/2 lights and I make fairly regular use of my Sekonic L-308BII flash meter. It won't break the bank. I think I've seen people here recommending the next model up Sekonic but I'm not sure why.

[Arctirus]

I've got this one and love it. I wouldn't do studio work without it.

[JCPhoto1]

There are lots of opinions on whether you can get away without a light meter in the studio. You can do it with trial and error using digital. It's time consuming if your doing any professional work or have a model sitting there. Nobody wants to wait while you set up a shot take a picture and download it to see what you got. Setting your ratio's is hard enough with a meter. I use a Sekonic 308. It cheap and does a great job of reading your lights. It goes for about $175.00. The Sekonic's or Minolta's seem to be the most popular models out there. In my opinion anyone doing studio work should invest in a meter. It's easier and helps with getting consistant results.

JIm C

[moosh]

Thanks chaps for the quick response your suggestions prompted me to go shopping again!
came back with a sekonic L358 lovely piece of kit,just got to figure out how to use it,but with fellow enthusiasts like yourselves it should'nt be difficult.
thanks again.