exposure meter

Definition: Light-detecting instrument and calculator used to indicate settings for a camera exposure based on its measure of light in a scene, corrected for film speed or sensitivity and other factors. * The light detector receives either (a) light reflected from the scene (reflected light meter) or (b) light falling on the subject (incident light meter). This reading produces a measure that is used to calculate the aperture and shutter settings, based on the assumption that the indicated exposure produces a mid-tone in normally processed film.

Related Terms: spot meter, incident light meter, reflected light meter

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