When metering an outdoor scene with a hand-held meter and your camera's meter, you may come up with different readings. This does not mean there's anything wrong with either meter. Check everything twice, and if you still get different readings, bracket so that you overlap both sets of readings. If you plan to buy a meter, look for one that uses an AA battery and can be operated with one hand. Most meters today have an LCD display that is very simple to read and use with one hand.
More expensive meters can measure both ambient light and flash.
Minolta, Gossen, and Sekonic all make excellent meters. Be prepared for sticker shock, though. A good meter can cost as much as a camera body. The Polaris meter is a very good meter that does most of what the big boys do for less money. All Rights Reserved.