Favorite <compact> Light Meter

Favorite &lt;compact&gt; Light Meter

  • Total voters
    742
Although I have a Sekonic L28 Studio Deluxe which still works perfectly after 33 years, my favorites are my Zeiss Ikophots. They are compact,and beautifully made. The case and wrist chain look like they could have come from Coach. And-- after 57 years, they still work great! They are nice companion pieces to my three Zeiss Super Ikontas.
 
I have had a Gossen Digisix for three years. It has been to Bogen two or three times. I would not recommend it at all.

First, it requires first reading a number and then rotating a dial to get the required camera settings.

Second (an most important): It goes dead at the most inconventient times. It isn't the battery but an internal fault. It was sent to Bogen three times with a full explanation of the problem. Each time it has been returned at no charge but with the same problem - as if they don't think any thing is wrong with it.
 
I voted for the Minolta Autometer IV, only because it's the only meter I own. It lives in the bag, and comes out only for the occaisional reality check, usually in low light. I'm pretty good with daylight sunny 16, and I only shoot B&W, so... I would love something more compact, but it would have to handle low light well.
Vic
 
I have the digiflash. I also have a Minolta spotmeter. I should say that nothing come close to this latter when one really want to analyze light, contrast and make satisfactory decisions on exposure. It is bulky and heavy but I see myself picking the Minolta and leaving the Gossen home most of the times.
 
Not that compact, but a favourite: Sekonic L398. It's always in my walkabout camera bag. Tried the Twinmate, but I never got along with it and sold it. Then I got the 398 for free. Would buy a one new if I lost mine? You bet!
 
Last edited:
Gossen Digasix. Much maligned, but its analog readout is just was I was accustomed to with my Gossen Luna-Pro S.

Yes, you have to read the digital readout and then adjust the dial. but once you have adjusted the dial, you have an instant view of most of you exposure options.

Why do I prefer an analog readout? It's an intuitive interface for anyone who has used manual cameras. The scales are right there in full view.

It's also a light little thing that's convenient to carry.
 
crawdiddy said:
...........
What is your favorite compact hand held light meter for RF photography?

What is your favorite "type" of metering (analog vs. digital)?
Click to expand...

I think the question is not well posed. I myself own near ten different handheld meters, and I find them all usefull according to the type of RF photography you perform.

The second criteria influencing one's best meter, is how much you have to lean upon a hand held meter.

Beyond that, the only thing I can say on behalf of everyone looking for a hand held meter is to avoid at all Gossen meters. The reason is that they are the worst marked meters for reading. I own two of them, the Sixtar and the Pilot.

The Pilot is Gossen's easiest one to read, and easy by all criteria. Unfortunately in both Pilots I own (one of them purchased as "mint") the selenium cell is tyred and unaccurate for high light levels. Its small size - a delikatessen.

The other one is a Sixtar, cds cell, built along the patterns of all Lunas and surroundings. Extremely cumbersome to read.

As for the Gossen Digisix, I have read bad comments upon obtaining temperature readings instead of light levels, and I understand from its way of operation that upon clicking you get and EV to be further transormed into a light reading via dialing - hardly the league of digital meters.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
ruben said:
Beyond that, the only thing I can say on behalf of everyone looking for a hand held meter is to avoid at all Gossen meters. The reason is that they are the worst marked meters for reading.
Click to expand...

Utter nonsense, IMHO.
 
Gumby said:
Utter nonsense, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your kindness. Now lets do some visual comparizon. On the left a Luna Pro, on the right a Euromaster.

Cheers,
Ruben
 

Attachments

  • LunaProSB RFF.jpg
    LunaProSB RFF.jpg
    184.4 KB · Views: 0
  • euromaster II RFF.jpg
    euromaster II RFF.jpg
    128 KB · Views: 0
ruben said:
Thank you for your kindness. Now lets do some visual comparizon. On the left a Luna Pro, on the right a Euromaster.
Click to expand...

Jeez, don't take it personally. It's just that Gossen has been in the business for a long, long time. They know their customers and they have LOTS of them - very happy customers, in fact. Apparently you are not one of them. If you desire a "simpler" meter, then that is your need and you should seek/use one.

I'm sorry, but I don't see your point in the pictures. If you are refering to the additional scales on the Luna Pro... well, there are some photographers who need them, use them, and understand them.

I still think your universal condemnation of Gossen meters is unwarranted and ignorant (in the most polite sense of the word).

How about agreeing to disagree??
 
ruben said:
Thank you for your kindness. Now lets do some visual comparizon. On the left a Luna Pro, on the right a Euromaster.

Cheers,
Ruben
Click to expand...

I have agree with Ruben...Many of the meters I have been looking at (I am in the market for compact) have RINGS of numbers that are Small and Close together like the Luna Pro...Not that easy to GLACE at for the reading combinations....The Pilot is Easy to read.. because it does not have "Tons" of other information to look at.

I owned a Vivitar #23 (about the size of a Pilot with a Shoe on it. That was Easy to read too. I am looking to find another one..It is a CDS cell. Although I would like a working Selenium Cell with a shoe more...But, they are are harder to find.

I know the Pilot has a shoe accessory...but the ones on EBay don't.
 
Hi Gumby,
Kindly notice that I have brought to the forefront for comparizon to the Gossens, not just a lower breed, but perhaps the highest class meter, the Weston Master last version, which one can regard to be The legendary meter, in some sense like Leicas can be regarded as The legendary cameras. Behind the outer simplicity of the Weston there are a lot ot possibilities for exposure compensation that I am not speaking about, because Gossen is on trial.

I am not saying that Gossen are unaccurate, nor I even start to talk about their ergonomics, but those multiple scales with all those dual dots below the numbers..... Not for me.

Furthermore, I have noticed that within their overcomplex design, there is still some place to improve the visual graphics by changing the background color, alternatively, of each scale. I mean that from the outer to the center you have a scale with black background, white background, black background and so on.

Have they done this minimum, you have arrived to have a much more readable f/stop scale in the example I am showing above. Even this they have not taken care of.

On the other hand, Gossen has produced many well designed meters in very far past, and 'lately' with their meter for dummies (according to their thinking) The Pilot.

What a candy the Pilot could still be haven't Gossen discountinued it !

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Last edited by a moderator:
arbib said:
...........
I know the Pilot has a shoe accessory...but the ones on EBay don't.
Click to expand...


Hi Arbib,
I don't know if I am entitled to generalize or not, but my two Pilot meter's cells are tired.

Perhaps before you repeat my mistake and put a hundred on a "mint" one, you should initiate a poll asking weather any member here as an accurate working Pilot.

I can be mistaken, but certainly take this into account before the shoe.

BTW, it is a bit strange to me that in many other cameras we find relatively well working selenium cells, from time to time, and the newer Pilot meter cell is already tired. Perhaps the cell is not tired but there is a common shortcomming in other part of these meters, we could fix.

I don't know, it is beyond my league.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Just a vote for the Digiflash, I think it is great. I had a Euromaster but found that to be a PITA in use. And I've had several Minoltas and Luna-Pros over the years.

The meter I used the most was a Pentax 1 degree digital spot -- twenty years and never a glitch -- but honestly I tend to use a digicam w a Histogram most of all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom