Leica LTM lighte meter for my IIIF

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Y

Yvon

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I'm thinking of getting a light meter for my IIIF as the separate meter I used to have is a bit bulky. I think the ones I can search on ebay with tittled "leica light meter" should be fine and can be attached on top of my gear. But I am not sure. Can anyone tell me about that?:):):)
 
I also have a VC II meter and it is a gem. The Sekonic l208 is also great and small and has an incident dome as well.
 
Another recommendation for the VCII. I don't use mine much now because I bought a Sekonic L308s as I wanted a meter that could read incident light.

The little Voitlander is incredibly accurate IMO!
 
If a meter is put in the camera's accessory shoe, there will be no space for an accessory finder: that is, you'll be limited to using a 50mm lens with the camera's not so good built-in finder.
 
payasam said:
If a meter is put in the camera's accessory shoe, there will be no space for an accessory finder: that is, you'll be limited to using a 50mm lens with the camera's not so good built-in finder.
Click to expand...

It's only marginally less convenient to carry the tiny VCII meter separately, IMHO. When I don't have mine mounted on my camera, I carry it on a piece of nylon cord round my neck.
 
Not a problem to carry a larger meter that way, or in a pocket. Mine gives incident light readings too, which I prefer.
 
payasam said:
Not a problem to carry a larger meter that way, or in a pocket. Mine gives incident light readings too, which I prefer.
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When I was using my VCII as my only meter I was taking incident readings off the back of my hand. When got my Sekonic I did a comparison and was amazed to find out it was completely accurate ... lucky with my skin colouring obviously! :D
 
Keith said:
When I was using my VCII as my only meter I was taking incident readings off the back of my hand. When got my Sekonic I did a comparison and was amazed to find out it was completely accurate ... lucky with my skin colouring obviously! :D
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Wash yer hands! ;)

The L-208 is about as fast in use as you can get from a hand-held meter. Press the button, match the needles, and voila! You now have the full range of matching shutter speed/aperture pairs at a glance.
 
If it's to go with a IIIf then why not get a handheld one of the same period and get it restored or, at least, working? I've had both a 30's Leicameter completely overhauled and a Weston Master II (late 40's) done.

Old meters are dirt cheap and sometimes work, even straight off a well known auction site. And repairs including a new cell (and ND filter to adjust it with) are not that dear.

If you look around there are also dozens of little meters to fit the accessory clip but you'll - perhaps - need to raise it above the controls. One of those things to converts a hotshoe to take a 3mm coaxial plug will do the trick and, again, are cheap and plentiful.

The problem with these cheapskate solutions is that the meters seldom come with a case and instruction manual. A lot of searching on ebay has failed to find the instruction sheet for my old Walz "Micro Meter" and so I've no idea what the FoV is for it.

Regards, David
 
A handheld one will work easily with any camera. A shoe mount one will be awkward to point in all sort of directions with the camera attached.

If in doubt, buy one of each kind and experiment before settling on one ...
 
For all the reasons mentioned above I have been using a hand held meter for the past 20years. My choice is the Pentax digital spotmeter. I never leave home without it.
 
chippy said:
incident reading with a VC meter! that would seem impossible Keith ;)

you must mean using the VC meter you took a reflective reading off the back of your hand, that happened to match what your sekonic (presumably used on incident) was telling you...you have a nice 18% grey tan on the back of your hand , or your hand is the same tone as your subjects on average :p

that method will get you out of [or into] a lot of trouble depending on how you look at it
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Yes sorry you damned perfectionist! :D

I meant to say I take a reflective reading from the back of my hand which is obviously a heavily disguised 18% grey card ... seems to work all year round so my base skin colour must be close to the mark.

Sheesh ... all this from an inhabitant of the state that gave us the 'pie floater!' :angel: :p
 
Keith,
I do similarly. Having a Middle East complexion can be useful [sometimes].
I just prefer taking multiple readings of areas within the frame of composition.
 
ruby.monkey said:
The L-208 is about as fast in use as you can get from a hand-held meter. Press the button, match the needles, and voila! You now have the full range of matching shutter speed/aperture pairs at a glance.
Click to expand...

I have used and owned the Weston V, VC II and various others, and find the 208 beats them all into a cocked hat. Easier to use than the Weston, reliable, doesn't get knocked out of setting like the VC, gives incident readings and takes up no space in your pocket.
 
If you want a functional meter, don't waste your time looking for period camera-top meters... most of the Leica-meters for the LTM no longer work, and having them rehabbed is probably not cost-effective.

I would like to have have a functional Leica meter for my Barnacks, but so far have not found one in working order.

My everyday shooter is a III from 1934; I usually keep the 35mm lens on it, and have a zoom-finder "permanently" mounted in the shoe. I was carrying a Gossen Luna-Six meter, but objected to its bulk.

Last year, in a box-lot of meters from eBay, I discovered a Toshiba "Linear" CdS meter, which is delightful: small and accurate. That has become my user meter. A friend told me he thinks it's a copy of the Gossen Luna-Pilot.

While camera-top meters "look nifty", I think they would be a bother, and generally prefer to use my handheld. A built-in incident dome is a nice feature to have. If you're shooting scenes with really challenging light / detail levels, then a spot-meter is the safest way to go.

Prior to getting my Gossen and Toshiba CdS meters, I was using either a GE DW-series or Weston Master III meter, withe decent results.

CdS meters are nice as there aren't affected by cell deterioration over time.

Good luck !

LF
 
I have both the Sekonic L208 and L-308s. I find I get better results w/ the L-308 as an incident meter, so it gets 95% of the use; YMMV.
 
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