another pocket/hand held light meter thread

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spartacus

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I am a relatively new rangefinder shooter and am looking for a small hand held light meter that I can easily carry with me everywhere in a very small shoulder bag along with a Leica IIIc, 50/3.5 Elmar, 35/3.5 Summaron and Tri-X 400. My goal is to use the meter to train my eye such that I only use it as a backup (the meter, not my brain). I currently use a Sekonic L-608 for large format work, but it is bigger than the Leica and doesn’t fit well in the bag I use. At the other end of the size spectrum, I am not fond of the VCII meter’s design (or price) or the apparently unpredictable battery consumption of the Sekonic Digisix. Below are some guidelines and features that are important to me:
  • Analog over digital
  • Incident/reflective over reflective-only
  • Self-contained over the need for separate accessory cones or slides
  • EV (also for use with Hasselblad C lenses)
  • Mostly used outdoors and accurate to ~EV5-6 (fairly normal or dim indoor lighting)
  • No larger than a Weston or Sekonic L-398
  • No need for shoe mounting
  • <$100 USD
I have read through all the replies of the longer light meter threads and have narrowed my choice down to the following meters, in general order of preference, with their pros and cons:
  • Sekonic micro L-136—PRO: as small as a VCII; CON: rare
  • Sekonic L-208 Twinmate—great features, simple design, new; upper end of price range (new), build quality?
  • Gossen Pilot (EV) or Pilot S (lacks EV)—great features, simple design, inexpensive; build quality?
  • Weston Master III-VI—classic design, inexpensive; all have EV; fairly large and heavy, low light sensitivity?
  • Sekonic L-28c or L-398—classic design, inexpensive; EV; fairly large and heavy, low light sensitivity?
I would love to get my hands on that tiny Sekonic L-136, but until that happens, I am leaning toward the Sekonic L-208 or Gossen Pilot, as both are commonly available and provide exactly what I need and nothing more in a very small package. That said, I love the look of the older Weston and Sekonic meters and am willing to put up with their size and weight as long as their shortcomings aren’t that significant for my photographic needs. I just don't know how concerned I should be with their reported inaccuracy in low light, ability to accurately meter over a wide brightness range, and need for accessories to handle bright light. At what EV do you typically need these devices?


I know there are fans of all the meters i have listed. Anything you could tell me that could influence my decision is much appreciated. And if I have missed any commonly available units that fulfill my needs, please chime in.



Thanks,
Tony
 
Well, FWIW, I have at least six working hand-held meters... and another half-dozen that don't work very well, or very consistently. However, the
one I am most likely to stick in my pocket is the unassuming old Sekonic
L-158 Auto-Lumi.
 
Sekonic Twin-Mate (L-208) or even better, Iphone appli (free and works excellent except at night)
 
The Weston's are wonderful, and allow reflective and incidence readings. They are handy, mechanical joys, and accurate.

However, one problem with them is switching between the high and low light levels. If you are shifting between dim and brighter light, adjusting the perforated disk for the appropriate scale can become cumbersome. Around dusk, for instance, it is easy to find the need to switch back and forth between scales.
 
jonmanjiro said:
Sekonic L-308 is what I've settled on after stints with the CVII meter, Sekonic L-208, and Gossen Digisix.
Click to expand...

Was your switch away from the L-208 because of a flaw with it or because of the extra features or digital readout of the L-308? The L-308 is more than I want to spend, but I'm curious if there was deficiency (e.g. low light sensitivity) with the L-208.
 
The selenium cell Zeiss Ikon Ikophot is a nice meter with an easy to read dial. It has an incident attachment that slides into the case.

The Ikophot T is a CdS meter that also is both reflective and incident. It's powered by a common 9-volt battery that lasts a long, long time. I really like this one most of all. Accurate and has never failed me.

The Weston meters are fine, but try reading this dial in fading light.

weston_dial_300.jpg


The Ikophot T has a very simple dial.

ikophot_t_dial_250.jpg
 
ZeissFan said:
The selenium cell Zeiss Ikon Ikophot is a nice meter with an easy to read dial. It has an incident attachment that slides into the case.

The Ikophot T is a CdS meter that also is both reflective and incident. It's powered by a common 9-volt battery that lasts a long, long time. I really like this one most of all. Accurate and has never failed me.

The Weston meters are fine, but try reading this dial in fading light.

weston_dial_300.jpg


The Ikophot T has a very simple dial.

ikophot_t_dial_250.jpg
Click to expand...

Point taken. Very nice meter. I didn't know they took 9V batteries. They are probably a little large, but the dial is beautiful and clearly legible.
 
jonmanjiro said:
I found the L-208 to be pretty flaky with incident light readings - not very accurate. I only changed to the L-308 because I wanted more consistency in this regard, and I have no regrets at all - the L-308 is much better.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Someone else posted that their meter was not very good at reflective metering. Do you know if this is common experience or an issue with your meter? I wonder if there are issues with consistent mechanical/electrical build quality. And to clarify, by "not very accurate" do you mean your meter is variably inaccurate or consistently inaccurate throughout a range of brightness. If it is off by a consistent amount throughout a range of brightness, I can just adjust the ISO setting akin to the difference between EI vs ISO of film. Regardless, I plan on testing whatever I buy against the L-608.
 
I like the Gossen Digisix. It has incident and reflective metering. My favorite aspect of the meter is its small size, I carry it in my pocket everyday. I also have an affinity for the clicking exposure setting wheel.

5409124169_656cb54719_d.jpg
 
jonmanjiro said:
By flaky, I mean that incident readings were variably inaccurate - a stop or two out in either direction was not uncommon. I didn't have any trouble with reflective readings, and would have kept my L-208 if it did incident readings better. I think the incident light dome on the L-208 is just too small.
Click to expand...

That's not very reassuring. I like Rick's suggestion of the Sekonic L-158 (and perhaps its battery powered counterpart the L-188) more and more--simple, legible and inexpensive.
 
spartacus said:
What is your experience with battery life?
Click to expand...

I bought this meter back in August 2010. It gets moderate use through out the week, heavy use on the weekends. Battery has been holding out without any trouble.
I previously used a Sekonic L-398 and took some getting used to because of the light weight. It may be made out of plastic but its sturdy and survived two drops with grace. It only took one drop to take my L-398 out of commission. The Digisix just bounced and kept on working. Another nice feature is the sliding white dome between incident and reflective, a carry over from Gossen meter design.
Overall I like it very much, when I need it a quick tug on the strap and it pops out of my pocket. In one hand I can push the meter button, get my EV readings, and turn the dial to get my settings very fast.
 
Last edited:
thomasw_ said:
my wife uses a gossen digisix for incident readings....she has used the same CR2032 battery for just over a year. great little meter.

i prefer a bigger easier to read meter with very good low light sensitivity. the gossen luna pro or lux sbc ---they use 9v batteries --- is my preference.

btw, i have a sekonic 298A light meter that hasn't been used much if you are interested...
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the 298A. Do you mean 398? If so, I think other meters are higher on my list. I do like the two Gossens you listed, despite their size.
 
ItsReallyDarren said:
I bought this meter back in August 2010. It gets moderate use through out the week, heavy use on the weekends. Battery has been holding out without any trouble.
I previously used a Sekonic L-398 and took some getting used to because of the light weight. It may be made out of plastic but its sturdy and survived two drops with grace. It only took one drop to take my L-398 out of commission. The Digisix just bounced and kept on working. Another nice feature is the sliding white dome between incident and reflective, a carry over from Gossen meter design.
Overall I like it very much, when I need it a quick tug on the strap and it pops out of my pocket. In one hand I can push the meter button, get my EV readings, and turn the dial to get my settings very fast.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear yours is still ticking. Why do you think others have such terrible battery life?
 
It's not on your list, but I recently bought a Gossen Luna Pro S through the classifieds. It uses regular silver batteries, not the mercury ones - and I really like it. It's large enough to feel "solid", but small enough to fit in my pocket and I love the analog needle/wheel operation.
 
I just ordered a digisix, simply for it's small size and wheel for use with the IIIf in the coat pocket. I also have an phone app that is accurate, but a bit awkward and slow to use.

(The old luna pro died this weekend and I'm in mourning. It's a brick in your coat pocket - not great for this purpose - but it's accurate as a watch and compensations by wiz wheel or needle are thoughtless. I must replace it.)

- Charlie
 
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