Any Light Meter Recommendations?

[snegron7]

Many years ago I remember using the "sunny 16 guide". My eyesight (and memory) were much better back then.

I'm looking for a light meter to use outdoors and for low light shooting. I don't plan on shooting anything with studio lighting, so I'm assuming an ambient meter would work.

Also, I don't want to spend a fortune on a fancy meter. Another thing is that I'll be using it with cameras that don't have a hotshoe (Nikon F, F Photomic). The small hotshoe mount meters seem great for my Nikon S2 rangefinder, but I don't know how practical they would be when I need to use them with an F.

Any suggestions?

 

[Tim Murphy]

Dear snegron,

You can find Gossen Pilot meters with cases and lanyards all day long for less than $20.00. They are small and require no batteries being a selenium cell.

I have 2 that I have owned for well over 10 years and both read almost exactly the same as my Nikon D7500 meter at various ISO settings.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[Deleted member 82967]

Dear snegron,

You can find Gossen Pilot meters with cases and lanyards all day long for less than $20.00. They are small and require no batteries being a selenium cell.

I have 2 that I have owned for well over 10 years and both read almost exactly the same as my Nikon D7500 meter at various ISO settings.

I agree 100%.

I own a Sekonic L-398, also battery-less. Convenient, small, consistently off by a certain amount but easily compensated by an adjustment to the ASA dial.

I bought a Gossen all-singing all-dancing Starlite II but never could remember all the button pushes to get the various possible readings. Sold it after a month or two ...

 

[Doug A]

Many years ago I remember using the "sunny 16 guide". My eyesight (and memory) were much better back then.

I'm looking for a light meter to use outdoors and for low light shooting. I don't plan on shooting anything with studio lighting, so I'm assuming an ambient meter would work.

Also, I don't want to spend a fortune on a fancy meter. Another thing is that I'll be using it with cameras that don't have a hotshoe (Nikon F, F Photomic). The small hotshoe mount meters seem great for my Nikon S2 rangefinder, but I don't know how practical they would be when I need to use them with an F.

Any suggestions?

I use a Nikon F Flash Adaptor with a Voigtlander VC Meter on my Nikon F. The adaptor fits over the rewind knob so it locates the meter out of the way letting me "aim" the meter by looking through the viewfinder and pressing the meter operating button with my left thumb. Much more convenient than using the same meter in the cold shoe of my LTM Leica.

 

[Cascadilla]

+1 on the Gossen Pilot--I've had one for a while and it seems to work well. It wouldn't be my first choice for really low light (or any other selenium cell meter, for that matter) since it won't be that sensitive. I've had good luck with Sekonic silicon cell meters since the late 1980's when I first got into studio flash and needed a meter to measure that. Used L-718 meters go for around $100 and mine has been a workhorse for the last 25 years. I've zeroed it once or twice after dropping it and replaced the 2 AA batteries it runs on once a year or so, but that's it. It is not designed to sit on a hotshoe, however, so if weight and compactness are important it wouldn't be a great choice.

 

[Godfrey]

I prefer an incident light reading most of the time. I have a Sekonic L398A, which is batteryless, but i find it a bit fussy to read and use, and not particularly sensitive. I also have their L478D which is at least four stops more sensitive and more compact, but has way more features than i ever use.

My most-used light meter is a now long out of production L-358 Flash Meter. Its a little bulky but light weight, fits nicely in hand, and is simple to use and read. It's a little less sensitive than the 478D but not by much, and, for me, much easier to remember how to use. Accuracy is superb. Battery lasts a long time (years, in my use), manuals and such easily downloadable from Sekonic website. Easily findable on Ebay ...

G

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

Before you buy a light meter, you might try using an app on your phone. I have been using light meter apps for years and find they do everything I need them to do. My current favorite is an iOS app called Lightmatic but in my experience they are all equally accurate so just pick the one whose user interface you prefer. If you need an incident meter reading, just hold the palm of your hand up to the light and take a reading off of that.

 

[p.giannakis]

I bought a Gossen Sixtino 2 in 1996 and was great. I dropped it a decade or so later and the wheel went flying and never worked again.

I got a Calcu-light X in a car boot sale for a few pounds and I have been using it ever since. Extremely accurate, I don't see them being mentioned much.

 

[Dogman]

I've owned several Gossen and Sekonic meters and they were all great. But have you considered an App on your phone? I have "myLightMeter" on my phone and it seems to be accurate and very convenient.

 

[BernardL]

You can find Gossen Pilot meters with cases and lanyards all day long for less than $20.00.

The OP stated (my emphasis)

I'm looking for a light meter to use outdoors and for low light shooting.

I checked my sixtino/pilot; the low light limit is LV5, i.e. at 100 ISO EV5, for instance f/4 1/2s. Pretty good for a Selenium meter, but last week I was shooting in an abandoned power plant, and was happy to have a Sekonic 308 (starts at EV0 @ ISO 100). So, depends how low you need to go in light levels.

 

[ddutchison2]

I was about to suggest the Sekonic L398 as well, but then I re-read your post and and realized you said "low light".

The Gossen Luna-Pro/Lunasix will get you down to EV -2 with an ISO 400 film, that's 15 seconds @ f2. Its Max limit with the same film is 1/4000 @ f11. Reads both reflected and incident, and has some interesting attachments available.

The downside are the mercury cell batteries it takes. You'll need to get a MR-9 PX625 battery adapter, which will mechanically and electronically adapt Modern SR43 silver oxide batteries to the correct voltage and size of the original V625PX.

 

[snegron7]

I was about to suggest the Sekonic L398 as well, but then I re-read your post and and realized you said "low light".

The Gossen Luna-Pro/Lunasix will get you down to EV -2 with an ISO 400 film, that's 15 seconds @ f2. Its Max limit with the same film is 1/4000 @ f11. Reads both reflected and incident, and has some interesting attachments available.

The downside are the mercury cell batteries it takes. You'll need to get a MR-9 PX625 battery adapter, which will mechanically and electronically adapt Modern SR43 silver oxide batteries to the correct voltage and size of the original V625PX.

Thanks! Just out of curiosity (and completely off topic), would that MR-9 PX625 battery adapter also work to place SR43 batteries in my Nikon FTN Photomic prism?

 

[Deleted member 82967]

I was about to suggest the Sekonic L398 as well, but then I re-read your post and and realized you said "low light".

In my case, I'm using the L-398 with the Sigma SD9 which is by no means a low-light camera and not the finest of AE either, so they go together quite well.

YMMV.

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks! Just out of curiosity (and completely off topic), would that MR-9 PX625 battery adapter also work to place SR43 batteries in my Nikon FTN Photomic prism?

Not sure. You'd have to stack two batts and two MR-9s.. I don't know if that would fit or result in the correct voltage. I seem to recall the batt+adapter was a little thicker than the PX625, not sure about the electrical behavior of stacking two batts and voltage regulators.

I've used the MR-9 ver successfully, but only in single battery applications.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Not tiny but small.. the Sekonic L-308. Despite some aggravating and useless features (no on off switch/ thermometer...etc) I've dragged a Digisix around and used it with all my 35 and MF cameras. It's tiny, accurate, super light weight. It's my choice when not using my Pentax Spotmeter

 

[hap]

Not tiny but small.. the Sekonic L-308. Despite some aggravating and useless features (no on off switch/ thermometer...etc) I've dragged a Digisix around and used it with all my 35 and MF cameras. It's tiny, accurate, super light weight. It's my choice when not using my Pentax SpotmeterView attachment 4825093

I have the Digiflash. it eats up batteries as there is no switching off. They claim it does not drain. However, I can put a new battery in and a month or two later it's dead. It was the same issue with the predecessor Digisix.

 

[hap]

I was about to suggest the Sekonic L398 as well, but then I re-read your post and and realized you said "low light".

The Gossen Luna-Pro/Lunasix will get you down to EV -2 with an ISO 400 film, that's 15 seconds @ f2. Its Max limit with the same film is 1/4000 @ f11. Reads both reflected and incident, and has some interesting attachments available.

The downside are the mercury cell batteries it takes. You'll need to get a MR-9 PX625 battery adapter, which will mechanically and electronically adapt Modern SR43 silver oxide batteries to the correct voltage and size of the original V625PX.

I have the luna pro (model for export) and it has the ability to use the SR44 with the sleeve that fits into the battery well. It took me a while to make it work due to oxidation in the sleeve and well contacts. it works very well and agrees with my modern. BH used to sell the sleeve for conversion but not anymore. probably could find the kit on eBay. The meter is very sensitive to low light.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

... I'm looking for a light meter to use outdoors and for low light shooting. I don't plan on shooting anything with studio lighting, so I'm assuming an ambient meter would work.

Also, I don't want to spend a fortune on a fancy meter. Another thing is that I'll be using it with cameras that don't have a hotshoe (Nikon F, F Photomic). ...

Any suggestions?

Do you have a smart phone? Download a light meter from the app store. They all work pretty well. Most are free with ad free options for around $5.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

I have the Digiflash. it eats up batteries as there is no switching off. They claim it does not drain. However, I can put a new battery in and a month or two later it's dead. It was the same issue with the predecessor Digisix.

The switch gets easily pressed through the neoprene case. I take the battery out between uses and carry spares on longer trips. One of the petty design annoyances.

 

[Out to Lunch]

If you'd be using a meter now and then, only, I'd have a look at the wide variety of lightmeter phone apps. Most of them are free. Cheers, OtL