asilda
Member
Hi everyone! I am planning to gather up some of the best options about external light meters for under $50. If you have some recommendations, please help out with the choices!
Best Light Meters under $50
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Ljós
Well-known
Used ones? Bought new ought to be tough...
Weston Masters can be found for that price... but they are heavy... and they suck at low light/indoors in the evening. I don't remember exactly, but I think they conk out at about EV 7 (with a base of 400 speed film). Anything darker than f2 1/30th of a second and you are out of luck. Someone please correct me if I got the threshold wrong!
Weston Masters can be found for that price... but they are heavy... and they suck at low light/indoors in the evening. I don't remember exactly, but I think they conk out at about EV 7 (with a base of 400 speed film). Anything darker than f2 1/30th of a second and you are out of luck. Someone please correct me if I got the threshold wrong!
zuiko85
Veteran
Yeah, that would be used prices, ain't going to find new for that price.
The older Gossen Luna Pro can be found for that price. You have to use a battery adapter because the mercury PX-13 batteries are not available. I've tried #675 zinc air batteries with a spacer and they seem to work ok.
The older Gossen Luna Pro can be found for that price. You have to use a battery adapter because the mercury PX-13 batteries are not available. I've tried #675 zinc air batteries with a spacer and they seem to work ok.
Mike Fish
Mike in Sacramento
Used...
Picked up my Gossen Digisix off of Craigslist for $50.
And a Gossen Sixtomat from a thrift store for $5.
Picked up my Gossen Digisix off of Craigslist for $50.
And a Gossen Sixtomat from a thrift store for $5.
Uglee
Established
If you go with a used meter, I would consider the Gossen Luna Pro SBC. Its not too big but you will need a battery adapter. The Gossen Luna Pro F uses a standard 9 volt battery but is larger. There are others to choose from but many are not much better than a light meter app for your phone.
wwilliams
Member
Iphone app - spot, accurate, free
Pioneer
Veteran
My Weston Master IV will read down to EV 4 relatively reliably. At least I seem to get well exposed photos when I follow its recommendations. But it did cost more than $50. More like 3 times that but it was cleaned up and tested before I bought it.
I like it. It seems to match my Rolleiflex Automat.
I think you may be stretching things looking for a reliable meter for $50. Like the troops have mentioned, a couple of the Gossens can sometimes be found at that price but their battery situation may effect their reliability.
The best inexpensive handheld meter I can recommend is the little Sekonic 208 Twinmate. I think it can be picked up for a little over $100 new.
I like it. It seems to match my Rolleiflex Automat.
I think you may be stretching things looking for a reliable meter for $50. Like the troops have mentioned, a couple of the Gossens can sometimes be found at that price but their battery situation may effect their reliability.
The best inexpensive handheld meter I can recommend is the little Sekonic 208 Twinmate. I think it can be picked up for a little over $100 new.
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I love my Sekonic L-318, small, accurate, has a spot attachment you can get, and runs on one AA battery. Not sure how much they go for used these days. The 308 is a newer version similar in many ways.
If you carry an iPhone I would give this a try:
http://www.esdevices.com/collections/all/products/luxi
They have a different one that works with many other manufactures smart phones.
B2
If you carry an iPhone I would give this a try:
http://www.esdevices.com/collections/all/products/luxi
They have a different one that works with many other manufactures smart phones.
B2
Ranchu
Veteran
I think you have those reversed? SBC takes a 9v?
I was going to suggest a Luna Pro/Lunasix with adapters.
Ljós
Well-known
Considering how low-tech a lightmeter is, it's a shame how expensive they are. A good part of it is of course economy of scale/the niche aspect of it.
The Gossen Digisix runs about 140 Euro retail in Germany, that's almost as much as a decent Android tablet. Quite ridiculous if you just look at the complexity of producing the components of a measly lightmeter as compared to the innards and screen of a tablet... sigh...
Glad my Digisix is still holding up so well. But buying it new really sucked.
The Gossen Digisix runs about 140 Euro retail in Germany, that's almost as much as a decent Android tablet. Quite ridiculous if you just look at the complexity of producing the components of a measly lightmeter as compared to the innards and screen of a tablet... sigh...
Glad my Digisix is still holding up so well. But buying it new really sucked.
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
Vivitar 24 CdS
- Very compact shoe-mount meter.
- Relatively narrow angle of view ("semi-spot")
- Works fine with readily available 44/76/357 1.5V button cell
- Inexpensive and fairly common on eBay
Chris
- Very compact shoe-mount meter.
- Relatively narrow angle of view ("semi-spot")
- Works fine with readily available 44/76/357 1.5V button cell
- Inexpensive and fairly common on eBay
Chris
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
Can only be used at that price threshold.
My Gossen Super Pilot SBC has been my go to meter for many, many years. Absolutely reliable. It takes two PX625 batteries (yes, the Mercury batteries). I have the same old batteries in that meter now for at least 5 years and its still going strong! Mercury must be amazing stuff. I have an adapter ready to go when those batteries die (and I will dispose of them through the hazardous waste facility). I sometimes see the Super Pilot SBC for as little as $50, but not often. The LunaSix is usually priced that low.
I also bought my Sekonic 308B off craigslist for $75.
But honestly, there are all kinds of old meters at the thrift stores for next to nothing, or at least there used to be.
My Gossen Super Pilot SBC has been my go to meter for many, many years. Absolutely reliable. It takes two PX625 batteries (yes, the Mercury batteries). I have the same old batteries in that meter now for at least 5 years and its still going strong! Mercury must be amazing stuff. I have an adapter ready to go when those batteries die (and I will dispose of them through the hazardous waste facility). I sometimes see the Super Pilot SBC for as little as $50, but not often. The LunaSix is usually priced that low.
I also bought my Sekonic 308B off craigslist for $75.
But honestly, there are all kinds of old meters at the thrift stores for next to nothing, or at least there used to be.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Any, you could find under 50, for camera collection.
None, if you want them to use with cameras in your sig.
None, if you want them to use with cameras in your sig.
Ranchu
Veteran
My lunasix is dead accurate, Ko. Fe.
Huss
Veteran
I have the pocketlightmeter app and I think it is terrible.
It is only accurate in good light conditions. Anything challenging and/or dim stumps it.
I even paid extra for it so I would not have the ads. Anyway, no longer use it.
Greyscale
Veteran
MyLightmeterPro is better. I think that it costs $1.99.
SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
Sekonic meters, old selenium cells, are really the best kept little secret. I have a Sekonic L-88: very small, tough and fairly reliable, for which I paid about 15 bucks (w/shipping) and then I have a couple of Sekonic L-38 Leader, which come in a metal casing and have a low light reading screen. Also selenium powered. I think I got one for 20 and the other for a bit over 20. They're easily available at the auction site.
asilda
Member
I'll look into that! Thanks!
asilda
Member
Thanks! I'll look at Gossens.
You might just sneak in an older Minolta Auto Meter within your budget. Being in the USA helps, price wise. KEH don't have any under $50 presently (well, one "as is" example) but there are some for $65. Reliable, versatile with the appropriate accessories, and accurate to a tenth of a stop.
See here
But you haven't told us how you prefer to meter and under what conditions. Which doesn't make it easier for us to give you some good suggestions. Do you need a meter that has the ability to do incident readings? The Minoltas usually come standard with an incident dome, but with the appropriate accessories, can also do reflective and "spot" (really, "partial", there is a 5 degree finder attachment for them). Or do you want to take reflective readings? What sort of film do you usually shoot? You can meter any film with any kind of meter pretty well if you know how it works and how to best use it, but some lend themselves to certain film types better than others. Eg. an incident meter can make it very easy to expose transparency film well in many situations but needs more care when used to meter black and white.
There have been a few suggestions for selenium meters too. Now, unlike some people, I actually quite like selenium meters, they can be attractive period accessories for someone like myself who is usually carrying an older camera everywhere I go. And they way they work without a battery is kind of cool. I've picked up a number of them from second hand places and the like very cheaply, in various conditions. A few months ago I scored a lovely little Sekonic in like-new condition, with really snappy response to light and a perfect cell for only $10. So I am not anti-selenium meters, far from it. But here's the thing: as some others have mentioned, they're not much use for low light metering. If you tend to do a lot of photography in early morning, or at dusk, even a selenium meter with booster cell is likely to struggle, compared to a battery-powered alternative.
Perhaps if you provide a bit more detail about your needs, the options that best fit those, and your budget (if possible) can be narrowed down. Over to you.
Cheers,
Brett
See here
But you haven't told us how you prefer to meter and under what conditions. Which doesn't make it easier for us to give you some good suggestions. Do you need a meter that has the ability to do incident readings? The Minoltas usually come standard with an incident dome, but with the appropriate accessories, can also do reflective and "spot" (really, "partial", there is a 5 degree finder attachment for them). Or do you want to take reflective readings? What sort of film do you usually shoot? You can meter any film with any kind of meter pretty well if you know how it works and how to best use it, but some lend themselves to certain film types better than others. Eg. an incident meter can make it very easy to expose transparency film well in many situations but needs more care when used to meter black and white.
There have been a few suggestions for selenium meters too. Now, unlike some people, I actually quite like selenium meters, they can be attractive period accessories for someone like myself who is usually carrying an older camera everywhere I go. And they way they work without a battery is kind of cool. I've picked up a number of them from second hand places and the like very cheaply, in various conditions. A few months ago I scored a lovely little Sekonic in like-new condition, with really snappy response to light and a perfect cell for only $10. So I am not anti-selenium meters, far from it. But here's the thing: as some others have mentioned, they're not much use for low light metering. If you tend to do a lot of photography in early morning, or at dusk, even a selenium meter with booster cell is likely to struggle, compared to a battery-powered alternative.
Perhaps if you provide a bit more detail about your needs, the options that best fit those, and your budget (if possible) can be narrowed down. Over to you.
Cheers,
Brett
