dfoo
Well-known
i have the 508 and the 208. I use the 208 basically all the time only in incident mode. I don't find my use for reflective mode. I lost my 208 a while ago, and bought another... its a small good meter.
Choosing a Handheld Light Meter
- Thread starter JeremyLangford
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elshaneo
Panographer
I would also recommend the Sekonic L208 as handheld lightmeter. It's small, light, portable, accurate and very easy to use.
Nowadays I'm using it wherever/whenever I go shoot with my Leica M2 + 35mm Summicron lens...
Nowadays I'm using it wherever/whenever I go shoot with my Leica M2 + 35mm Summicron lens...
oftheherd
Veteran
I have an old Sekonic L28c2. What a great meter for incident readings! I never liked it much in reflective mode, but as an incident meter it is accurate as all get out. It doesn't like low light much. It will do surprising low light however. It is fairly small as well, but that is relative.
For reflective light I prefer a Gossen Luna Pro SBC. It is a bit larger than the Sekonic, but goes down to very low light levels. Even lower than the Luna Pro. It is a zeroing meter, which some think is an advantage. It also allows very easy selection of plus or minus two stops since it is a zeroing meter. What I really like about the SBC is that it is a system meter. I have adapters for microscopes (useful for ground glass readings), 7/15 degree readings, and 1/5/10 degree readings. I also have a flash adapter. You may not need all that. There are other adapters as well, but if you don't need them that feature would do you no good. Oh, it does incident pretty well too.
Even without the adapters, the low light readings are worth having the meter. It isn't called Luna Pro for nothing. As to being backlit, I am sure that is an advantage. But really, how much? Which of the cameras you have mentioned have led readouts for the shutter and aperture? If you need a small penlight to set the camera, you can use it to read your meter. I just doubt for the extra cost you will find that so necessary. But maybe it is just me.
As to your question of how meters work, must will take a reading of the light, either reflective or incident. You would have a setting for the ISO of your film. You then match the reading of your meter to a scale from which you can then read a series of matching aperture and shutter speed combinations. Choose one you like for stop action or depth of field.
If you look at FrankS's photo, it is probably easiest to see in the lower middle meter, which looks like the European version of the Luna Pro. On the dial, you see ASA/DIN settings. The needle is at a position over the yellow line which has numbers. Matching the number there by rotating the large round dial on the lower portion of the meter, allows you to get the combination of shutter speeds and apertures. It may sound complicated, but isn't once you have done it a time or two.
Anyway, you have gotten a lot of good suggestions so far. You just need to research what they do, how much they cost, and how big they are, then choose one. My personal recommendation would be the Gossen Luna Pro SBC. It reads very low light and uses a 9 volt battery. It isn't the smallest out there, but isn't that big and heavy either unless you add the spot attachment. It isn't a small pocket meter, but with lanyard, carries easily around the neck until needed.
But only you can choose, and you may end up like most of us, with more than on for what it offers that others don't do as well.
For reflective light I prefer a Gossen Luna Pro SBC. It is a bit larger than the Sekonic, but goes down to very low light levels. Even lower than the Luna Pro. It is a zeroing meter, which some think is an advantage. It also allows very easy selection of plus or minus two stops since it is a zeroing meter. What I really like about the SBC is that it is a system meter. I have adapters for microscopes (useful for ground glass readings), 7/15 degree readings, and 1/5/10 degree readings. I also have a flash adapter. You may not need all that. There are other adapters as well, but if you don't need them that feature would do you no good. Oh, it does incident pretty well too.
Even without the adapters, the low light readings are worth having the meter. It isn't called Luna Pro for nothing. As to being backlit, I am sure that is an advantage. But really, how much? Which of the cameras you have mentioned have led readouts for the shutter and aperture? If you need a small penlight to set the camera, you can use it to read your meter. I just doubt for the extra cost you will find that so necessary. But maybe it is just me.
As to your question of how meters work, must will take a reading of the light, either reflective or incident. You would have a setting for the ISO of your film. You then match the reading of your meter to a scale from which you can then read a series of matching aperture and shutter speed combinations. Choose one you like for stop action or depth of field.
If you look at FrankS's photo, it is probably easiest to see in the lower middle meter, which looks like the European version of the Luna Pro. On the dial, you see ASA/DIN settings. The needle is at a position over the yellow line which has numbers. Matching the number there by rotating the large round dial on the lower portion of the meter, allows you to get the combination of shutter speeds and apertures. It may sound complicated, but isn't once you have done it a time or two.
Anyway, you have gotten a lot of good suggestions so far. You just need to research what they do, how much they cost, and how big they are, then choose one. My personal recommendation would be the Gossen Luna Pro SBC. It reads very low light and uses a 9 volt battery. It isn't the smallest out there, but isn't that big and heavy either unless you add the spot attachment. It isn't a small pocket meter, but with lanyard, carries easily around the neck until needed.
But only you can choose, and you may end up like most of us, with more than on for what it offers that others don't do as well.
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allthumbs
Established
I just wanted to note a couple of things that I don't think have been mentioned so far.
First, if you can't see the match needle in an SRT101 the scene is very dark. If you shoot in dim light often, be careful to choose a meter that can handle low light. Not all of them can do this well. [OK, at a second glance, I see that this has been covered well. Excuse me!]
(By the way, a trick with the SRT in dim conditions is to stick a finger (or something else) out in front of the lens at the far right edge of the frame, just enough to provide a lighter and smoother background for the match needle. The SRT's metering pattern is primarily center with some consideration for the bottom of the frame, so a finger in the far right 10% of the frame has little influence (half stop or less). You'll be able to see any difference anyway as you waggle the finger in and out of view. Keep some air between finger and lens, to prevent smudges and to illuminate the finger. If there's not enough light for that to work, I'm not sure a meter would help. Or your camera's in serious need of cleaning.)
And second: Have you considered a pocket digicam? They are all backlit. You don't need the latest and fastest. What you do need is one that will display aperture and shutter settings, preferably pre-exposure. Better if you can put it into manual or priority mode, choose from various metering patterns, choose ISO's, and trust the camera to remember those settings when it's turned off. Just as with a meter, it should be one that meters well in the conditions you shoot in. A histogram is a plus, if you like histograms.
And go ahead and snap the picture if you like--you'll be noting the time, date, scene and exposure settings.
First, if you can't see the match needle in an SRT101 the scene is very dark. If you shoot in dim light often, be careful to choose a meter that can handle low light. Not all of them can do this well. [OK, at a second glance, I see that this has been covered well. Excuse me!]
(By the way, a trick with the SRT in dim conditions is to stick a finger (or something else) out in front of the lens at the far right edge of the frame, just enough to provide a lighter and smoother background for the match needle. The SRT's metering pattern is primarily center with some consideration for the bottom of the frame, so a finger in the far right 10% of the frame has little influence (half stop or less). You'll be able to see any difference anyway as you waggle the finger in and out of view. Keep some air between finger and lens, to prevent smudges and to illuminate the finger. If there's not enough light for that to work, I'm not sure a meter would help. Or your camera's in serious need of cleaning.)
And second: Have you considered a pocket digicam? They are all backlit. You don't need the latest and fastest. What you do need is one that will display aperture and shutter settings, preferably pre-exposure. Better if you can put it into manual or priority mode, choose from various metering patterns, choose ISO's, and trust the camera to remember those settings when it's turned off. Just as with a meter, it should be one that meters well in the conditions you shoot in. A histogram is a plus, if you like histograms.
And go ahead and snap the picture if you like--you'll be noting the time, date, scene and exposure settings.
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wilt
Well-known
Gary E
Well-known
I wouldn't say the IVF is pocketable. I can say it's been my dependable meter for years now; along with my Western Master IV.
dfoo
Well-known
Actually, I checked again... I have the 558. That has spot & incident plus flash metering (and remote trigger) and a backlit display. I don't use it very often simply because its very big (about the same size as a Leica!)
Frank Petronio
Well-known
I think I am going to pop for another Pentax Digital Spot meter. Very simple, bulletproof, and easy to read.
I like the last model Minoltas a lot too -- get the ones that use AAs, not the older ones that took six 1.5v button cells.
I've tried and grown to despise the Westons, Gossens, and Sekonics I've owned ;-) They are all hard to read with my new middle-aged nearsightedness.
If you really want a good cheap meter, get a Nikon N80 35mm SLR camera for $50 and use it -- it has a backlit screen too! Probably the easiest to read of them all. For that matter, a $100 digital point and shoot will work too.
I like the last model Minoltas a lot too -- get the ones that use AAs, not the older ones that took six 1.5v button cells.
I've tried and grown to despise the Westons, Gossens, and Sekonics I've owned ;-) They are all hard to read with my new middle-aged nearsightedness.
If you really want a good cheap meter, get a Nikon N80 35mm SLR camera for $50 and use it -- it has a backlit screen too! Probably the easiest to read of them all. For that matter, a $100 digital point and shoot will work too.
venchka
Veteran
Kinda
Kinda
With 10 degree spot attachment installed, the Minolta Auto Meter IV will fit in a large pocket on my fishing shirts. So will the Luna Pro sbc. No way the Minolta Auto Meter or Luna Pro will fit in my jeans pockets.
Just like the meter in your cameras, all light meters turn what you point them at into 18% grey. You have to know where to point them and how to interpret what the meter is telling you.
I still find dial meters, like the Weston & the Gossens, faster & easier to use. You get a whole range of combinations presented quickly. Dialing in filter factors, Zone placements, etc. are fast and easy. I don't use the digital Minolta meter and spot attachment very often. I think about selling it, but it's my backup.
Following up on what Frank said, I use a camera with a 90mm or 135mm lens for a spot meter all the time. Works like a charm for medium and large format.
Kinda
With 10 degree spot attachment installed, the Minolta Auto Meter IV will fit in a large pocket on my fishing shirts. So will the Luna Pro sbc. No way the Minolta Auto Meter or Luna Pro will fit in my jeans pockets.
Just like the meter in your cameras, all light meters turn what you point them at into 18% grey. You have to know where to point them and how to interpret what the meter is telling you.
I still find dial meters, like the Weston & the Gossens, faster & easier to use. You get a whole range of combinations presented quickly. Dialing in filter factors, Zone placements, etc. are fast and easy. I don't use the digital Minolta meter and spot attachment very often. I think about selling it, but it's my backup.
Following up on what Frank said, I use a camera with a 90mm or 135mm lens for a spot meter all the time. Works like a charm for medium and large format.
abumac
Well-known
Twinmate L 208, is the best to go arround.
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Frank, I am decidedly far-sighted, have presbyopia, and have no problem with the Westons, Gossens, though I haven't owned a Sekonic in awhile.
My secret? Tina Reeves. Go see her, tell her I sent you ... she is the best damned optometrist I've ever encountered. 😀
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Jeremy,
The minolta Autometer IVF is basically an incident meter. Minolta sold a reflected light attachment that reads a very wide angle of view and is pretty useless. There is also the 10 degree spot attachment which works quite well, but is kinda bulky. I know this because my first meter was the predecessor to the IVf, the Autometer IIIF. I still have it and the 10 degree spot attachment that cost me $100 extra on top of the $206 the meter cost me in 1992 when I got it brand new after mowing yards all summer to save the money for it. I was 17 when I got it. I didn't get the spot attachment for another year or so because I needed to save more $$ to buy it!
It was and is a good meter, but not pocketable. The IVF is a little smaller than the IIIF but if you want to do reflected light readings you need the 10 degree and it makes the meter pretty big. I carry a Sekonic L-508 now, which has built in 1 degree spot and incident metering with no attachments needed. Its bigger than me old Minolta IIIF though so I just keep it hanging around my neck from the strap that came with it. I don't use straps for my 35mm cameras (for most of my career, Olympus OM-4T bodies to which I recently added a Leica M4), because I like to keep the camera in hand while I walk around and a strap always seems to catch on my meter that hangs from my neck, or binds up when I turn the camera sideways for vertical shots. I hate straps. LOL
So anyway, I wouldnt worry about the meter being big, just let it hang from your neck.
The minolta Autometer IVF is basically an incident meter. Minolta sold a reflected light attachment that reads a very wide angle of view and is pretty useless. There is also the 10 degree spot attachment which works quite well, but is kinda bulky. I know this because my first meter was the predecessor to the IVf, the Autometer IIIF. I still have it and the 10 degree spot attachment that cost me $100 extra on top of the $206 the meter cost me in 1992 when I got it brand new after mowing yards all summer to save the money for it. I was 17 when I got it. I didn't get the spot attachment for another year or so because I needed to save more $$ to buy it!
It was and is a good meter, but not pocketable. The IVF is a little smaller than the IIIF but if you want to do reflected light readings you need the 10 degree and it makes the meter pretty big. I carry a Sekonic L-508 now, which has built in 1 degree spot and incident metering with no attachments needed. Its bigger than me old Minolta IIIF though so I just keep it hanging around my neck from the strap that came with it. I don't use straps for my 35mm cameras (for most of my career, Olympus OM-4T bodies to which I recently added a Leica M4), because I like to keep the camera in hand while I walk around and a strap always seems to catch on my meter that hangs from my neck, or binds up when I turn the camera sideways for vertical shots. I hate straps. LOL
So anyway, I wouldnt worry about the meter being big, just let it hang from your neck.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Oh the Minoltas don't have backlit screens but if you work in light you can't read the screen on it, you're in light too low to handhold the camera and too dim to see the aperture and shutter dials. You'll be using a tripod so you can keep a mini-flashlight in your pocket.
robin a
Well-known
X 2 ..........................Robin
Richard G
Veteran
I use a Gossen DigiPro F. A slightly smaller one would have been fine but I went with this for several reasons: SIZE: the display is large and easily readable. Although it is big in terms of length and width, relatively, it is flat and is great for a jacket pocket. Because of its length it is easy to get out. It is not dense and so seems very light in the pocket. INCIDENT CONE SWIVEL: the white dome can be swivelled to face the camera and the photographer for an accurate reading while looking at the reading - no wrist contortions required. INTERFACE: It has three large buttons, only on the face, and is brilliantly simple to operate. It takes one AA battery. It is very nicely made. The swivel cone might be the weak link and I am careful not to drop it of course. The cone can be removed for a reflective reading, which I have done a few times only.
PS I am wrong: it's 5 buttons: to the left, up/down for different shutterspeed/aperture combinations or ISO etc,; in the middle the metering button; and on the right, left/right buttons for choosing what to adjust (EV, f priority, shutter speed priority, exposure compensation, ISO...). You wouldn't need the manual to master this meter.
PS I am wrong: it's 5 buttons: to the left, up/down for different shutterspeed/aperture combinations or ISO etc,; in the middle the metering button; and on the right, left/right buttons for choosing what to adjust (EV, f priority, shutter speed priority, exposure compensation, ISO...). You wouldn't need the manual to master this meter.
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JeremyLangford
I'd really Leica Leica
Do most meters require you to selective the shutter speed being used and then tell you the appropriate aperture? Do any meters allow vice versa?
typhillips
Established
The Gossen Luna-Star F that I use on occasion, as well as a lot of the other digital meters, do allow going either way (aperture or shutter preferred readings).
That's one of the nice things about the meters that give an analog type readout, such as the Sekonic L-208 (which I also have and love). You can see easily the appropriate aperture/shutter speed combinations at a glance for a given meter reading, in other words there's no need to worry about whether you are getting aperture or shutter preferred readings. I actually find the L-208 much faster to use than the digital meters.
As others have said, if you are shooting in low enough light where you can't even read the meter indication then a lot of the meters on the market aren't sensitive to those light levels anyway. You're looking at longer exposures on a tripod with some guesstimating/bracketing.
That's one of the nice things about the meters that give an analog type readout, such as the Sekonic L-208 (which I also have and love). You can see easily the appropriate aperture/shutter speed combinations at a glance for a given meter reading, in other words there's no need to worry about whether you are getting aperture or shutter preferred readings. I actually find the L-208 much faster to use than the digital meters.
As others have said, if you are shooting in low enough light where you can't even read the meter indication then a lot of the meters on the market aren't sensitive to those light levels anyway. You're looking at longer exposures on a tripod with some guesstimating/bracketing.
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BillBingham2
Registered User
I'm a Sekonic 318 lover myself. It's the perfect size and I love being able to twist the head around. I also have the X-1, it does flash but it's too big to carry all the time. I have a spot attachment for the 318 or a 328. Takes a single AA battery and last a long time. Really easy to adjust for shutter speed or aperture.
B2 (;->
B2 (;->
JustPlainBill
Established
Hi Jeremy,
I happily use a Gossen LunaPro as both an incident or reflected light meter with my small cameras. Carry it in a Zone VI case on my belt. With my field camera or when I need a spotmeter, I use a Zone VI modified Pentax meter. I think the first light meter you buy should be able to measure either incident or reflected light so you'll be prepared for as many possibilities as you can be. Good success.
JustPlainBill
I happily use a Gossen LunaPro as both an incident or reflected light meter with my small cameras. Carry it in a Zone VI case on my belt. With my field camera or when I need a spotmeter, I use a Zone VI modified Pentax meter. I think the first light meter you buy should be able to measure either incident or reflected light so you'll be prepared for as many possibilities as you can be. Good success.
JustPlainBill
JeremyLangford
I'd really Leica Leica
It's hard for me to know exactly what features I want in a meter because I've never used an external meter. I'm used to have TTL match needle metering in my Minolta SLR.
As far as I know, I only need my meter to have aperture/shutter preferred readings and incident/reflected readings.
I figured it would be better to go with a meter that takes batteries so that the low light capability is better and I don't care about having a backlit screen.
As for flash metering and spot metering, I don't currently ever use either of these and I don't know if I will in the future.
All of this is making me feel like the L-208 Twinmate would be a good first meter but I'm still not positive.
As far as I know, I only need my meter to have aperture/shutter preferred readings and incident/reflected readings.
I figured it would be better to go with a meter that takes batteries so that the low light capability is better and I don't care about having a backlit screen.
As for flash metering and spot metering, I don't currently ever use either of these and I don't know if I will in the future.
All of this is making me feel like the L-208 Twinmate would be a good first meter but I'm still not positive.