External meter

[jordi]

I'm thinking to buy an external meter because I've bought a Zorki 4K.
Can you guide me about the best option?

Thanks.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Look for selenium meters. Their advantage is that they don't need batteries. Their problem is that they're probably out of production and the few available may be old and not quite precise...

However, I'm not sure about the last assertion. In any case, I got a small Sekonic L-208, easy to carry about around the neck, and useful to take reflected light and incident light readings. At times I regret not having gotten a spot meter but I'll probably look for one later. For a Zorki... incident metering may work fine, although if you go shooting in the Barri Gotic you'll have to make ocassional changes due to shadow and light interplay.

How are you at guessing the exposure using the Sunny 16 rule? That may help a bit... 🙂

 

[jordi]

I'm sorry but I don't know that rule.

 

[peter_n]

Actually the sunny 16 rule is tied to your film speed. So if it's sunny, then 1/125 if you're using 125ASA, f16 at 1/60 if you're using 50ASA, at 1/500 if you're using 400ASA and so on.

I too am a fan of selenium meters. And you can buy the best new as well, the Weston Master V clone called the Megatron Euro-MASTER II. Link to what it looks like:

Megatron Euro-MASTER II

 

[rover]

Have a look at the Ultimate Exposure Computer for a good explaination of the application of the Sunny 16 rule.

http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm#Light Intensity Chart

 

[jordi]

Re: External meter

What do you think about the Weston Master V and the soviet selenium meters that there are on ebay?

 

[Pherdinand]

Problem with the selenium meters is, afaik they are not good in low light. That is, I had some (like a sekonic L-8) that worked excellent above EV6-7, but not below.
EV6 means using f/4 and 1/15s for iso400 (that is, 1 to 2 stops MORE than average tungsten light in a big room, seethis photoas example for EV4), or equivalent, by the way.

I use now a capital D-1 (silicon I think) that works down to EV0 and it fits in my pocket; double size of the sekonic L-8 but less weight. It has a battery - i think🙂 I bought it for 10 euro + postage, half year ago, and i did not have to change the battery yet.

 

[Oldprof]

Problem with the selenium meters is, afaik they are not good in low light ...

Most decent selenium meters (such as my Norwood Super Director and Gossen Pilot) will meter down to the point where you are at maxium aperture and the shutter speeds are so slow that your camera is barely hand-holdable. In other words, if you need more metering sensitivity than this you probably should be using a tripod. The point is that selenium meters are sensitive enough for the kind of walk around shooting that most photographers do.

 

[peter_n]

My selenium Megatron will also meter down to EV=0, it has a baffle door on the back that you open for low light readings. It reads at light levels that I can barely focus the camera...

 

[jordi]

And what is the difference between Weston Master V and Megatron Euro Master II?

 

[peter_n]

As far as I can tell, none worth noting. The Weston has red and black scales and that is nice (very readable). The Megatron has all black scales. It also has one more stop on the aperture scale than the Weston. That's about it, as far as I know. Essentially the Megatron is a brand-new Weston V. It costs £141 direct from the manufacturer and I think it's real good value at that price.

Megatron Euro-MASTER II

 

[Doug]

I think the Weston is a good choice; I used to have a IV. This is a good size for a meter too, large enough to handle comfortably and still small enough to slip into a pocket.

My long-time favorite has been a Gossen Super Pilot SBC, which is about the same size as the Weston. I do like the incident metering mode, and mostly use the meter this way.

Not sure why some meters, like the Gossen Luna-Pro, are as large as a small point'n'shoot!

One thing to avoid, in my opinion, is any meter using a CdS (Cadmium Sulfide) metering cell, as these have a "memory" for recent light levels that can affect the current reading. My Super Pilot uses a SBC (Silicon Blue Cell) that avoids this problem.

A hand-held meter is a great educational tool!

 

[oftheherd]

All good points above. The older Sekonic Studio Meters were good. At least the L28c2 was. It was also good in low light. Too bad they sell for so much on eb*y.

Two other good choices are Gossen's Luna Pro (they aren't really quite as big as a P&S) or the Luna Pro SBC. SBC is superior. Lower light readings usually possible, and no memory. Again, more expensive. At least Luna Pro vs Luna Pro SBC. My Fuji ST901 has a SBC meter that is rated at -3 EV, and actually acurately goes lower than that.

Luna Pro's go from around $50.00 up to maybe $70. SBC's from about $60 to over $90. On eb*y it depends on the photo, described condition, feedback of the seller, season of the year, lunar phases and tides. Check your almanac before you go on line. 😀

Edit: If you can find one in good condition I used to use a Sekonic Micro Leader that was good in low light too. Batteries might be a problem, but a little experimentation should get you where you want to go. It was incident only though.

 

[Doug]

Good point about batteries! If shopping for a used meter, some older ones will need a mercury cell, or some modification or workaround to accomodate an available battery.

Recently shopping for a Luna Pro on eBay, I looked only at the ones using a 9v "transistor" battery, available most anywhere. It seems the Luna Pro F always used this battery, plus it had the "null" metering scale for the readout, so that's what I got. Sure is big, though!

 

[Doug]

Oh, I was going to add that, for some nutty reason, while Luna Pro shopping on eBay, I became interested in the digital model Luna Star F, and ended up with one of those too! I like analog controls, so was not at all sure about this new-fangled digital idea... 🙂 But I do like it, very quick to use. It too takes a 9v battery, and while it's still somewhat larger than my old Super Pilot, it's a lot slimmer than the Luna Pro.

For what it's worth, these Gossen meters are known by different names in Europe than in US.

 

[taffer]

Jordi, what I'm using is a Gossen Pilot 2, which is called Sixtino 2 here. It's small, light, really easy to use and offers both reflected and incident metering with the included white plastic cover. It doesn't needs batteries which for me is always a plus.

Brand new it goes for ~100€ but on eBay they can be had for a lot less, you can find some extra info and a link to the manual here:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattdenton/photo/cameras/gossen_pilot2.html

Once you start using the meter and become familiar with your camera and the exposure lattitude of your usual film, you'll be soon directly guessing exposure using that Sunny-16 rule, mainly if you're using B&W print film.

Good luck !

Oscar

 

[Pherdinand]

Sometimes i just look around, especially in the evenings/indoors where sunny16 is not that easy, and think about what should be the correct exposure🙂 and then pull out the meter and check. I noticed that i'm getting closer and closer with my guesses.

 

[Pherdinand]

But my friends do ask me questions like "what the hell are you doing there?" 😀

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Just tell them you are using your Tricorder.

"I am scanning for signs of Intelligent Lifeforms. The Sensor indicates that there are none".

 

[Pherdinand]

hehe