Favorite light meter

[Doug]

I'll just throw in that I don't need a tiny meter and actually prefer one that fits the hand better, like the Weston, or the Super Pilot that Joe mentioned. The Luna Pro is a great series of meters too, but larger than I like. Other than the Super Pilot SBC, I most often use a digital LunaStar F.

Part of making these meters easier to use for me is running the lanyard through a pants belt loop and then carrying the meter in a pants or vest pocket. I don't like stuff swinging around my neck, though if the meter is in a shirt pocket it's not so bad. My camera goes over a shoulder.

Final thought here is that it's not necessary to meter for every shot. One reason I like incident meter readings is it tells me what the light is like without regard to the reflectance of the subject, and I can take it from there. Incident vs reflected metering... the other pair of matching terms for metering being ambient light vs flash light. 🙂

 

[egpj]

This whole meter thing has been just going at my brain for the past couple of months. I wanted to trim down the weight of equipment I carry around and one of those things is my light meter. I currently have a Sekonic L-558 without the remote wireless flash trigger. This light meter feels so large to me and I thought about selling it for an L-308. The only thing is that then you are losing the 1 degree spot capability which I do use in very low light situations. I could just go off the center spot meter that the MP has but it is way less precise. It will probably boil down to just which one is smaller because they are both very accurate and then in really low light situations I can rely on the meter in the camera. I really want to stay away from light meters with the needles and the dials that need to be swivled around. That stuff just seems like a pain.

 

[lmd91343]

Most of the time when I use my RF stuff I'll use my Luna Pro S or Luna Pro F. I know they are large, but I need a meter where I can enter filter factors. I know I can adjust the ASA. But after an hour I'll look at the film box and reset the meter to match the fil!m!

If I have no filters I'll use my Sekonic 308bII. It is small.

I don't collect meters but I have sooo many:
meters I use:
Gossen Luna Pro S - CdS, low light level, filter factor on wheel, big, uses silver batteries, uses spot attachment
Gossen Luna Pro F - SiBlue, filter factor on wheel, very big, uses common 9v battery, uses spot attachment, flash
Sekonic 308bII - SiBlue?, uses common AA battery, flash, small

meters I don't use:
Gossen Luna Pro - CdS, low light level, big, uses silver batteries, uses spot attachment (have S model)
GE PR1 - selenium, low light for selenium, small, fits well in hand, incident cover storage issue
GE mascot - selenium, very small, no incident, limited ASA range
Weston Master II - selenium, incident cone storage problem, PIA to use, oddball film speed values

 

[Hibbs]

Indeed...I use a Calc-U-Lite XP. Fantastic is low light. I also have an older Gossen Luna somewhere around.

~ Hibbs

 

[darkkavenger]

I'm a cheap person, and I'm considering getting a Sverdlovsk-4, however, it gives only DIN and GOST... and I think the GOST speeds are "old fashion", not the ones matching with ISO/ASA. Any particular hints/users of this meter?

thanks😀

 

[Diomedes]

…another vote for the Sverdlovsk-4. My Sverdlovsk was made in 1991 and it gives also only DIN and GOST... but the GOST speeds are matching with ASA.

Cheap (25$), compact, incident metering, semi-spot metering (12°x8°), correction dial (between +1 2/3 and -1 2/3), supply voltage 3-4 V, exposure range 0-18 EV, very accurate… 🙄

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/sverdlovsk4

 

[lmd91343]

I have the Sekonic as well - great meter, but a little too big and complicated for rangefinder photography. It takes up almost half the camera bag 😀 .
I use a Luna Pro - seventies vintage I think. I it relatively small, totally reliable and accurate (I've tested it against the Sekonic), and, with the spot attachment, can cope with most eventualities. Batteries are a problem as the standard replacement for the original, now discontinued, mercury battery has a voltage that falls with time. Wein, zinc-air batteries, though more expensive, have a constant voltage throught their life and so maintain meter accuracy.

Jennifer,
I have a Luna Pro and a Luna Pro S. You can get a battery kit from Bogen/Gossen that replaces the mercury cells. My local camera store ordered it about 6 months ago for about $20. I bought one direct over the phone from Bogen about 4 or five years ago also.

Here are a couple of links:
http://www.bogenimaging.us/
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...868&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation
http://tinyurl.com/q5c5o

 

[wilt]

A month ago the Capital meter I've used for ages went nuts, so I bought a Calcu-light XP, which is easy to use, seems to be reliable and, as said above, meters all kinds of light, even available-darkness.

 

[Trius]

I don't find a Weston Master IV too out of place size-wise with an RF, but for something smaller I'll eventually get the Sekonic Twinmate (L208?) which does incident or reflection and can be mouned in an accessory shoe.

 

[Steve B]

Old & New

Old & New

Well, the digisix came today. Haven't had a chance to use it beyond the getting familiar stage which lasted about 2 minutes as the thing is extremely straightforward. Doesn't even have an on/off switch as far as I can figure.
Here's a shot of it mounted on the IIa. I just love the miniature Starship Enterprise mounted on the old classic rangefinder.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Here is another battery adaptor link for merc cell replacement http://www.criscam.com/ .

Nikon Bob

 

[PeterL]

I'm using a small Leningrad-4 light meter, which is selenium so it doesn't require batteries. It doesn't work in low light situations, though. Usually, I just put it in my coat pocket.

It has an opal glass for incident metering, but using that (and walking over to the subject) always results in 1.5 stops less than when I do reflective metering. Is that normal ? Won't my photos be underexposed then ?

Peter.

 

[martin-f5]

just bought this, 22 €
hope it will work

 

[Nikon Bob]

I'm using a small Leningrad-4 light meter, which is selenium so it doesn't require batteries. It doesn't work in low light situations, though. Usually, I just put it in my coat pocket.

It has an opal glass for incident metering, but using that (and walking over to the subject) always results in 1.5 stops less than when I do reflective metering. Is that normal ? Won't my photos be underexposed then ?

Peter.

I think the difference is normal. Incident readings measure the light actually falling on your subject and refected readings measure the light reflected from the subject which may be different if the tone value of the subject is not 18% grey. Try an incident reading of something white like snow and then a refected reading of the same. There should be about a 2 stop difference. If you used the reflected reading as is your photo of the snow would come back with the snow looking grey. The meter assumes that everything you point it at (refected reading mode) in either a handheld meter or incamera meter is 18% grey. If it is not then you either have to add or subtract stops to compenstate from the suggested reading. With lighter than mid grey you have to add and with darker you have to subtract. Sorry to be long winded, hope this helps

Nikon Bob

 

[rool]

The Sekonic L-308 is small, simple and works for me. It doesn't do spot metering but for street rangefinder photography I think it's not a big problem.

 

[Doug]

Peter, excuse if this seems an obvious suggestion, but when taking that incident reading, you ARE pointing the meter toward the camera position or light source, not toward the subject?

 

[PeterL]

First, answering two questions:

I think the difference is normal. Incident readings measure the light actually falling on your subject and refected readings measure the light reflected from the subject which may be different if the tone value of the subject is not 18% grey.

That makes sense. I still need to get used to incident metering, hardly any experience there, but it doesn't seem too hard.
And Doug, yes, I did meter away from the subject, towards the camera (well, towards the position I was metering from previously... it was just a simulation: 1 camera position, 1 subject position). Do I need to point the meter at the light ? I was in a room with windows on one side, do I meter towards the windows with the incident copal glass, even if the line between subject&camera is parallel to the windows ?

Aside from that, I'm finding my current meter is rather unusable in low light: it's selenium and the meter's movement is very limited at EV 8 or below. My Zorki doesn't have slow shutter speeds, but the iiic that I got as a lens cap with my Summitar does, and for low light shooting, I probably want something more accurate than that.

As far as really small meters are concerned, there's the VC-ii, the Gossen Digisix and the Sekonic L208. The L208 is limited for low light, the VC-ii is fiddly and I would like to have a display output instead of just pointer LEDs, and the Digisix is fiddly and tends to beep at random times when stored in a coat pocket. So I guess that those three are pretty compromised due to their size.

Now, I'm considering the Gossen Sixtomat Digital. Its surface is smaller than the back of an LTM body, and its 1.5cm thickness, it adds only very limited bulk, so I can stow it in the same pocket as my camera without really noticing it's there. The Sixtomat boasts an EV -2.5 to +18 range, which is very generous.

Does anybody have experience with this meter ? I'm planning to carry it without a case. Is it robust enough ? Do the buttons get pressed accidentally like the Digisix ? I didn't find too many user reports or reviews on the Internet. Maybe it has a different name in the US ?


Peter.

 

[Doug]

Do I need to point the meter at the light? I was in a room with windows on one side, do I meter towards the windows with the incident copal glass, even if the line between subject&camera is parallel to the windows?

Hi Peter -- pointing the incident dome toward the light source will bias the reading toward giving darker highlights, less exposure. Pointing toward the camera position (or equivalent) is a more balanced approach, but either might be fine in different circumstances.

I prefer the incident reading method more than the reflective method, as I feel more comfortable assessing the light rather than any individual subject's reflectance. So I'll do a little light survey on the place where I am, set the camera, and shoot with the same settings until the ambient light is different. I may have two or more exposure settings in mind to handle sunlit and shaded subjects, for instance, so the meter mostly stays in the pocket. 🙂

The Gossen Sixtomat Flash has a different name in the US market.. I don't recall the name. I saw that model at B&H in the past, but I ended up with the next digital model up, called here the LunaStar F (for Flash), and it was followed by the F2. It has a separate swiveling mount for the incident dome but otherwise looks very similar.

I like this meter for its thin shape, easy to carry in a pocket, with the lanyard secured through a button hole or belt loop. I've not had any troubles with the buttons being pressed inadvertently.

 

[PeterL]

Thanks Doug,

If I'm working indoors, I've been measuring reflective light off the palm of my hand as a grey card substitute (I've read somewhere it works nearly as well for caucasians, and it works fine in my experience), sometimes adjusted with a few spot meterings on light/dark areas to get an impression of the contrast range. For the work I did before I came to RF, I used an AE camera, but I've used this way of working (using exposure lock) quite a bit.

I miss the control in my current handheld meter, but the Sixtomat can show contrast in a scene, so that's great. I think you're referring to the DigiPro-F which looks exactly the same as the Sixtomat, but with the swivel head. I don't know about that swivel thing, I think I can try with just the dome on the standard meter first. And I'm *very* positive I don't need flash metering, I've tried flash a couple of times and I hate it.

Thanks for the comments on the meter, I'll be thinking about it but probably I'll flash the Visa card in Robert White's direction and add a VC 35mm finder and lower my gear spending to film spending ratio even more 🙂


Peter.

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

"Now, I'm considering the Gossen Sixtomat Digital. Its surface is smaller than the back of an LTM body, and its 1.5cm thickness, it adds only very limited bulk, so I can stow it in the same pocket as my camera without really noticing it's there. The Sixtomat boasts an EV -2.5 to +18 range, which is very generous.

Does anybody have experience with this meter ? I'm planning to carry it without a case. Is it robust enough ? Do the buttons get pressed accidentally like the Digisix ? I didn't find too many user reports or reviews on the Internet. Maybe it has a different name in the US ?


Peter."[/QUOTE]

Peter
I've got one of these Gossen Sixomats and it's extremely accurate - power goes off after a short period so no real power drain and i rarely use its case. I only use if for incident readings and I use an Zone V1 modified Pentax digital spotmeter for anything reflected .

Simon