favourite light meter

[FrankS]

I used to have a LunasixF sbc (aka LunaProF sbc) that was a great meter, until it fell from the roof of my car while I was driving away from a photo op stop. I've had several meters since that one, but just yesterday I bought and picked up a LunaPro sbc in new condition for $20 Canadian! I really like the analogue null meter reading and large calculator dial. (As a bonus, this meter was bought from the son of famous hockey player, Frank Mahovlich.)

Have you got a favourite meter?

 

[Gumby]

Yes, I have a favourite.

 

[maddoc]

For me every meter that can be used without having to read a manual or to much fiddling and gives correct values.

 

[martin s]

I only have one, Sekonic Studio. It's rather cheap (eBay), really well built despite swivel head, and doesn't need/take batteries. But it's large, heavy and has a weird EV scale you have to 'translate' into f-stops with a disc/scale. It's not that light sensitive either, really hard to read below maybe ISO 400 / f2 / 30sek and you have to use a high slide in bright sunlight (outside in general most times). Here's a picture. I really like the Sekonic le vrai rdu has, super tiny and you can directly read off of it, no clue which one it is though.

martin

 

[drewbarb]

The Sekonic 508 is my favorite for studio and LF work, since it has everything I want (a good incident meter, a zoom spot, a flash meter that can handle multiple pops, and good averaging and memory functions) all in an easy to use package. But when carrying around a small meter-less camera, I use the Sekonic 308 more than any other meter. The 308 is small, simple, and reliable. I appreciate that both these meters run are rugged, easy to read, and run on one AA battery.

Anyway, I'd say a good incident meter is the most useful type, provided you really know how to use it (though that goes for ALL light meters). As far as reflective meters go, I'll use the ones built into my Nikons, or good spot meters; otherwise, I don't bother with them.

 

[calexg]

My favourite meter is my old Kodalux L. http://www.flickr.com/photos/calexg/3369416914/

It is tiny, made well, and does what I need it to do.

 

[FrankS]

Sekonic Studio bought new 20 years ago
LunaSix 3 used (in a box of photo gear) $30, 10 years ago
Sekonic 308, used 2-3 years ago
CV Meter II bought new 1-2 years ago
Luna Pro sbc used, $20 yesterday

 

[dexdog]

I have a couple of favorites, based on the ones I use most. Gossen Digisix and Gossen LunaStar F. The digisix is shirt-pocket tiny, while the LunaStar is significantly bigger, but has a swivel head and is easier to use because it has a big digital display and shows either f stops or shutter speed.

 

[ruben]

Hi Frank,

I notice some kind of try there. Are you going to process your meters ?
I never thought about it.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Weston Master V with Invercone

 

[navilluspm]

I just bought my first meter which will be coming in the mail soon: a Lunasix 3 with tele attachment for $60 CAD. The seller told me that if it doesn't work, I can get my money back. My local shop has some Weincells I can use with it.

So, how does one go about checking if the meter is accurate when it is your only meter?

Frank - you got a good deal!

 

[FrankS]

Ruben, I was just looking for a backdrop for them. This is my white 8x10 developing tray with deposited silver.

Navilluspm, thanks, I am very pleased with this buy. Yours is good too! To check a meter, it should read "sunny 16" with a day time sun shining on the meter's incident reading white hemisphere. Other stable standards are 1/60sec @f4 in institutional/office fluorescent lighting, and 1/30sec @ f2.8 in home kitchen lighting, both with iso400 setting.

 

[Gumby]

Other stable standards are 1/60sec @f4 in institutional/office fluorescent lighting, and 1/30sec @ f2.8 in home kitchen lighting, both with iso400 setting.

Are you sure about this? Just from observation... there are numerous differences in both institutional/office and home kitchen fluorescent lighting output.

 

[FrankS]

Hi Ed, sure there are variances, but these I've found to be pretty stable/standard. Certainly not precise enough to "dial in" a meter, but close enough to know if the meter is in the right ballpark.

 

[Gumby]

Distance from the light source also matters. For fear of seeming smart-alecky or hostile (which one of our comrades seems to think I am)... remember there is a thing in physics called the inverse-square law. 🙂

I just ran your method in my kitchen. I can match your value (f/4 @ 1/60 for 400 asa) but only with my hand held over my head. The meter (Sekonic L-558 using the incident dome) was about 8 inches from the light. At shoulder height (I'm 5' 7") the reading was f/2.8 and at the floor (about 8 feet from the lighting fixture) the reading was about f/1.8.

 

[FrankS]

I can add to those: home interior lighting with a couple of 60watt incandescent bulbs in a ceiling fixture, or a person sitting beside a table lamp with a single 60watt bulb, both give 1/30sec @ f2 exposures with iso400 film. Also window light (1-2 meters/yards) during the day (light overcast to sunny) gives a 1/60sec @ f4 reading. (iso400)

 

[FrankS]

Distance from the light source also matters. For fear of seeming smart-alecky or hostile (which one of our comrades seems to think I am)... remember there is a thing in physics called the inverse-square law. 🙂

I just ran your method in my kitchen. I can match your value (f/4 @ 1/6 for 400 asa) but only with my hand held over my head. The meter (Sekonic L-558 using the incident dome) was about 8 inches from the light. At shoulder height (I'm 5' 7") the reading was f/2.8 and at the floor (about 8 feet from the lighting fixture) the reading was about f/1.8.

Ed, you need some brighter lights in your kitchen! 🙂

 

[Gumby]

Ed, you need some brighter lights in your kitchen! 🙂

It is a bank of 6 36-inch tubes, of which 4 are currently illuminated. I think they are 40 watt bulbs. Plastic diffuser sheets, also. I sometimes squint while cooking, wishing the kitchem were brighter!

 

[Peter Klein]

For those occasions where the camera's internal meter isn't enough. I use a little Luna Pro Digital, about the size of a deck of cards. It takes both reflected and incident readings. 27 degree angle of acceptance, about that of a 90mm lens. It has big, readable numbers on the display, and a "simulated analog" bar graph showing f-stops that makes relative caculations easier. Very simple to operate, sensitive enough for available darkness.

For the few occasions where I need a spot meter, the old Minolta Spot Meter M does the job. I'd prefer the Pentax Digital Spot Meter, which has a circular f-stop and shutter speed dial that shows all combinations instantly. But I mostly use it for stage and concert photography, where all I do is measure a bright flesh tone and open up one stop. So the Minolta, which has no calculator dial, is sufficient. It was also very reasonably priced used, so that's what I got.