how to test a handheld meter?

[back alley]

i am slowly driving myself bonkers here.
i have 3 meters on hand... a gossen pilot 2, a luna pro & a luna six 3 (same meter, different markets)

i have a low hanging overhead light illuminating a large piece of cradboard, white on one side light brown on the other.
using the white side of the cardboard and taking a reflected reading i use the pilot 2 as my 'known' because it seems to be accurate when i use it for actual pictures.
the luns pro i have had for awhile and it mostly seems accurate but sometimes it just gets wacky with strange readings, i.e. off by a few stops from the sunny 16.
the luna six 3 i just brought home from the local camera store. (it looks new)
i have no experience with this meter yet.

ok so my readings from the 2 lunas are close to the pilot but not dead on. they are about 1/2 stop off, one a little higher, the other a bit lower.
should i just recalibrate them (to read the same as the pilot) with the small screw on the back and live happily ever after?

or does someone have a 'better'/ more reliable way to test them?

joe

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Are they all CDS cell type meters? What is the age?

CDS meters can "go", and lose sensitivity at each extreme. They pick up "curves" rather than being linear.

They also have a different spectral response from Selenium and Silicon-blue photo-diodes. The incandescent (sp?) light will be biased toward red. How do they do in sunlight illuminating an 18% gray card?

My "gold standard" is an F2AS. I always check a meter against it.

 

[back alley]

the pilot is selenium, forgot about that,
the other 2 are cds and should be a similar age.

 

[back alley]

ok, new test.

standing at the front door, storm screen in so lots of light and still warm for me🙂

all meters read the same for an incident reading and within 1/4 of a stop for a reflected reading.

good enough for government work, i think!!

joe

 

[Nikon Bob]

Joe

I have several handheld meters and they do not agree totally with each other, the same as yours, and have not worried about the slight difference using C41 film. I use incident readings mostly. I generally check my handhelds against what my FM2n says, using a grey card, if I want to try reflected readings. I have only used the adjustment screw on the back to zero the needle which I think that is what it is for. You may have a problem with the Luna Pro if it sometimes behaves erratically but other than that don't drive yourself crazy if they don't 100% agree.

Nikon Bob

Sorry I did not see your last post, must learn to keyboard faster.

 

[back alley]

thanks bob.
i think cabin fever is setting in...worrying about nothing.

joe

 

[peptonio]

all meters read the same for an incident reading and within 1/4 of a stop for a reflected reading.
joe

Fine, this makes my suggestion obsolete. Incident reading is decisive, because for reflective metering the meters use slightly different angles and this can influence the result. As long as the incident results are congruent I consider the calibration to be in order.

Peppo

 

[yossarian]

Joe, you know this meter thing is just a variation on the following quote:

"A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure".

Fred

 

[back alley]

Joe, you know this meter thing is just a variation on the following quote:

"A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure".

Fred

that's funny fred.

interestingly, i set my watch by the u.s. naval atomic clock as my neurotic self insists on an accurate time piece.

joe

 

[jan normandale]

that's funny fred.

interestingly, i set my watch by the u.s. naval atomic clock as my neurotic self insists on an accurate time piece.

joe

Joe I use the NRC clock on the web

http://time5.nrc.ca/webclock_e.shtml

 

[back alley]

that's very cool jan.
now i can use canadian atomic clocks!!

thanks

 

[VinceC]

Sunny 16 on a sunny day is the ultimate incident-meter test. For reflected meter, on a cloudless sunny day, point it at the deep blue northern sky, which also should be sunny 16 (or the southern sky in the Southern Hemisphere ... )

 

[wlewisiii]

Sunny 16 on a sunny day is the ultimate incident-meter test. For reflected meter, on a cloudless sunny day, point it at the deep blue northern sky, which also should be sunny 16 (or the southern sky in the Southern Hemisphere ... )

So, my question then is - if I have an older selenium meter that is primarily an incident meter but also does relective (a Sekonic L-28 that is on the way to me), should I be able to get the same results if I meter both of the ways listed above?

Sorry if this seems obvious to you, but this will be the first time I have owned any meter with a real Incident capacity.

William

 

[amateriat]

This is partly why I've settled on just one handheld meter (Sekonic L-428 with assorted attachments). Up until a few years ago, I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about having any handheld meter at all, since virtually every halfway-decent camera I ever owned had a built-in meter of some kind. But then I finally grokked the usefulness of certain meterless cameras, along with the fact that, in more than a few instances, reading incident light correctly makes all the difference. But, really, if you choose well, just one handheld should do most of the time, IMO.


- Barrett

 

[back alley]

i never really planned on having a handful of handhelds 😉

i started with the pilot, it was small, accurate and fit in my jean's pocket.

i found the luna pro at my local camera store and it was very cheap so i bought it. yes, it's bigger but also works in low light. and it actually fits in my jean's pocket also. i just happen to look real happy to see ya🙂

today, it was the same thing, the luna six 3 was just sitting in the case, looked new and was cheap. the camera store takes trades and gives next to nothing for this kind of gear so they mark it up a bit. i used to work there part time and still keep in touch with some of the old timers behind the counter and can usually get a few bucks knocked off the price.
now i have 2 meterless cameras and each has their own meter and bag for completely independent set ups.

 

[rbiemer]

joe,
For my use, as long as the meter is consistent with itself, I don't get too worried about it.
Which is why I have a new-ish Pilot 2. I had one for a while and foolishly thought that a FSU meter(was a free bonus with a camera) would be a better choice to use with my FSU cameras. 🙄 So I sold the Pilot2 I had to some guy I hardly knew and started using either the Leningrad 7 or no meter. Worked OK for a while then the meter started giving different readings under effectively same conditions. So I ended up buying another Pilot2.
Haven't regretted the sale yet, though. 😀
And my "new" Pilot2 came with the hard case. And a Black Cat Exposure guide.
I'm going to be in a similar situation in a week or so; I bought a Retina 1a with a ton of accessories that includes two meters. But htye are both as old as the camera so I won't expect much from either.
Rob

 

[Nick R.]

So, my question then is - if I have an older selenium meter that is primarily an incident meter but also does relective (a Sekonic L-28 that is on the way to me), should I be able to get the same results if I meter both of the ways listed above?

Sorry if this seems obvious to you, but this will be the first time I have owned any meter with a real Incident capacity.

William

William,
The Sekonic site has some nice tips for using incident meters. Specifically, the instruction manual for the L398M is a good reference for your type of meter. Check out pp 25-26 in particular: http://www.sekonic.com/InstrManuals/L-398M.pdf