Let there be LIGHT!

[parks5920]

Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed or are enjoying your weekend. First I would like to thank bmattock and Pherdinand for all of their help and insight on my Minolta Hi-Matic 9 questions, two very cool RFF members! Now to my question, I THINK I want to buy a light meter, but being an 'automated' camera person for the past 15ish years, it's a bit intimidating. I feel I should take the plunge since I want to buy a couple of RF's that do not have built in meter's, and I'm not sure I trust the ones that do. SO, what is a good, easy to use (idiot proof) meter that won't break $$ me or be bigger than my RF around my neck? Thanks for your help!
Jason

 

[taffer]

Check ebay for the Gossen Pilot 2 / Sixtino 2, very good, tiny and lightweight meter that can be had for around $25 with some patience. Hey if it's moderator-compliant I guess it will do a good job 😉

 

[parks5920]

Check ebay for the Gossen Pilot 2 / Sixtino 2, very good, tiny and lightweight meter that can be had for around $25 with some patience. Hey if it's moderator-compliant I guess it will do a good job 😉

Great, Thanks! Are you familiar with Sekonic Studio Deluxe meters? Someone gave me the brand but knew nothing about them.
Thanks again,
Jason

 

[back alley]

i agree!

if it's mainly for outdoors then it's hard to beat the little pilot/pilot2 meter from gossen.
small, lightweight and accurate.

i paid between 20 and 35 bucks for mine. (had 3, down to 1 now)
there is even a small foot that attaches to a camera shoe if you want to mount it. (hard to find)

joe

 

[hoot]

I've been using the Gossen Lunalite, but its one big downside is that it's *HUGE*. It's bigger than many cameras, including my Olympus XA. However, it's extremely easy to use once you learn how, because it has a nice big dial showing all possible shutter and f/stop combinations. If you've got big pockets or usually carry a camera bag, anyway, then there's really no reason not to get it.

On the other hand, I'm keeping my eyes open for a tiny incident meter that I can slip onto a camera's accessory shoe whenever I go minimalist (one body, one lens) and leave the bag at home. If that's what you need then we should both be checking out Taffer's suggestion.

 

[parks5920]

i agree!

if it's mainly for outdoors then it's hard to beat the little pilot/pilot2 meter from gossen.
small, lightweight and accurate.

i paid between 20 and 35 bucks for mine. (had 3, down to 1 now)
there is even a small foot that attaches to a camera shoe if you want to mount it. (hard to find)

joe

there's one on ebay right now for $35.00 I'll watch it for awhile, thanks!
JP

 

[taffer]

Nope Jason, sorry no info about the Studio Deluxe ones, maybe somebody there has more info though.

Good luck with the meter search !!

 

[wlewisiii]

If you decide to buy new, I'll recommend the VC Meter II http://www.cameraquest.com/voivcmet2.htm I have one and consider it an excellent companion to my varied rangefinders and classics. Small, light wieght and consistant: it does everything I find myself needing.

William

 

[parks5920]

If you decide to buy new, I'll recommend the VC Meter II http://www.cameraquest.com/voivcmet2.htm I have one and consider it an excellent companion to my varied rangefinders and classics. Small, light wieght and consistant: it does everything I find myself needing.

William

That looks GREAT, but it's abit outta my price range, I was hoping to keep it around $50 or so. I'll put it on my list and see if I can find a 'gently used' one. thanks for the tip!
JP

 

[hoot]

If you decide to buy new, I'll recommend the VC Meter II

Hey, Wlewisii, that meter wouldn't happen to have the white dome for incident metering, would it?

 

[wlewisiii]

No, it doesn't. I don't do incident metering, so that has never been a big issue for me. I have heard that you can take a bit of coffee cup styrofoam and make an incident dome that will work with it however. I'll probably try that sometime, but overall I don't really find much need to do so.

William

 

[hoot]

Thanks.

The quality of my negatives improved dramatically when I switched from in-camera center-weighted to external incident metering, so now I'm hooked. (The camera in question is a Mamiya 6 medium format rangefinder).

If it's possible to make your own incident dome for an external light meter, then by the same logic it should be possible to make a dome for an in-camera meter, depending on where the meter is located (viewfinder, TTL, etc.). Might be interesting to try that out...

 

[phototone]

Sekonic Studio Deluxe & my recommendation

Sekonic Studio Deluxe & my recommendation

Great, Thanks! Are you familiar with Sekonic Studio Deluxe meters? Someone gave me the brand but knew nothing about them.
Thanks again,
Jason

The Studio Deluxe is a selinium cell meter (no battery) intended primarily for incident light readings, and it is not really a "low light" meter for candid work, but excellent, almost a "standard" for cinematography and studio photography with hot lights.

If you wish to take photos in "available darkness" you can't beat a Gossen Luna-Pro, or sometimes called in other parts of the world Gossen Lunasix. A big meter, but you can get a reading from a black cat in a coal bin. Also has spot-meter attachments available.

You don't really need a meter for sunlit outdoor scenes. The sun is the same f/stop no matter where you are.

 

[peter_n]

If you wish to take photos in "available darkness" you can't beat a Gossen Luna-Pro, or sometimes called in other parts of the world Gossen Lunasix. A big meter, but you can get a reading from a black cat in a coal bin. Also has spot-meter attachments available.

The Gossen Luna-Pro S reads down to -4EV, but it is expensive at around $299. There is a used one at Adorama for $233. It is also quite big.

OTOH, a Quantum Calcu-Light XP is quite small and reads down to -7EV, much further than the Gossen. Two of them sold on eBay recently from the same seller for between $60-70. Unfortunately they were discontinued several years ago.

 

[Kin Lau]

I have an old Luna-Pro with spot meter attachment, and it's HUGE, but very nice and accurate. I've also been given a very nice Sekonic L-308B which fits in my shirt pocket, and this is my favourite meter right now. The old GE selenium celled pocketable meter stays in the car, and it good for anything other than low-light.

 

[parks5920]

The Studio Deluxe is a selinium cell meter (no battery) intended primarily for incident light readings, and it is not really a "low light" meter for candid work, but excellent, almost a "standard" for cinematography and studio photography with hot lights.

If you wish to take photos in "available darkness" you can't beat a Gossen Luna-Pro, or sometimes called in other parts of the world Gossen Lunasix. A big meter, but you can get a reading from a black cat in a coal bin. Also has spot-meter attachments available.

You don't really need a meter for sunlit outdoor scenes. The sun is the same f/stop no matter where you are.

the gossen seem to be a favorite, there is a pretty good selection on ebay, Thanks!
JParks

 

[parks5920]

I have an old Luna-Pro with spot meter attachment, and it's HUGE, but very nice and accurate. I've also been given a very nice Sekonic L-308B which fits in my shirt pocket, and this is my favourite meter right now. The old GE selenium celled pocketable meter stays in the car, and it good for anything other than low-light.

I'll look for that Sekonic, thank you!
JP