most sensitive "NO battery" lightmeter?

Hi,

You mean, a selenium one?

I think apart from becoming old and useless a lot sooner than powered meters, non powered meters are a lot less sensitive for metering low light... A powered one is a better option, and its batteries last for ages...

Cheers,

Juan
 
There are many on ebay and keh.com that would suit your needs, these are the questions you need to ask:

* Reflective or Incident
* Battery or Selenium
* Flash or Non-Flash
* Small, compact and fits on camera shoe mount OR complete, accurate but can't fit into a pocket; has to be hung around the neck or kept in a bag.

I use the Sekonic L-28C, it work great , doesn't need battery but is heavy.

I also have the Sekonic L-408, it is a kitchen sink, has flash, incident and spot metering but doesn't have reflective metering.

Then there is the Voitlander VC meter, isn't as helpful as the Sekonic but is small enough to be unobtrusive on the camera shoe, and is very simple and intuitive to use, which is what a light meter should do.

raytoei
 
@Juan ....because I dont like any elektronic in photography :D Iam old school :D it is not imoprtant to put it on hotshoe...I have small Yashica hotshoe ligthmeter but his "range" is to small...if you understand what I mean :D
 
A nice option is the Leica MR meter. You can use a hearing-aid battery in it to replace the unavailable mercury cell. This meter is a reflected light meter of course, though you can always measure off the palm of your hand and add a stop or so. Best to find one which has been recently calibrated so you know that it isn't 'off' due to someone fiddling with it while (wrongly) trying out an alkaline battery.

For a non-battery meter there is only the Sekonic 398 so far as I know. If you mean that you don't want a digital display then you could look for a Gossen Lunasix. The Lunasix models with a black casing (NOT the older grey ones) are still fully supported by Gossen and they will service and calibrate them via parcel-post.
 
The Weston meters have a large light cell with two scales to increase sensitivity. They use no batteries and are relatively compact.

Being 20 plus years old they usually need rebuilding - which is available by a company in California. I have the IV model and use it for a back up.
 
If you do not want any electronics in your setup, get an extinction type meter.

Selenium Meters are still electronic, and can break. The cells can go bad.

I use a Weston Master from the 1940s with my M3. Yes, it is electronic. I can deal with it. It's going to fail any decade now.
 
gbegonj said:
@Juan ....because I dont like any elektronic in photography :D Iam old school :D it is not imoprtant to put it on hotshoe...I have small Yashica hotshoe ligthmeter but his "range" is to small...if you understand what I mean :D
Click to expand...

As a rule, low light sensitivity of selenium cell meters is a factor of the cell size. The sensitivity of the galvanometer (aka meter movement) is also a factor and the more sensitive ones generally have larger heavier magnets.

Also, the angle of view of these meters, particularily when used in their most sensitive mode is extremely wide, easily 100 degrees or wider. It takes a bit of care to get decent readings.

I used Weston Master V meters for quite a number of years. I migrated to Sekonic L-28CII and L-398 meters (the L-398 series being newer versions of the L-28 series). These are probably the best bet for one that is reasonably sensitive in low light. The only one that is currently available new is the L-398m. It is its most sensitive in the incident mode, some 5 stops more sensitive than when in the reflected metering mode.
 
OLD Westons (III and earlier) seem to me the most reliable, and about as sensitive as selenium-cell meters get. If you run out of light in incident mode, point the cell towards the light source from the subject position and give 5 stops extra. This is actually more sensitive than a reflected reading in poor light, though obviously, a bit less reliable in some cases.

I can't agree with Brian about extinction meters. They're OK in good light if you take a QUICK reading (don't allow the eye time to accommodate to the dark viewfinder) but in poor light the eye is too sensitive and underexposure is a serious risk.

Cheers,

R.
 
Last edited:
Roger Hicks said:
OLD Westons (III and earlier) seem to me the most reliable, and about as sensitive as selenium-cell meters get. If you run out of light in incident mode, point the cell towards the light source from the subject position and give 5 stops extra. This is actually more sensitive than a reflected reading in poor light, though obviously, a bit less reliable in some cases.

I can't agree with Brian about extinction meters. They're OK in good light if you take a QUICK reading (don't allow the eye time to accommodate to the dark viewfinder) but in poor light the eye is too sensitive and underexposure is a serious risk.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

He was being sarcastic about the extinction meter, because the OP didn't want an electric meter, but all meters, even selenium cell ones, are electronic.
 
398

398

I´ve used the Sekonic 398 for years and it´s absolutely great. Only problem is not loosing the little metal screen needed for high-light conditions (daylight included).
 
I have a Sekonic LUMI L158, works great for daylight, but is not very sensitive, probably 15+ years old or so but seems to work like new. The CV shoe mounted meters work great, but like external finders, they slow down shooting a bit by having to take your eye up.
 
I have a bad habit of trying to solve a problem as stated, even if the solution is not practical or optimal. Sometimes just to make people rethink the request.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom