New owner of M4-2 ... what meter?

Depends on how much the size of the meter matters to you and what you'll be shooting and how much you want to spend. I personally prefer incident metering, which the VC meter can't do. I'd probably get the Gossen Digisix for a nice blend of accuracy, incident and reflected metering, size, and price. YMMV.
 
Meter for an M4-2

Meter for an M4-2

I have always found the Sekonic 308 to be ideal, nice large readout for my poor old eyes and an AA battery that can be obtained anywhere! It's very accurate too.

Best,

normclarke
 
I use a Sekonic L-358 because it's the only one I have and I like its size, readout, aperture priority, etc. As *hipsterdufus* mentioned, if you want meter incident light you will have to go handheld, whatever size and features work for you personally.

I've owned and used the VC II. If you want an onboard meter, one that you don't bring to your eye to read (stealthy), there's nothing better as long as you're good with reflective metering only.
 
Another vote for the Digisix.

hipsterdufus said:
Depends on how much the size of the meter matters to you and what you'll be shooting and how much you want to spend. I personally prefer incident metering, which the VC meter can't do. I'd probably get the Gossen Digisix for a nice blend of accuracy, incident and reflected metering, size, and price. YMMV.
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i don't mean to hi-jack the discussion, but how would you meter in incident mode if you do street photography (with Sekonic L-308)? in this video, D.Milnor meter his L-308 in the flat position (lumisphere faces the sky). i thought the lumisphere has to face the lens?

thank you in advance
 
I would buy a leica MR-4 meter and mount it on top of the camera. The meter is coupled tho the shuter speed dial and you don't have to raise the camera to get a reading.
 
biakalt said:
i don't mean to hi-jack the discussion, but how would you meter in incident mode if you do street photography (with Sekonic L-308)? in this video, D.Milnor meter his L-308 in the flat position (lumisphere faces the sky). i thought the lumisphere has to face the lens?

thank you in advance
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Milnor may consistently meter at that angle and compensate as needed, who knows? Or maybe there's a bit of shading from his body that's a factor (I couldn't tell from the video). Maybe he wants a sky-weighted reading to know the point at which he'd be underexposing. Hard to say.

A textbook will tell you to hold the meter perpendicular to the ground facing the lens/camera in the same light as the subject. But an experienced user could do differently and make the necessary adjustments to arrive at the right exposure. Experience and practice are the keys to any metering approach.

Incident reading for street photography works well because the meter is close to (in the same light as) the subject. Fwiw, what I do with camera in my right hand is to meter with my left-hand when needed (in and out of my pocket on a cord with the lumidisc facing me/the camera), adjusting aperture or shutter speed as my light or my shooting direction changes.
 
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I have a nice black Leica meter that matches my black M4-2. Nice combo for me. I use also the Minolta Autometer, and a Pentax 1 degree digital. All are good and have their pluses.
 
Sekonic L-208 for a small handheld meter. I used to use an L-308 but found it to be too big to carry around when I don't like to have a bag with me.
 
biakalt said:
i don't mean to hi-jack the discussion, but how would you meter in incident mode if you do street photography (with Sekonic L-308)? in this video, D.Milnor meter his L-308 in the flat position (lumisphere faces the sky). i thought the lumisphere has to face the lens?

thank you in advance
Click to expand...
maybe you should take a look at this "classic" joel meyerowitz video, he still use handheld even he got a m6 (with meter of course). The tips on metering your palm is very make sense for me; once you got it right, you'll never forget to bring your palm when shooting :)
 
Buy an MR-4 meter if you plan on doing street or action photography. If your doing landscapes buy a tripod an handheld meter.
 
A bullet proof meter is the Metrastar. My favorite is the Weston Ranger 9. I use both with the CHRIS battery adaptors and they are great. If you want to use the Zone system, there is an accessory Zone dial for the Ranger. With the marking son the Ranger scale and a little practice, it really is fast. Both have incident ability; the Metrastar has a sliding cone and the Ranger a snap on.
 
For my M4P, I bought an excellent MR Leica meter. It clips onto the shoe atop the camera and interfaces with the shutter speed dial, so that it works like and integrated meter. Hint, the view of the meter coincides with the rangefinder spot so that you can aim the spot where you want and push the button on the meter. You then match the shutter aperture readout on the meter to the needle,re-frame and shoot. I've checked it against both my old Weston V (recently overhauled) and my Gossen Luna Lux and it is pretty accurate.

Check KEH and other sellers of used equipment. KEH is very conservative on their condition ratings and they are very reliable.
 
I don't like Leicameters and prefer handheld meters. Gossen Digisix if it has to be as compact as possible but the Sekonic Studio Deluxe III L-398A is my favourite meter.
 
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