Sekonic or Gossen lightmeter ?

[MV72]

HI, I'm ready to invest in a modern lightmeter. I've narrowed down my choice to the Sekonic L-308 S and the Gossen Sixtomat Digital.
I'll be using it for B & W with my Rolleicord Vb and Canon P mainly.
Any users' opinions welcome.
Thanks.
Marc

 

[Steve M.]

Those are good meters, but more than you need for B&W in my opinion. I use a very light and small (and cheap) Sekonic L 188 for 99% of what I do w/ my B&W shooting and it's worked fine once I learned how it was metering. Even when I shoot LF I use the little Sekonic. The two times I brought a Pentax Spotmeter for landscapes, after I made my calculations I arrived at exactly the same exposures w/ both meters, so no need to lug that big Pentax meter anymore.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I happily use the Sekonic 308 but know nothing of the Gossen model you reference.

But I am convinced that size and weight is very important in a meter. You want one that is small and light enough so you actually have it with you when you need it.

 

[BillBingham2]

I have a Gossen L-318, the 308's older brother and love it. I've used it for years with my M4-P and now when I take my S3-2000 out for a spin. I've have Gossen's (Luna Pro) and liked them, I just went Sekonic as they had digital faces on the size I wanted earlier.

I also like the style of the cone being on the front of the meter. It just feels more natural for getting the right mix of light and shadow as my subject has. I never really felt that pointing the Luna Pro was as accurate as I liked and the reduced angle attachment was way too big for me.

B2 (;->

 

[BillBingham2]

Another thing that pushed me over the edge was that it uses AA batteries. I used to carry lots for flash and winder/motor but you can get them everywhere, even rechargeable. Not sure about the Gossen.

B2 (;->

 

[Shac]

Another happy L-308s user

 

[ARCHIVIST]

I work in education, fine arts / photopraphy, and two years back we purchased Gossen meters for student use.

The supplier dropped the price of the Gossen to match the Sekonic L308S which was our first choice. A good deal we thought - no way! The base model Gossen meters were flimsy and all required a repairs under warranty within the first six months of use.

I would not buy a base model Gossen again.

I use and recommend the Sekonic L308S - value for money and operates without fault if looked after.

Regards
Peter

 

[ARCHIVIST]

I forgot to mention the Sekonic L208 Twinmate meter. It is an incedent lightmeter - no flash readings - giving direct or reflected readings.

Compact, accurate and can be mounted on a flash shoe if needed.

I have no idea of price but should come in under the L308.

Regards
Peter

 

[SteveM]

I have and like using the Sekonic L-308s. Small, light, uses a single AA battery that lasts a very long time, simple and easy to use. I use it mostly in incident mode and as mentioned already, the cone on the face is convenient.

Steve

 

[Richard G]

I went with Gossen and got the Digipro F. Gossen becuase I had had one before and liked it and because it is flat, 19mm as opposed to 22mm depth of the Sekonic 308. The Sixtomat, unlike the Digipro F and the Sekonic 308, has the incident cone at one end and so you must point the meter back to the camera which is tedious. Holding the meter up to the subject with the readings facing you, upright, is much more convenient. The Sixtomat is the same weight as the 308. The Digipro F is bigger and the swivel cone flimsier, but it is still flat and great for a jacket pocket, where its tallness is an advantage for quick retrieval. The Digisix is liked by many and is tiny and can mount on the camera. I'd get the Sekonic 308 next time, but the nugget in the pants pocket would annoy me nevertheless.

 

[sevo]

On computerized meters the brand does not really make a big difference - I've seen Gossen, Sekonic and Minolta meters die, but unless you wet or drop them, and if you know how to use them, they are all reliable and precise. Personally, if I'd need a new one, I'd get a Minolta Flash Meter VI/ Kenko KFM-2100, for having a slight ergonomical edge in my workflow, but that may be due to the tons of experience I have with all Minolta Flashmeters since the FM III.

When it comes to selenium meters, there is no way past the Sekonic Studio Deluxe or Weston Master, when it comes to analogue battery driven pointer instrument meters, the Gossen Profisix (Lunapro SBC) still is the ruling king among them.