What kind of light meter do you use for your M?

N

noah b

Established
Local time
4:02 AM
Joined
Jun 28, 2008
Messages
191
View My Gallery
I know a few of you all have M's with meters in them, but for us old schoolers, what meter works best for you? I've tried an old Gossen Luna Pro and it was pretty swell. I currently use a Voigtlander VC, it's very nice.
 
I have several meters but the ones I use are both Weston Master V and I just about always use them with the Invercone incident light converter. They were both overhauled and calibrated by Quality Light-Metric a few years ago. They match one another within about 1/6 of a stop.
 
I use a GE DW48 meter (it appears to be a US army stock) with my M2. I have a Weston Master V, which I dropped on the pavement. Now, the needle just barely moves (the spring connecting the needle to the cell is broken). Anyone know where I could get it repaired? I am based in Singapore. thanks.
 
I mainly use a Sekonic Twin-mate with my M4-P now or sometimes the MR-4 Leicameter. With the Hasselblad, it is a Sekonic L-508. I also have a Weston Master V but the selenium-cell is exhausted ...
 
i use a gossen luna pro sbc. it's kinda big and cumbersome, but i've gotten used to the size of it now.

i carry it around with all (2) my unmetered cameras. i like that it can meter down to an ungodly level of darkness, the dials are easy to read, and it can take incident or reflected by just sliding the dome across. some of the other meters i had looked at required unscrewing and changing attachments to change between incident and relflected.
 
I have the 'pretty swell' Luna Pro - the older one with the CdS cell. I've had it for ages, and it just keeps on working. I like that in a device. BTW, I've got the 15 and 7.5 degree attachment, which is pretty difficult to use because of the tiny viewfinder, and the enlarging attachment, which I just don't use any more at all.

However, I use sunny-16 and approximating from that more often with my M. It just helps to keep me on my toes if I have to extrapolate exposure all the time.
 
richard_l said:
Sekonic L-308
Click to expand...

Great meter, I'm using the same one. I bid on one I saw on ebay this last week because I thought I lost mine. I got outbid, but it only sold for $87. I'm not sure if that is an accurate representation of what they sell for, but I thought it was a great deal.
 
noah booshu said:
I know a few of you all have M's with meters in them, but for us old schoolers, what meter works best for you? I've tried an old Gossen Luna Pro and it was pretty swell. I currently use a Voigtlander VC, it's very nice.
Click to expand...

Dear noah,

With all due respect, I have not understood the relationship between M's and lightmeters. Not from your post, nor from the answers.

Nevertheless I may assume some relationship between "old shcoolers" and light meter types, if you allude the famous statement "expose for the shadows, develope for the highlights", in whose case the last versions of the legendary Weston Master meters are to my understanding the most suitably marked.

I happen to own two of them, but they are a bit heavy compared to the Sekonic digital versions like the small Flashmates or the superb spot 400 and something.

Unfortunately I never liked the Gossen theology for light meters, with one single extraordinary exception - the Pilots, from which I own two. Unforunately their sellenium cells seem to have not resisted the proof of time as well as other sellenium versions of camera built in versions. Therefore I am sure the VCs must be great winners in the shoe mount cathegory.

But would a VC be less suitable for a non-M manual camera ?

For the bigger sized Gossen light meters I have a digisix or something like it, making me a headache to read its dials, and specially its dots, about which I have not made my mind in a definitely way.

And after all this gallery of light meters, which is not mentioning one or two additional oldies, I still don't understand what relationship can possibly be between the highly respected Leica M cameras, and the type of light meter you use. Are you implying that I should buy a M' in order to understand ?

Cheers,
Ruben
 
I have a Gossen Luna Pro that I bought a few years back and I just got a VCII. I actually find the Luna Pro easier to use, even if it is bulky. Maybe I'm just used to it. In fact - stupid me - the other day I metered an indoor shot with the VCII, turned the dials to see I needed 1/60 at f/2, cocked the shutter and fired away four or five shot when I happened to look at my lens and saw it was still set to f/16 from my outdoor shots! I failed to set the camera, just the meter! Why? It sat on the hot shoe, and my mind told me it controlled the camera because I wasn't paying attention. Of course that would never happen with my cigarette pack sized Luna Pro...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom