Which lightmeter to buy?

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seany65

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Yes, I know "Here's yet another 'What To Buy' thread. Bah!"

However, this isn't the usual "What Leica, Contax etc. should I get (even thought I've got a dozen cameras already) for my trip to wherever" type thing.

Nope.

I recently bought a 1957 Agfa Ambi Silette and I've decided that if I'd bought the camera at that time I would've bought a light meter as well and I've narrowedd it down to 2:

A Gossen Sixtry or an Agfa Lucimeter S.

So I was wondering if anyone knows enough about these meters to be able to tell me which one is most likely to be still quite accurate?

I know that's a bit of a 'suck it and see' question, but if either one has a bad reputation it would be good to know.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
If everything can live on a shelf then go for whatever you want. If you want a period lightmeter that works then get a Weston Master IV or later and get a new selenium cell put in. They only last 30-50 years, deteriorating faster if exposed to light. The only material advantage to Westons is that cell replacement is available still.
 
@johnnyrod, I can barely use my ordinary mobile phone, I wouldn't know how to download an app. I also don't really want to, I'd much rather use a 'proper' light meter.

@Scrambler, how much would a cell replacement cost, on average?
 
I would not recommend any antique light meter. Every one I have ever handled has been either completely dead, or very inaccurate. Selenium cell meters die over time, and replacement cells are no longer available for most. Meters made in the 1960s and 1970s that used CdS cells were all made to use mercury batteries that are not made anymore.

Buy a new meter. Its so much less hassle than buying old junk that needs exotic batteries or expensive (and sometimes impossible) repair to work right.

You do not have to spend a fortune. Here are some I recommend:

Gossen Sixtomat F2. $199, very small and pocketable, very accurate, can measure flash, too.

Sekonic L-308. $199, and like the Gossen its small, accurate and pocketable and can do flash. The Gossen has better low-light capability, though.

If you want a meter that looks like its from the same period as your classic camera, then consider the Sekonic L-398A. At $218, I think its too expensive for what it offers, but it is a very reliable, accurate meter. It is the current version of the old Norwood Director meters first made in the 1950s, and it does not require batteries. The disadvantage is that it has poor low-light capability.

I would not recommend the Sekonic Twinmate or the Gossen Digisix or Digiflash meters. They're popular here on RFF because they're VERY small and can be mounted on your camera's flash shoe, and they cost less than the ones I recommended. The cost difference, however, is small. They're rather expensive for what they offer. The Sekonic Twinmate, especially, has VERY poor low-light capability.
 
Sad news on no more selenium cells. Antiquated or not, Weston Masters can be good (and small) meters that measure incident or reflected light. As to the Sekonic L398A, I just bought one in excellent condition for $50 to replace my old L28c. I agree on the Twinmate. A waste of money imo.
 
Ugh, the Twinmate. One of those purchases that I regret. Really no better than my Weston V. Actually, worse because George of QLM had replaced the selenium cell on the Weston V, and calibrated it. At that time (2012), George already said that he was running out of these selenium cells, and he'd soon have to stop replacements on these Weston meters. If you get a good Weston meter, they have all those old style shutter speeds such as 1/75, 1/100, etc., as well as the old scale apertures such as f/6.3.

If you can stand some bulk, I still use my Gossen Luna Pro F regularly. Mine uses the 9V battery. I must have changed the battery once in 10 years. Still accurate, and does flash metering also.
 
George at Quality Light Metric is the man for conversions and calibration. He's converted 3 Leica MR-4 meters to current batteries and calibrated them. It runs just over $100 per meter. I also had him convert and calibrate a Weston Ranger 9 and Luna Peoband both were about $60 each. I sent him a Weston Master V about a year ago that was working but not accurate. He said the cell was fine so it didn't need replaced but the magnet had lost magnitude so he re magnatized it and it works great now. I think the pricecwas around $60.

Honestly I think if you find a good example of a CDS meter you like likeca Super Pilot or Luna Pro without corrosion in the battery compartment they're well worth converting and calibrating. They were great meters when new and great when refurbished.

George is very quick on turnaround. It's usually 2 days in the shop and then back to you.
 
Sekonic L308. Buy new if you can. Incident and reflective. One AA battery. Hand sized. Accurate and reliable. Had mine for at least 10 years and wouldn't change it for anything else.

Most of all, get out and enjoy your cameras!

Enjoy 🙂
 
I purchased a Sekonic L-408 about 7 years ago.

It's my all-in-one meter solution. Upgraded from a L-458

2AA lasts forever.
 
Google search reports UK Weston repairs still available for 120 pounds. I dont know the price in dollars sorry. I have 2 Weston meters, one dead the other seems ok. I have a selenium meter in a 1957 camera that seems spot on. But I wouldn't want to bet on it with a purchase. One day I will pay up for a new meter.
 
Scrambler said:
Google search reports UK Weston repairs still available for 120 pounds. I dont know the price in dollars sorry. I have 2 Weston meters, one dead the other seems ok. I have a selenium meter in a 1957 camera that seems spot on. But I wouldn't want to bet on it with a purchase. One day I will pay up for a new meter.
Click to expand...


That's Ian Partridge. He told me he didn't recommend sending a meter to him for repair, because of international shipping costs and customs hassles. He sells old Westons he has restored, and doesnt charge much more than he charges to overhaul one.

I have one of his restored Weston Master V meters. It works great, but I never use it. I own a million meters (actually I have 17 or 18 meters that are in working order and a few old nonfunctional ones!), and the only one I really ever use anymore is my Sekonic L-758DR. Its an incredible meter; incident and one degree spot all in one, very accurate, good lowlight sensitivity, and much faster to operate than a meter with a moving needle and calculator dial.
 
The Zeiss Ikophot tends to be fairly durable. They don't have a 100% survival rate but are still out there in perfect working condition. My own example is faultless. I have checked it extensively against various other meters in incident mode and reflective, at bright (sunny 16) levels and at more moderate. Obviously it will not read down to the same low EV as a newer battery powered type: but within its usable range, its accuracy is excellent, and as I am quite pedantic about making comparitive readings in exactly the same light at the same angular position, and checking reflective accuracy against different surfaces of varying tonality and reflectance, this is not a claim I make lightly.

I recently gave away a small Sekonic selenium meter that I had checked carefully against the Ikophot and several other meters. That passed with flying colours. Its new owner has been using it for setting transparency exposures. I have seen the resulting films personally, and exposure of them is excellent.

I also have a small Walz Coronet here which I sourced cheaply from a local shop with its optional booster cell and incident masks for both the main cell and the booster. This also checks out well at all light levels in reflective and incident modes.

At the same time I have a second Sekonic of the same type here the cell of which still responds to light but which is a stop or two off. There are plenty of selenium meters out there that are no longer accurate, or completely dead. Working ones can still be found, though, if you look hard enough.

I don't usually use my vintage meters for day to day photography (although occasionally I will take one out). My trusty Minolta Auto Meter III is nearly always to hand. I do however often carry one of the smaller classic meters such as my Ikophot, as a back up—unlike the Minolta they will never suffer from flat batteries, which has caught me out with the latter a couple of times.
Cheers,
Brett
 
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