Handheld Meters

[HSI]

I just want to dip into your guys bags and see what kind of meters you use when equiped with your RF's?
I've been looking at the staple of pro digital meters (Sekonic L358, Minolta III / IV, Goosen) but I kind of want something for street work.
Smaller, but no DIN crap. I hate those turn stop meters.
Or maybe I havent had enough expirence with them.

[merciful]

L-508: sometimes the spot is very useful.

[John Noble]

I like my recently acquired Sekonic L-308S. I wish it had aperture priority mode like the L-358, but in use it's not really a problem: just take a reading, then click the up/down buttons until you see the aperture you want.

[css9450]

I used my trusty mercury-cell Luna-Pro (not the S, or whatever) for 20 years, and have only recently bought the conversion kit so it'll use standard batteries. I'm still in the testing phase to determine if its as accurate as I'm used to with the new batteries.

I've never really considered any other meters. ;)

[HSI]

So its sounding so far like the T.V. remotes you see around a fashion photographers neck are decent for carrying around? At least to you guys?
Any smaller options in a digital or something as reliable package.

[f/stopblues]

I use a Sekonic L-308S for street and general work. It's simple and small.. exactly what I was looking for. Someone posted a picture of the 308 in their hand to give it some perspective as to the size. That's what convinced me. In practice it's been a champ. Unless you *really* need spot metering, I'd say this is a great way to go.

*EDIT* - By the way, it's digital.

[Nick R.]

I'll second the sekonic L308. I have it and the Sekonic 358. The 358 has more functions but the 308 is much easier to carry in a shirt pocket.

[Paul K]

I have a Weston Master V with the invercone and a Gossen Scout 3. Both are selenium and quite accurate. Neither one is digital and you can see the complete range of shutter speed/aperture options at a glance. Both of these will slip into a pocket.

[HSI]

Hmmm, I have a broken Weston Cine meter, seems pretty damn heavy.
As for the Sekonic, the L308 seems like a good deal for a nice street carry. I'm just considering the L358 due to its cult following by studio, skate, and other photographers.
Is it worth the extra cash for spot and the abiltity to fire slaves?

[JNewell]

Gossen Digi-Lux, which I am actually not all that thrilled with. Size is great (it's tiny) and it will mount in the accessory shoe if you want to, with an accessory clip, but battery life is terrible.

Edit to add: if size matters, consider the Sekonic 208.

[HSI]

Lames all around for battery life.

[waileong]

Street work-- you want something you can put in a shirt pocket, take incident readings, the smaller the better. MR-4 meter, VC Meter II, L-308, L208, etc.

[aizan]

rule of thumb: try to avoid a meter that's larger or older than your camera.

[HSI]

rule of thumb: try to avoid a meter that's larger or older than your camera.

Ha.
I can dig it.

[mervynyan]

don't know what price range you have in mind. all-condition meter is necessity if you are very serious about it. I have come to this conclusion rather expensively. Finally I got a Sekonic l-578DR, i don't have to look for another replacement anymore.

1-degree spot, incident and studio are the minimum requirement for a new meter. otherwise your camera built-in meter works just fine.

[Rhoyle]

Gossen DigiSix or Digiflash. Small, accurate, quick and easy to use in both reflected and incident modes.

BH

[merciful]

Well, I don't carry the 508 around: I only have it if I'm specifically setting out to shoot. My Hexar AF is with me every day, and its metering is excellent.

So its sounding so far like the T.V. remotes you see around a fashion photographers neck are decent for carrying around? At least to you guys?
Any smaller options in a digital or something as reliable package.

[rpsawin]

I just want to dip into your guys bags and see what kind of meters you use when equiped with your RF's?
I've been looking at the staple of pro digital meters (Sekonic L358, Minolta III / IV, Goosen) but I kind of want something for street work.
Smaller, but no DIN crap. I hate those turn stop meters.
Or maybe I havent had enough expirence with them.


Check out the Sekonic 398M. I usually keep one in my gear bag along with my rf's.

Bob

[John Rountree]

The meter in my M7.

[f/stopblues]

Lames all around for battery life.

For what it's worth, L-308 takes one AAA. Doesn't get much easier than that. I thought you wanted digital?

[HSI]

Well I'm looking into a M2. So I'm trying to find a good meter to pair with it and maybe a RB-67 or 501 later on. Yeah. I just want something that covers most of the spectrum but isn't to big. The 308 and 358 are sounding mighty good at the moment, but I'm suprised no one has suggest a Minolta. I know many photogs that swear as much by them as you swear by your Leicas.

[sienarot]

I'm using a minolta flash meter VI that I like a lot. I dropped it once during a shoot and it started flaking out on me giving me inconsistent and inaccurate readings. I quickly found a used Sekonic L-508. When it arrived, the VI started working again!! I'm still using the VI, but I do like the L-508. I especially like the ISO toggle since I often switch between two different films mid-roll when using my Hassy. Had I not been in such a rush to look for another meter, I would've held out until I could find another VI.

[bob338]

i've been using a gossen digiflash for the last two years and would highly recommend it. if you don't need a flash meter, the digisix is the same thing without the flash meter for $50 less. they're both tiny and you can get a shoe mount bracket to keep it on your camera for $15.

[colyn]

I have 2 favorites The Weston Ranger 9 and a Sekonic L-358. I've even been known to take along a PR-1 for the fun of it..

[HSI]

Well I think I'm going to go between the 308 and 358, the price is quite diffrent between the two, but I'm prety sure both of those will cover what I hope to do in the near future (Street, portrait, event, action...).

[amateriat]

1) The meter in both my Hexar RFs (and Konica S3, and Ricoh GR1, and even my old OM-2n)

2) An old-but-loverly Sekonic L-428, which doesn't get out all that much, but when it does it's usually set up for incident reading (the one thing my camera's built-in meters can't offer), although I do have the 5° spot attachment, among others, for stage shooting and the like. Not tiny, but not crazy-huge, and cheap ($50 via the 'Bay, replacing an identical unit that was destroyed in a freak accident). Uses a quartet of non-exotic S76 silver-oxide cells, which seem to last a few years between necessary changings. I've never really cottoned to handheld meters much, but I do like this one.

(Edit: I just remembered: Of all the 35mm cameras I've owned, since my first – a Yashica 5000E Lynx, around 1972 – not one of them was without a built-in meter, TTL or otherwise. Talk about being spoiled!) ;)


- Barrett