Handheld Light meters, whose do you use?

[jan normandale]

I'm back into the market for a used or new light meter. I had a small Gossen which got crushed in luggage. I want a meter that is good for low light conditions but is not too large like some of the spot meters or Minolta meters.

I want to keep it around 100$ - 150$. Who has a meter that they can talk about, good or bad, what to look for and what to avoid. Things I think are important on my side are availability of batteries. I'd prefer an alkaline 3A battery if it was available but I don't think that is all the criteria.

Praise and Pans , please

Jan

[ent2b]

i bought an old Sekonic L428(?) from Scott Gee and it works great.

[Terence T]

Sekonic L-308II. Going for $150 brand new. Small and compact, accurate, made for 1 handed operation.

[phototone]

I currently use an old Gossen Luna-Pro, because I like to shoot at night. These are called Gossen Luna-Six in some parts of the world. This is not a small meter.

[pvdhaar]

I use a Gossen Sixtino. Very small, affordable and has a selenium cell that doesn't require batteries. Big drawback is that it's not sensitive in low light.
Goes to about 1/15 @ f2 for 100 ISO.

[RayPA]

Quantum Calculight XP. It's supposedly a good low light meter. It is capable of providing a reading in some surprisingly low light situations. Although, I've not tested that to film. Its scale reads down to -9 EV. The lowest EV for ASA 400 in incident mode is -5 EV. It has an LED readout with a memory, which is really handy. It is almost exactly the size of a standard deck of playing cards. That's not small, but compared to the Gossen I've got, it's puny. :)

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
I use a Gossen Sixtomat Digital. No ultra low light or flash but quick and easy to use one handed and gives me excellent results.

Kim

[denishr]

My reliable workhorse is Weston Master V (see my repair tips in "Repairs" section).
However, it's not very reliable or sensitive for low light situations. I've been wanting a low-light meter for a long time, and recently finally got a Quantum Calcu-Light XP. Very reliable, very good low light readings - ideal for those situations when you go all the way to EI 3200 :) - not that I've done that (yet)...

Anyway, the Calcu-Light has become my standard meter - it's lighter than Weston (although a bit bigger). Easy to use, and extremely reliable. A bit fiddly to turn from reflective to incident metering, but so is the Weston with its separate "invercone".

Depends on what you shoot mostly. General outdoors and well-lit indoors, any good meter should be OK. For low-light indoor shots, you need something more sensitive. There are many modern meters available (Sekonic, Gossen, etc.) which are very good, but usually relatively large and heavy - and not exactly cheap if you want one that reads low light...
The Quantum Calcu-Light XP is perfect for me - you can only buy them used (not made any more), and they go from $40 to $80 on ebay. However, keep in mind it's not very sturdy (plastic housing), and could also break like the one you had...

Sekonic L-308II sounds very good (small, sturdy, not terribly expensive), but I'm not sure how sensitive it is in low light. Others might clarify.

Denis

[RObert Budding]

I used to own a Gossen Luna Star F2 digital meter. Hated it. It was very accurate, but the interface was awful. I had to push buttons to toggle through various exposure combinations. I much prefer to look at a dial that shows all of my choices at once. And it's easier to jugde exposure between stops with analog (at least for me).

I'm currently using a Gossen Lun Pro SBC. It's accurate and very easy to use. But it's not small - it would make quite a bulge in a pants pocket.

I've also used a friend's Sekonic spotmeter. It is like a swiss army knife - spot, incident, flash. Too compliated for me. So I'll probably buy a Pentax Digital Spotmeter next. And I'll keep my Gossen SBC.

Robert

[Pherdinand]

Another vote for the CalcuLight of Quantum. Not too small indeed but still fits in a pocket; batteries are very simple button cells (although four of them!), and indeed it goes down to EV-7 (that measured for ISO100 of course, meaning 2 minutes at f/1 !!) Has both incident and reflective metering (although not the simplest way to switch between them). Has a handy memory button - recalls the last metered value, great if you can't see the digits when you press the 'measure' button. And so on.
Got it from Scottgee1 for a very friendly price i think.

[Nikon Bob]

I like the old Sekonic L398 Studio Deluxe that I have been using for incident readings. It needs no battery and has been sensitive enough for all my indoor and outdoor readings but then I don't shoot in darkness. It is also a lot smaller than the Gossen Profisix SBC that I have, which is also a good meter but is large and needs batteries.

Bob

[Richard Black]

I use a Sekonic L208, very small and with an adapter can mount on the top of the camera. I used a Gossen Pilot 2 for a long time, but wanted this one. It uses a battery but I have no idea how long it will last. Works for me in low light.

[Honu-Hugger]

In order of use and preference:
1. Minolta IIIF (incident)
2. Minolta SpotMeter
3.
4.
5. (tie) Weston III and an Ikophot

[peter_n]

Well I currently have three meters, a Minolta III F, Megatron Euromaster II (a modern Weston V), and a "new" Quantum Calcu-Light XP. The Calcu-Light is quite small and light in comparison to the other two, and right now I'm in testing mode since it only arrived last Friday. I got the Calcu-Light because the Minolta only reads down to -2EV whereas the Calcu-Light reads down to -7EV, and I'm into shooting late at night all of a sudden... :)

The case is made of plastic but it seems tough to me, and the switch between incident and reflected modes is fiddly as has been mentioned. But the design is such that the incident cone is always on the meter (you flip incident cone and reflected lens via a screw holder) and that's not the case with my other two. I've often been guilty of leaving the cone at home but you can't do that with the Calcu-Light. :) The other thing about the meter is that it is disconcertingly sensitive, it has a digital readout in 1/3EV increments and you have to be careful where you point it! I'm hoping, subject to the testing, that the Calcu-Light will be my new "standard" meter.

[T_om]

I have a couple of Weston Ranger 9 meters that I really like. Good for incident and reflective metering with a 18° field of view. Not as precise a 'spot' as some of the dedicated 1° meters but it works for me.

I also have a Weston 6 and Weston IV. Good old meters and astonishingly accurate.

Tom

[kiev4a]

Luna Pro SBC -- almost as big as a Zorki 1.

[tajart]

I use the Gossen Luna-Pro digital- nice size, not really compact, but not large or bulky; and it is easy, straightforward to use, for both incident and reflective.
I also use an old Minolta III mainly for interior studio work. It is also simple and easy to use.
I've been on the lookout for one of the VC clip-on meters to put "on camera." I've tested a friend's and it seems to be a very nice, compact, and easy to use meter, both on and off camera.

[tomchuk]

I love my luna pro digital. I never really liked the match-needle, EV scale meters, nothing could be quicker or simpler than the aperture or shutter priority, EV mode, exposure compensation, exposure range, etc. on the luna pro.

[kai]

Sverdlovsk-4, though with your budget, you could buy 3 or 4 of them! I like it, but with $100-$150 to spend, I'd certainly look to one of the better alternatives suggested above!!

[furcafe]

Although I have the original CV VC meter, a Leica-Meter MR, & a Gossen Lunapro F, my main handheld meter is a Gossen Digisix Flash. Very small & very accurate. I used to have the lower model Digisix, which is the same size & weight, but managed to mess the buttons up (sold to a RFF member who's probably fixed it).

[ikophot]

Gossen Lunalite
General Electric PR3
Ikophot
Addiphot
Black Cat extended range exposure guide

[richard_l]

Gossen Digisix (or Digiflash). Incredibly lightweight, small, sensitive, accurate, always "on" (no warmup delay) but kind to batteries. Looks and feels kinda cheap, but it's sturdier than it seems. Can be mounted on accessory shoe using an adaptor, but who would want to do that?

[Jarvis]

I would go for something with a combined spotmeter this will definately come in handy/be very useable at some time in your hptoshooting life...

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I use a Sekonic L208, very small and with an adapter can mount on the top of the camera. I used a Gossen Pilot 2 for a long time, but wanted this one. It uses a battery but I have no idea how long it will last. Works for me in low light.
Glad to see this one mentioned, it is what I asked my wife to get me for my birthday. I figured it was time for me to learn how to use a light meter well. I didn't want something any more complicated than that.

[peter_n]

That is a nice meter Manolo! :cool: The B&H web site says its an upgrade of the L-308BII. Good down to -5EV? Hmmm... :) Can you set an aperture in the display and then take a reading that then displays a speed for that aperture? Sort of like an aperture priority reading?

[peter_n]

Mmm too bad about the non-aperture priority feature. I always think aperture first and shutter speed second, because of DOF. I wonder why meters don't think this way too?

Just finished my testing of the Quantum Calcu-Light XP with some tests using a 18% reflectance gray card. The Quantum gave me identical f stop/shutter speed values for incident/reflected readings, the Minolta differed by almost a stop and the Megatron differed by a full stop between incident and reflected readings. The Quantum reflected value was identical to the Minolta reflected value and it's incident value was identical to the Megatron incident value. Test film I got back included a correctly exposed neg at f2 and 4mins 20secs! Admittedly rather unscientific testing but the Quantum appears to be very accurate.

Just a reminder to those looking for a meter that's good for low light - the Quantum has a measuring range of -7EV to 21EV for 100ASA film. :D

[T_om]

Test film I got back included a correctly exposed neg at f2 and 4mins 20secs! Admittedly rather unscientific testing but the Quantum appears to be very accurate.



Uh, not to throw a clod in the churn here (Old Southern Term) but if your meter called for a "4min 20sec" exposure, and you actually exposed for that time and got a correct exposure, then something is wrong. That is, unless your meter is programmed to compensate for reciprocity failure.

There is a *very general* chart here with some generic corrections, but at least it demonstrates my point.

http://home.earthlink.net/~kitathome/LunarLight/moonlight_gallery/technique/reciprocity.htm

Tom

[TPPhotog]

I use the Sekonic 308B, comfortable size and reasonably light. It's even survived me sitting on it a few times as it's nice and slim to slip into the back pocket of my Levi's.

[doubs43]

I have three meters, all seemingly accurate.

My first choice to carry is a Gossen Digisix.

Next is a Gossen Luna-Pro and I keep a Capitol meter in the truck "just in case".

Walker

[denishr]

Test film I got back included a correctly exposed neg at f2 and 4mins 20secs! Admittedly rather unscientific testing but the Quantum appears to be very accurate.


Peter, regarding your Calcu-Light test - Tom pointed out a serious issue: if you did not compensate for reciprocity failure manually, then something is wrong. AFAIK, almost all films shot with exposures exceeding 1 second should be compensated (i.e. time added) for reciprocity.

As for testing light meters, you should be careful what you're testing against :D

My reference is usually my Nikon F80 with the lens that matches (approximately) the field of view of the meter being tested (my reference is usually 50mm lens). I compare readings from the Nikon to the ones I get from the meter being tested, trying always to meter off a uniformly lit surface.
The ultimate test, I guess, is to test the readings obtained from the meter with a slide film (with a camera that has a VERY accurate shutter!).
I've never done that, though, since I don't shoot slides - mostly B&W film...

Besides, as was already said in another thread, I think, is that small differences (1/3 to 1/2 stop) are actually irrelevant, unless you shoot with a camera that has recently had its shutter speeds tested. What's the use of measuring light (WHICH light are we measuring? - the "proper" way would be to measure light off a grey card...) up to 1/10 of a stop, if your camera's 1/125 speed is actually 1/95?

Anyway, the problem of having several light meters is that they usually NEVER agree :) - that way you never know which one is accurate ;) You should have very accurate testing equipment in order to perform a serious test.

So, after a while, you come to a conclusion that the accuracy of the meter to 1/3 of a stop is not important. Even 1/2 stop, sometimes even a full stop, doesn't mean much - unless you're shooting under extremely controlled conditions. That would mean controlled temperature (which might influence camera shutter speeds, which have presumably been precisely calibrated prior to the test shoot), controlled light (meaning clear skies without clouds, or GOOD artificial light, which might get very expensive), controlled readings off a grey card (with very precisely positioned meter)... And, finally, and what's most important, VERY controlled processing of the negative/slide... - which is where all the previous testing usually fails :)
If you're shooting negative film and having it processed it in a commercial lab (i.e. not yourself), you can forget any tests you made. If you're doing the processing yourself, get ready for more tedious work - you need very precise and very controlled temperatures, fresh chemicals from same batches, etc., etc...

In short, don't sweat about 1/2 stop difference. If the photos you are getting are satisfactory, forget about the meter and concentrate on the shooting :D

Regards,

Denis

[MCTuomey]

Sekonic L-208, a modest meter but very pocketable, as Richard and others noted

[aoresteen]

I use the Sekonic L508 and just love it. Accurate, works with flash cord & cordless, and has a built in spotmeter. Runs on one AA battery available anywhere in the world where there is a hotel.

[peter_n]

Uh, not to throw a clod in the churn here (Old Southern Term) but if your meter called for a "4min 20sec" exposure, and you actually exposed for that time and got a correct exposure, then something is wrong. That is, unless your meter is programmed to compensate for reciprocity failure.

There is a *very general* chart here with some generic corrections, but at least it demonstrates my point.

http://home.earthlink.net/~kitathome/LunarLight/moonlight_gallery/technique/reciprocity.htm

Tomhey Tom & Denis,
I like to throw a clod in the churn Tom! :) I'm a Fuji guy and the film was Acros 100, and it looks like the author of your reference has tested that film and found that the correction factor for it is extremely low (around 1.05?). All I can tell you is that the neg certainly looks like it is printable!

Denis: I'm not worried about 1/3 or 1/2 stop differences, but about underexposed night-time shots that the meter I was using didn't deal with too well. Plus the fact that I'm incompetent and didn't tote my incident cone around with me (I was with my family and would have had no problem taking incident readings). :rolleyes:

[Nick R.]

I'm back to using my old Sekonic L-28 C2 since my L328 is broken.

As far as what Denis said about shutter speeds is especially true of leaf shutters. When I tested the speeds of several leaf shutter 60/70's RF's, I found that the speeds were way off in the higher ranges --forget about actually shooting at 1/500th with one of these cameras. Typically, the most acurate setting was at 1/30th or 1/60th.

[GeneW]

I have a good incident light meter, but I find the smaller and lighter the meter is, the more likely I want to bring it with me. Hence I favour my little CV meter. Most of the time I carry it in my pocket. Occasionally I mount it on an accessory shoe. It's accurate in any light I can handhold my camera.

Gene

[peter_n]

Attached is a shot using Acros 100 that had a pretty long night-time exposure, I think it was either f11 or f16 at 2+ minutes. It looks bright but it wasn't all that bright - this guy is overexposed.

[matu]

I have a Gossen Sixtino, Leningrad 2, 4,7,8 and 6.
Russian Light meters are very cheap, bigger than normal and not very well made.
The one I like best is the Leningrad 6, it has a TLR viewfinder for spot metering, on low light situations performs great, but.... it's very big, bigger than a package of cigarretes.
Now I think that a light meter must be usefull for low light situations, the sunny 16 rule will do the trick outdoors.

[laptoprob]

Hi all,
I still have a small Gossen Sixtinette, but it is not for incident lighting. Also a Bewi-Zoom-Spot meter which is brilliant. A small tele-zoomlens with a spotmeter installed!
And since a few months my favourite, an old Sekonic L28C. About the same age as my M2. No batteries and therefore relatively heavy, like the camera.
Not really used yet is the MR3 meter with booster. It feels so big on the camera.

Rob.

[RubenBlaedel]

I use a sekonic 508, a Gossen Sixon and for stylish retro shooting :-) a weston II

(I used to use a sekonic l328 and I still have the special spot metering attachment (rare!) if anyone should be interrested in buying this - please pm me! i also have a Leica meter wiht booster cell and a spare meter for parts that is up for sale or swap or ?)

Anyway the L 508 is rather big but the SIXON is very light and handy and finds way in my pocket all most always as it has incident reading.

The sekonic 508 with the 1 degr. spot zoom is a great instrument once you get used to it.

[back alley]

i like the pilot / pilot 2 meter from gossen.
very small & light and accurate.

and also the metrastar. much bigger, also accurate and has the benefit of a low light scale.

joe

[jwcat]

I am bidding on a pilot 2 now. How much is too much for this?

[back alley]

i bought 3 of them & paid, 20/30/35 for them.
i have seen them as high as 69 bucks.

joe

[arkifot]

I just got an Addiphot meter (mechanical slide ruler). I wonder if anyone knows where to get a manual for this.
I just bought a Sekonic-L136 - suopposedly good for Leica rangefinders. But old/obsolete. I guess the Voigltänder/Cosina is widely regarded as ery good:
http://www.cameraquest.com/voivcmet2.htm

Sekonic makes a new hot-shoe meter too:
http://www.sekonic.com/products/products.asp?ID=2

Regards
Arkifot

[AusDLK]

Meloves my 35+ yo Gossen LunaPro. I usually use it (when I use a handheld meter) with the spot attachment.

[robin a]

9-20 For me, it's a Gossen Super Pilot,easy to use,batteries at Radio Shack.

[peterc]

Weston Master V.

Peter

[leica M2 fan]

I also have a Sekonic L428 and it has served me well for 25 years. When I could no longer get Mercury cells I put in silver oxide and they work great. The meter is medium size and reads in incident and reflected light and has an attachment for contrast that I've never used and frankly, don't know what it is for.Prolly should find out, huh?:D

[Harry Lime]

Small:

Sekonic L-308S

Small, tough, splashproof and accurate.

Bigger:

Sekonic 508C
Combination spot/incident meter that does everything but make coffee.

[Nachkebia]

Sekonic L-558R DUALMASTER, I like it alot, I just don`t use it much :)