Leicameter MR vs. VC Meter II

[Biber]

I'm looking for a meter for my M4-P and I've found a nice Leicameter MR in Sweden now. It costs $270, which is about $70 more than I'd have to pay for a new imported VC II. The problem is that I can't decide which one to buy. I've never used any of those two before.

Does the new VC have an exposure lock, and how good readings does the old MR get compared to a new VC? Can the old MR handle EV 1-20 like the new VC does?

Is CameraQuest trustworthy? I've never ordered anything from them before.


I'd love some advice on which one to buy (and use).

[peter_n]

Does the new VC have an exposure lock...
Yes. And its a crucial feature to have!

Is CameraQuest trustworthy?
Absolutely. I have bought from Stephen and he has treated me very well.

[Biber]

Thanks Peter. I've googled for an answer about that exposure lock for quite a while now without finding anything useful.

[furcafe]

I can't speak to the new VC, as I only have the original version, but I would say that it is more accurate than the MR, particularly in low light conditions (the old CdS meters like the MR also tend to take little while to recover from exposure to strong lighting, too). The only advantage to the MR, IMHO, is that it couples directly to the shutter speed dial (it's also a more "authentic" Leica accessory if you care about such things).

BTW, although I started off w/shoe meters like the VC & MR (& still have both of them for occasional use), I now favor a handheld Gossen Digisix when shooting w/my meterless cameras; the ability to take incident readings is a godsend for me.

Originally posted by Biber
I'm looking for a meter for my M4-P and I've found a nice Leicameter MR in Sweden now. It costs $270, which is about $70 more than I'd have to pay for a new imported VC II. The problem is that I can't decide which one to buy. I've never used any of those two before.

Does the new VC have an exposure lock, and how good readings does the old MR get compared to a new VC? Can the old MR handle EV 1-20 like the new VC does?

Is CameraQuest trustworthy? I've never ordered anything from them before.


I'd love some advice on which one to buy (and use).

[EsaS]

Biber
I have a Leicameter MR4 and it shows a little biased values, but not linear, so it cannot be eliminated by adjustment. The error is less than 1/2 stops in the extremes, so for negative work it is totally OK. I suppose that You have to accept something like that in old meters.
It reads EV 2, maybe even 1 but I would not bet. With EV 17 my meter goes to the top end of scale.
Hope this helps
Esa
BTW In Finland I tried to sell my meter for 150 euro and had no success (black MR4). Silver is maybe little more requested.
About CameraQuest: I bought some little stuff and everything was fine.

[Biber]

I asked the swedish dealer about the MR in low light today, and he told me it needed some time to get a reading in such low light, but otoh he didn't believe that EV 2 could be handheld at all so he doesn't seem that trustworthy.

I think I'll order the new VC from CameraQuest. It sounds like it's both faster and more accurate, and it takes 1.5v batteries and is cheaper than the MR.


furcafe: I used to have a handheld meter but I returned it to the store since it wasn't working as it should. I used it long enough to decide to go for a shoe-mounted meter instead though.

Thanks for your replies.