Current Sekonic/Gossen Spot Meters

Hi All,

I am considering purchasing a 1 degree spot meter for use with the zone system. For the slower photography I do, I have used the system before and find it to be not only fun but also yielding of the results I want. Incident is just a bonus in any meter I buy as I already have a pocket size incident/reflective meter. It seems like the conventional wisdom is to get a used spot meter like an analog or digital Pentax. The thing is, I have had terrible luck buying used meters, and really don't want to go through that all again. I purchased two Gossen LunaPros from a dealer with the 5/15 degree attachment. The first one blew through batteries due to some internal short, and the second just didn't meter accurately. I was able to return them but it was of course a hassle and disappointment.

If I search a site like B&H, I see that Sekonic and Gossen currently make 1 degree spot meters. The L-858D-U and Starlite 2, respectively. These have digital readouts and seem like they have way more features than I need. That said, they have the one feature I want, which can't get anywhere else, new!

Has anyone used either of these meters, and have anything good or bad to say about them? Am I going to be frustrated working through computerized menus for this purpose? The Gossen even mentions the zone system in the description - "for the real purist" - hah. However it appears it does not have a digital readout inside the spot viewfinder, as the Sekonic appears to have. They are not at all cheap, but neither are the Pentax ones when bought through a dealer with a money-back guarantee.

Buy yourself one of the older zone vi...soligor
Meters...I have that and a digital pentax
Treat yourself good ones are around and last a lifetime. The soligor uses 9v battery..very convenient and has never let me down

Sorry if I didn't answer your question directly but those new meters are way over complicated not neccessary...I'm trying to remember the name of the guy who sells mostly l.f. gear but he always has several of the digital pentax ones available...when I get on my computer I have it bookmarked..
Don't be afraid to buy used...I've bought many of these meters with 0 problems

Peter Schrager said:

Sorry if I didn't answer your question directly but those new meters are way over complicated not neccessary...I'm trying to remember the name of the guy who sells mostly l.f. gear but he always has several of the digital pentax ones available...when I get on my computer I have it bookmarked..
Don't be afraid to buy used...I've bought many of these meters with 0 problems

Click to expand...

They are not. I have taught 15 year olds to master a Sekonic L758D.

The L-858D-U and Starlite 2, respectively. These have digital readouts and seem like they have way more features than I need. That said, they have the one feature I want, which can't get anywhere else, new!

So tell me, what does the flagship L758D / DR 1 degree multispot/incident meter not have that makes it inferior or a somehow worse choice than the more recent digital releases?

These glossy, hyper-specified meters marked a (surprising) departure from traditional full-function multispot meters for Sekonic in terms of design. They may be reasonably popular amongst geeky professionals in specific technical situations and for those accustomed to smartphone use where these meters got their adjustment cues, but for amateurs a glossy, touch-sensitive screen is not always the best or easiest thing to use, particularly in bright sunlight. Other 1 degree spot models in the Sekonic range are a delight to use and very reliable, additional to being very easy, intuitive and above all precise, which matters absolutely if you are shooting slide film, not so much at all with B&W when you can get away with a crappy Weston or specky.

Meters with 5/15 spots are inherently unreliable because of overlap -- they simply cannot separate adjacent or overlapping tones. Having said that, 1 degree meters will require precise and careful evaluation of a wide range of tones whether you are a Zonista or using the more common sweep-meter method. Overlap is not a problem and adjacent tones can be evaluated and balanced very easily.

go to Igors Camera Exchange and get yourself a meter

Peter Schrager said:

go to Igors Camera Exchange and get yourself a meter

Click to expand...

Right now, Igor has a Soligor 1 degree digital, Zone VI modified, w/strap and case for $100. I've dealt with Igor for over 30 years, and he's a good man with which to do business. Highly recommended.

I own both Pentax and Soligor digitals modified by Zone VI, and they're both within 1/3 EV of each other. And both are spot on (no pun intended) when used.

Poisson Du Jour said:

They are not. I have taught 15 year olds to master a Sekonic L758D.

The L-858D-U and Starlite 2, respectively. These have digital readouts and seem like they have way more features than I need. That said, they have the one feature I want, which can't get anywhere else, new!

So tell me, what does the flagship L758D / DR 1 degree multispot/incident meter not have that makes it inferior or a somehow worse choice than the more recent digital releases?

These glossy, hyper-specified meters marked a (surprising) departure from traditional full-function multispot meters for Sekonic in terms of design. They may be reasonably popular amongst geeky professionals in specific technical situations and for those accustomed to smartphone use where these meters got their adjustment cues, but for amateurs a glossy, touch-sensitive screen is not always the best or easiest thing to use, particularly in bright sunlight. Other 1 degree spot models in the Sekonic range are a delight to use and very reliable, additional to being very easy, intuitive and above all precise, which matters absolutely if you are shooting slide film, not so much at all with B&W when you can get away with a crappy Weston or specky.

Meters with 5/15 spots are inherently unreliable because of overlap -- they simply cannot separate adjacent or overlapping tones. Having said that, 1 degree meters will require precise and careful evaluation of a wide range of tones whether you are a Zonista or using the more common sweep-meter method. Overlap is not a problem and adjacent tones can be evaluated and balanced very easily.

Click to expand...

Are you a rep for the company?? You don't have to get all worked up in response to my post
The op can get a nice used spot meter for a good price...he wants a spot meter
I'm sure these other ones you mention are great.

As an aside Richard Ritter can still repair these meters...

Peter Schrager said:

Are you a rep for the company?? You don't have to get all worked up in response to my post
The op can get a nice used spot meter for a good price...he wants a spot meter
I'm sure these other ones you mention are great.

Click to expand...

The Sekonic and Gossen meters mentioned in the OP are not spot-only meters, as per your line, "he wants a spot meter," And there are at least 9 out there very worthy of consideration as a guide. For what it's worth most spot meters have a baseline accuracy of much finer than 0.3 EV.

The OP may also be interested in the dioptric correction available in the Sekonic, which is why they are my own favourite. But not the Gossen meters. This feature is a must if your eyes are less than perfect! I have a clear, corrected view of the Sekonic internal readout, but a fuzzy, indistinct view of the Gossen, which has no dioptric correction.

Thanks everyone. Maybe I will consider a used one, after all. Perhaps I have just had bad luck. In general, is the expected lifespan of one of these Pentax or Soligor meters just “indefinite?”

I've only had the soligor for about 25 years but it's your money...that and the are not available new anymore