Favourite design for a lightmeter

E. von Hoegh · Aug 28, 2013

elekm said:
I'm using an older Zeiss Ikon Ikophot T. It takes a 9-volt radio/smoke detector battery, can be used with either the left or right hand and can do incident or reflective metering.

It has no meter needle to be knocked out of calibration - just two small glow bulbs. It's accurate, and the battery lasts a long time -- like several years under moderate use. It's brilliantly simple in its design and to use.

I think the Weston Master III is very handsome with its brushed-steel case, but the many small numbers on its dial make it difficult to use, especially in dim light. But a selenium meter isn't the best tool for dim light.

I like that Ikophot. It would be worth having just to appreciate the cleverness of the designers.
I use a Master III for general use, with and without the Invercone, and an old Lunasix for low light. I don't have much trouble reading the Weston, when it's too dim to read the numbers I reach for the Gossen.
I have a spare Weston, NIB, a spare LunaPro, NIB, and a spare Lunasix. I'm set for life. Several lives, actually.

Ektagraphic · Aug 28, 2013

I love the Sekonic L-208. It's reliable and is very easy to use. It is quite accurate too. I love having the dial of the range exposures to choose from.

AgX · Aug 29, 2013

I got that Ikophot meter, but in the cream white/brown version. That looks much more related to those meters from the fifties.

ckpj99 · Oct 24, 2013

Like Ektagraphic, I really like the Sekonic L-208 Twinmate. It's a classic design. It has all the functions you need for casual shooting. And you can mount it on your camera, which really sells it.

I have a Minolta Flash Meter V, and it does the job, but I liked the Auto Meter IV better because it was a bit smaller and sleeker.

For ones I don't own, I like the shoe mount meter by Voigtlander.

benjiboy · Oct 24, 2013

My favourite us my Kenko KFM 2100 (Minolta flashmeter V1) http://www.shutterbug.com/content/k...ing-you-always-wanted-handheld-meter-and-more

Jeff Kubach · Oct 24, 2013

I vote for the Luna Pro F.

Jeff

RalphLambrecht · Oct 24, 2013

Regular Rod · Oct 24, 2013

I like my old Pentax Spotmeters. They are large in the scheme of things but they are so easy to use and as reliable as a wood burning stove. They are also dirt cheap if you are prepared to get one that isn't a collectors' piece. Since I changed to using them I don't think I've made a single wrong exposure...
RR

E. von Hoegh · Oct 24, 2013

Regular Rod said:
I like my old Pentax Spotmeters. They are large in the scheme of things but they are so easy to use and as reliable as a wood burning stove. They are also dirt cheap if you are prepared to get one that isn't a collectors' piece. Since I changed to using them I don't think I've made a single wrong exposure...
RR

Those really are great meters. If and when I get a spotmeter, it will be one of the analogue Pentaxes. Pentices?

Rafal Lukawiecki · Oct 24, 2013

Pentax Spot. Perfectly designed for scanning the scene and building a mental image of the distribution of values.

DREW WILEY · Oct 24, 2013

I use Pentax digital spotmeters for everything. The less bells and whistles, the better. Reliable, accurate, quick to read. My second favorite is
the Minolta Spotmeter F, but it needs a few buttons punched, so is not quite as intuitive to use.

munz6869 · Oct 24, 2013

Luna Pro F!

Marc!

trythis · Oct 25, 2013

Luna Six F! I think its the same as a Luna Pro F mentioned multiple times already. Its big but has incident, reflective and flash measurements; attachments add function including 15 and 7 degree spot plus some other gadgets. 9 volt battery!

Tom1956 · Oct 25, 2013

I spoke by e-mail the other day to the fellow who invented and had prototyped several voltage regulators that can be fitted inside a regular plain old Gossen Luna Pro from the 1970's. As anyone knows, the Luna pro was never topped as the perfect meter. Its only flaw was the 625 battery. Two cells totaling 2.7 volts. The best replacement today is the 357 silver. Without the voltage discharge curve of these 2 types, you don't have a meter. Between the normal need for re-calibration, and the terrible discharge curve of present-day 625 alkalines, you can be off as much as a stop and a half.
Long story short, I bought and installed 2 of this man's units in 2 meters, my own and a good buddy's down here in the country. That was 2 years ago. Both meters are dead-on, and on the set of 357's I originally installed. Thanks to the miraculous little voltage regulator I installed, both are running 2.7 volts from 2-357's totaling 3.2 volts.

chip j · Oct 25, 2013

I liked my old Metrastar by Metrawat. It was small had a viewing window for a normal lens, and looked like it was built by Leica of Old(I did buy it in Germany in the late 60s}. But it eventually died. I wish I'd kept it because it was SO beautiful.

Favourite design for a lightmeter

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