The SBC is known as the Profisix in most of the world - just not the USA. It is relatively large, uses a 9 volt battery, and it has excellent low light sensitivity.
The F is known as the Lunasix F in most of the world - just not the USA. It also is relatively large and uses a 9 volt battery. It adds the ability to meter electronic flash, but it doesn't offer quite the same excellent low light sensitivity.
I used the Gossen Luna Pro SBC but I can make a different recommendation. In 1963 Popular Photography published an article about the Jiffy Calculator for Night Photography. That month I started taking slides in Washington DC using it and I have continued using it for decades ever since.
If you can find it use Tungsten or Indoor [Blue] film
http://f-sunny.com/night-exposures-in-a-jiffy/
http://www.cppdh.org/download/jiffy-calculator-for-night-light-exposures.pdf
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46322625@N05/30151457250
This is a really nice calculator, and I have an original one.
As for the main question, I say get the Luna Pro (or ProfiSix) SBC. It is one of the best meters made. There was a final version Utra-Pro / MasterSix that is same thing except has electronic display. .
It is NOT the same thing.
-) one cannot place luminances at the nulling scale.
-) it yields flash metering
-) it yields further meterings.
Greetings!
I have been looking to learn night photography. I have only made shots with my K1000se, and I am experimenting with several older cameras. I have a Sekonic L-208, but it does not register sometimes with the picture I would have liked to have taken, or is out of range of the meter. I have been looking at the Gossen Luna Pro, but have run into a bit of confusion. There is the "S," "F," and the "SBC." I cannot seem to figure what is the difference between the three. I would like to have one that uses readily available batteries, as I have been told that some use a difficult to get battery (just not which one). I will eventually be trying pinhole photography, and someday large format photography. I have downloaded the Jiffy II calculator, but have not used it as of yet (inclement weather, and lack of time). Any suggestions or observations would be most welcome.
Thank you.
Eric
I am hanging on to both of these meters and have decided to take an approach sometimes advocated by @Sirius Glass - "Keep it from the hoarders".Lunasix F and Profisix are within the Gossen range (and all other meters) the only ones with a nulling scale that enables deliberate placing of scene luminosities at this scale.
In addition, the Profisix takes above the accessories for the Lunasix F further accessories, these are all electrically connected.
Not at all. You did not get my point.Yeah, OK it's more. For all practical purposes it is still "same" meter, but surely working with analog vs. digital display is always going to be different.
I have both meters, don't use MasterSix much because at the end of the day I prefer analog dial vs. digital. Still, I would not complain about what MasterSix can do vs. Profisix. It is a matter of mental adjustment and everything is there. But let's just call it they are not all that same.Not at all. You did not get my point.
The remarkable feature of Lunasix F and Profisix is to be able to place the subject luminance deliberately on the nulling scale.
The Mastersix does not yield this feature. I thus consider it a design failure.
Many years ago I bought used, but for too much money, a Mastersix, intended as upgrade to my Profisix, including this feature. This was in the early days of the internet when manuals were not yet online. But I was able to have a short glance at a shop into a printed manual, as you showed, got confused by it and erroneously thought that it would yield this feature.
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