Gossen light meter question

[Eric the Red]

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

 

[BrianShaw]

It can be confusing. This is a good way to decipher the models:

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Gossen

http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/meters/gossen_lunapro.html

I’ve been a LunaPro S user for decades. Great meter but outdated battery. A voltage reducing adapter takes care of that issue. Just bought a SBC. That uses 9-v battery, has faster response time, and a very useful calculator that allows for filter factors. It’s a null meter, which I find faster to use. Downside… it’s really big. F includes a flash meter.

 

[MattKing]

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.

 

[BrianShaw]

Fortunately the camera wiki includes the model name translation. For me the different names is the most confusing aspect of Gossen meters.

 

[mrosenlof]

Night photography is something of a different animal. Meters are often not that useful in low light levels. If you're doing skyline at night type photos, it's actually difficult to over-expose because of the way reciprocity failure kicks in with low light and long exposures. Find a copy of the Kodak Professional Photoguide (or similar title). It has some circular calculator wheels to help with exposures like skyline, floodlit buildings, and the like.

But on to the meters. The Gossen luna-pro SBC or luna-lux SBC ("silicon blue cell") are from the early 80s, maybe starting in the late 70s. They take 9 volt square batteries, are fairly large and have good low light sensitivity. I bought a luna-lux in 1982 and it's still working great. The older Lunas are CdS meters and many are still good, but require obsolete mercury batteries.

 

[Sirius Glass]

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

 

[AgX]

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.

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.

 

[markjwyatt]

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.

 

[AgX]

This is a really nice calculator, and I have an original one.

I never came a sample across, and I do not remember a hint at it from before internet times. But yes, it basically is a good idea. There had been other calculators. The most advanced likely being the Agfa one, originating already from the 30's, designed like a telephon dial, taking into account astronomic skylight and weather and artifial light, but omitting night photography.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

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 accepts all accessories made for earlier analog versions. True these are rather large meters, but working with Null approach is like waking up with a new wife in bed (without prior notice that is, not intended, yet quite welcomed upon further inspection).

 

[AgX]

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.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

It is NOT the same thing.
-) one cannot place luminances at the nulling scale.
-) it yields flash metering
-) it yields further meterings.

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.

As for "luminance", without getting into semantics, all I care about is its application to ZS, and Mastersix came with Zone System sticker as standard, to be placed bellow display over existing markers. Same was available on SBC variant.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

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 use a Gossen Luna-Star F2 for years. It reads ambient and flash and uses the typical 9 V block battery. I recently started to use it with a 9V rechargeable, which also works well. I can highly recommend it.

 

[tokam]

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.

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". Think he was talking about film tho'.

 

[AgX]

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.

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.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

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.

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.

 

[AgX]

Well, I was most disappointed by my mistake.

I would not be surprised though if the designing engineer himself did not realize what he was doing. Maybe he had no experience with their older meters and just looked at what competitors were doing.
Otherwise the Mastersix was designed for the photo engineer in mind.


Anyway, all three are bulky what likely will deter younger people.

 

[Eric the Red]

Guys (that's an assumption, mind you), thank you very much for your experience and opinions. I am currently searching for a Luna Pro SBC or Profisix. As I stated earlier, I have the Jiffy II. And have studied it a bit, just have not put it to use yet. Nights here are still in the teens, and I find, that as I have aged, that I do not care as much for the cold as I once may have. As soon as I can find one, I will be adding the Gossen to my collection.
Thank you all again for your help.

Eric

 

[WollyMan]

Hello all,
I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to add some comments. First I have a modern Gossen Sixtomat F2 digital meter that works great.

I just bought a Luna-Lux SBC on eBay today 3 Jan 2026. What attracted me to this meter was that it is a "nulling" meter. Not mentioned here or any other reference to the "nulling" circutry. This "nulling" is a Wheatstone Bridge circuit. Here you turn the dial which is a variable resistor to match the SBC photocurrent that results in the balanced null measurement. In this way the meter has a very large dynamic range with the ablitily to measure low level to high level light values, with a variable resistor that has the equivalent current range as the silicon cell.

I researched it and found this is meter is highly regarded so I bought one.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

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

the GossenLunaStarF2 is very sensitive(down to 0 or -1 EV) and uses regular 9V block batteries.