Help in shopping for a new light meter

[Helen B]

Hi Ed,

My answer is going to be unworthy of your well-reasoned question! My preference for the Studio is mainly an unreasonable preference that I don't have to justify to anybody but myself. I just like it. I like the simplicity, lack of unnecessary precision (for the purpose I'm using it for), size and directness.

I agree that, if based purely on reasonable reasons, I would use one of my Spectra meters: the IV-A is my most recent aquisition, and I have an older Classic of some kind - which I am also very fond of and have used for twenty years maybe. I'm never sure how much I should reveal of my mental abberations - one of which is having unnatural quantities of exposure meters. It probably comes from not being bitten by a bat while using an SEI in some abandoned tunnels under Newcastle thirty years ago.

As I said in my original post, I work in both stills and movies, so my comments were not just referring to LF work.

So there it is. I don't really know 'why' either.

Best,
Helen

 

[hortense]

Pentax digital spot meter color correct by Zone VI. You can purchase from Calumet. I've used one for MANY year with no problems. Don't believe the thread you may have read about the accuracy of the color correction where you are then able to read the light intensity through your filters. Perhaps, one exception might be Green.

 

[John Kasaian]

Up grade to a Weston Master IV! I still use mine. I also use a Weston Ranger 9 modified to take silver button batteries. For low night photography I did break down and buy a Gossen Luna Pro F---very accurate but lot$ of buck$---unless you really need the capabillities go with the Weston. They not only do the job but they give other photographers something to talk about when you're not around!

 

[raucousimages]

I use a 508 in the studio or outdoors with flash but I have become a real zone freak. I live by my Zone VI pentax digital for B&W.

 

[Nicole]

I have got the Minolta VF with spot attachment and I must say it is very accurate and can measure both ambient and flashlight.
Hans

Me too

 

[rbarker]

L-508

Count me as another Sekonic L-508 user. Having had close to a dozen meters over the years (most still work), I've found the 508 to be versatile and accurate, although not particularly compact. I also have a Sekonic L-778 (unfortunately discontinued), which is the pistol-grip style 1° reflective spot meter (ambient and flash). If you stumble across one on the used market, it's worth considering. I like the 778 better than the Pentax meters for Zone-like readings, but I usually carry the 508 for convenience.

 

[roteague]

I use the Minolta and it is a great meter, I bought the booster2 attachment for it and now I can take direct readings off the ground glass of my view camera. It is a nice feature for those times when you wish you had TTL metering for the view camera.

I've got one of those myself, and I love it. My Minolta (IIIF) is 12 years old, but still works great, and I keep it because of the ground glass attachment.

I also have a Sekonic L-778; got it free when I bought my Toyo (5 years ago). It's a good meter, the pistol grip style works great. A good meter to have, if you can find one.

 

[Helen B]

The Sekonic L-508 works with the Minolta Booster II as well. I'm not sure how widely that is known.

Best,
Helen

 

[wfwhitaker]

I also use a Weston Ranger 9 modified to take silver button batteries.

How did you modify the meter?

-Will

 

[SkipA]

I highly recommend the L-508. It gives you the option of incident or reflective spot metering, and supports cord or non-cord flash metering, plus some limited cine metering capabilities. Almost an all-around meter, but the L-508C cine version would be a better choice if you also shoot movie film.

The incident metering lumisphere on the L-508 retracts into the swiveling head where it is mounted, making it less susceptible to damage in the field. The only thing I dislike about the L-508 is that swiveling head. I don't need that feature since my hand swivels just fine, and having the lumisphere solidly mounted on the main meter body would make it even more rugged for field use.

I have a Minolta IV that I nearly always prefer over the L-508 for indoor incident light metering. I'm not sure why, since the L-508 works just as well as the Minolta. Probably just habit. Maybe because of the simplicity of the Minolta (it measures incident light only), and its smaller size.

Both of these meters run on a regular AA battery, another convenience.