I love my Reveni Meter, I hate my Reveni Meter

[MattKing]

The battery life in my Gossen Digiflash improved greatly when I switched to a small case that didn't tend to accidentally push the buttons whenever I put the meter and case into a pocket.

 

[madNbad]

I hope this thread will not dissuade anyone from trying a Reveni meter. As I've mentioned, they have quirks but are very accurate and are the meter for when you don't want to carry a meter. Matt Bechberger and the others at Reveni are learning as they continue to develop new products. The nylon they use for 3D printing is quite robust and they are well constructed. If you decide to try the little reflective, have batteries on hand and it helps to pull the tray out when storing it. When everything is right, they're a joy to use. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The little reflective meter uses a single LR44, which is the root of the problem. It provides enough power to run the meter but not quite enough to power a change in circuitry that would allow for a better sleep cycle. In essence, the meter is on all the time. The developers in their email stated they had looked into using rechargeable lithium ion batteries like the ones found in ear buds but found they are only affordable if bought in very large quantities. The CR1/3N is a great choice if they restructure the meter body to hold a larger battery. They were my first choice of battery for the M6 TTL.

The sleep cycle needs to be redesigned to draw less current or just shut down so that the battery is not drained. Another option would be to just turn it off between uses.

 

[madNbad]

The sleep cycle needs to be redesigned to draw less current or just shut down so that the battery is not drained. Another option would be to just turn it off between uses.

An on/off switch would solve a lot of the problem.

 

[Alan9940]

But there is a yellow spotting issue on some meters (including mine) that Matt is addressing.

Yep, had that issue with my spot meter. According to Matt, internal screen exposure to sunlight through the viewing lens causes these yellow spots due to the breaking down of something on the screen itself. Mine was a real mess and, to Matt's credit, he replaced the entire meter with a new one and I returned mine for his review. Now, I use caps--front and back--and try diligently to not let any sunlight hit the viewing lens. No further issues so far.

 

[bags27]

Yep, had that issue with my spot meter. According to Matt, internal screen exposure to sunlight through the viewing lens causes these yellow spots due to the breaking down of something on the screen itself. Mine was a real mess and, to Matt's credit, he replaced the entire meter with a new one and I returned mine for his review. Now, I use caps--front and back--and try diligently to not let any sunlight hit the viewing lens. No further issues so far.

Matt offered to replace mine as well, but I said I could live with it--for now. Wasn't as bad as yours seems to be. And he's sending me the caps. It's hard to avoid the sunlight hitting the viewing lens as mine hangs down from my neck. Hoping the caps help. Otherwise, I'll swap mine as well.

 

[Steven Lee]

The battery life in my Gossen Digiflash improved greatly when I switched to a small case that didn't tend to accidentally push the buttons whenever I put the meter and case into a pocket.

Yes! That's another excellent point and I have the same problem with mine. Do you have a link to the case you bought?

 

[MattKing]

Yes! That's another excellent point and I have the same problem with mine. Do you have a link to the case you bought?

It was a Dollar Store find - designed for something unrelated to a meter!
Before I found it, I found that it helped a bit if I taped a small "Ziploc" style plastic bag into the Gossen case - one just big enough to hold an extra battery in it - I think the bag is sold as a craft supply.

 

[madNbad]

I sent an email to Matt Bechberger about the possibility of using lithium batteries in the reflective meter. Here is his reply:

The lithium-type batteries have some issues with capacity. Their ability to deliver power (volts * amps) is very low. I originally wanted to use 1632 3V lithium in the meter, but it would only run for 30 seconds or so before freezing, due to battery issues. They just can't keep up, far worse than the alkaline LR44s can.

The AAA has about 2.5x the capacity the CR1/3N has, if both are in ideal conditions. The matching 1.5V voltage of the AAA makes it a good drop-in replacement for the LR44. I can't readily change the circuit in the meter so the leakage issue will persist regardless of battery type. I think there will be a significant performance improvement with the AAA.

Looks like they have a plan. I offered to be a beta tester!

 

[grat]

With the cube meter, don't store it with the battery in it. Simple.

 

[madNbad]

With the cube meter, don't store it with the battery in it. Simple.

I do, on a regular basis. This is a twenty-first century product in an era when mobile devices and battery power is becoming the norm. What if Tessla said you had to remove the batteries from your vehicle to keep them from draining? It was a Kickstarter project that became popular and as more meters were put into use, the problem arose. Sekonic and Gossen have spent decades developing and improving meters. A few years ago there were multiple versions of the 308 meter, one for still photography, the 308S and one for cinematography, the 308DC. Now they are combined in the 308X selling for the same price as either of the seperate meters. Sekonic learned from customer feedback about what the users wanted. Reveni is a small company, developing innovative products and making improvements using customer feedback. Their spot meter may not be perfect but it will improve. Same for the cube meter, they have a plan of how to fix it and I'll buy one when it's released.

 

[grat]

I do, on a regular basis. This is a twenty-first century product in an era when mobile devices and battery power is becoming the norm. What if Tessla said you had to remove the batteries from your vehicle to keep them from draining?

Why do people come up with ridiculous counterarguments? The Tesla has an intelligent battery system with temperature management, charge management, and weighs somewhere around a literal ton.

The Reveni (cube, not spot) has a small battery that can be removed (or reinstalled) in under 10 seconds, and by doing so you can extend the life of the battery from a week or two (my personal experience leaving it in the meter) to several months.

It's an incredibly trivial thing to do that vastly improves the quality of the device, but I guess as a society, we're no longer capable of being practical, we'd rather stomp our feet and threaten to hold our breath until we turn blue.

 

[Huss]

I had the Reveni cube meter and would always take the battery out when not in use.
Battery life was still terrible, so bad in fact I first thought I had a defective batch of batteries.
I've switched back to the Voigtlander VC 2 meter.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I had the Reveni cube meter and would always take the battery out when not in use.
Battery life was still terrible, so bad in fact I first thought I had a defective batch of batteries.
I've switched back to the Voigtlander VC 2 meter.

I take batteries out of cameras that I will not be using for a while. It beats cleaning up the mess from batteries that have gone wrong.

 

[madNbad]

If I had to remove the batteries from my TV remote because they would not last more than an hour, I would be looking for a different remote. I still use the Reveni regularly because I love it's size and accuracy. It's not about being put out by having to remove the battery, it's about improving the product.

 

[madNbad]

If I had to remove the batteries from my studio meter, I would have returned it.
I know all about loyalty and helping a new company out, and good for whoever does that.
But not me, as I am a working professional and I would expect better.
In my 30+ years of using Gossen, Sekonic, Minolta, Pentax and Metered Light light meters, I have never had to remove a battery.
That's what I'd call poor design choices.

The developers admit the small battery was a mistake. They tried to do just a little too much with all the features packed in to such a small meter and not quite enough power. Even if the AAA battery makes it taller, it will still be a lot smaller than any of my other meters, including the Gossen Pilot.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I understand, but in the long run, they have hurt their reputation.
Do you think anyone reading this thread (or somewhere else talking about the battery issue), that is looking to buy a meter will buy theirs?
I do not think so. I know I would not.

I've heard good stuff about their Wireless Remote Control Shutter Release.
Hope they do well with their innovations.

I agree. After following this thread I would not buy anything from them.

 

[madNbad]

I started the thread and I will definitely buy the next release of their reflective meter. I have found them to be responsive to their customers and sometimes there is a learning period. My Sekonic 308X is the size of a deck of cards, the Reveni isn't much larger than a sugar cube. They read the same in most lighting situations and the Reveni offers a wider range of ISO. The Sekonic has flash metering capabilities, cine and an incident dome but I don't alway need those things. Every new company has fits and starts, perhaps some the time invested in developing the spot meter could had been dedicated to improving the reflective meter. I'm a fan, I love my Reveni and know it will only get better.

 

[MattKing]

A slide in battery holder like the one used in the Digiflash makes it really easy to remove and then replace a battery. But a mechanical switch would be even better.

 

[madNbad]

A slide in battery holder like the one used in the Digiflash makes it really easy to remove and then replace a battery. But a mechanical switch would be even better.

Matt, I’ve tossed them all kinds of ideas, some of them they even liked. I think Matt Bechberger is working on a version that runs on a single AAA battery but there may be other improvements. I like the fact they’re actively trying to find a solution. Domo and the other imports don’t care if you throw them away when they stop working but Reveni seems to be in it for the long haul.

 

[grat]

If I had to remove the batteries from my TV remote because they would not last more than an hour, I would be looking for a different remote.

If the battery in your Reveni is dying after an hour, you have a defective unit. I get about 2 weeks out of mine-- still too short, but that's why it's worth pulling the battery out when not in use.

 

[removedacct1]

I have owned and used the Reveni meter for about a year now, and I have had a similar experience with regard to battery life. Its enough of a problem that I consider it to be a fatal flaw in an otherwise superb meter. I'm not interested in removing the battery after every use, so I often pick it up and discover that the battery is dead. I've likely been through 8 or 9 batteries in the past year.
Its a shame it wasn't engineered to use a more suitable battery, even if it meant making the housing 2X its current size.

Still, I do recommend it, even with the caveats.

 

[madNbad]

I have owned and used the Reveni meter for about a year now, and I have had a similar experience with regard to battery life. Its enough of a problem that I consider it to be a fatal flaw in an otherwise superb meter. I'm not interested in removing the battery after every use, so I often pick it up and discover that the battery is dead. I've likely been through 8 or 9 batteries in the past year.
Its a shame it wasn't engineered to use a more suitable battery, even if it meant making the housing 2X its current size.

Still, I do recommend it, even with the caveats.

I bought a box of twelve Energizer A76 cells. Most of the time I’ll leave the battery tray out of the meter and it will last several weeks. If I’m heading out for a day, I bring a spare.

 

[madNbad]

A slide in battery holder like the one used in the Digiflash makes it really easy to remove and then replace a battery. But a mechanical switch would be even better.

The battery is held in a tray. It only takes seconds to remove it or install it.

 

[madNbad]

They are 3D printed nylon. Much stronger and more flexible than plastic.