Lightmeter question??

[Greg_E]

For at least a year the Digisix was gone from the web site and not available anywhere, they may have brought it back which is a good thing.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

For at least a year the Digisix was gone from the web site and not available anywhere, they may have brought it back which is a good thing.

I'm currently preparing a review on lightmeters for FotoTV in Germany, and Gossen send me a Digisix (among others) for sampling. I doubt they would do that without longer-term plans. Then again, I asked for it, but still...

 

[stradibarrius]

I'm currently preparing a review on lightmeters for FotoTV in Germany, and Gossen send me a Digisix (among others) for sampling. I doubt they would do that without longer-term plans. Then again, I asked for it, but still...

Ralph, is it possible that you can share your opinions?
The original reason I asked the question is my two favorite cameras, RB67 & Yashica 124G do not have meters and these are used for all tyoes of photography.

 

[Q.G.]

well ... the Digisix would not be a bad one to get.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Ralph, is it possible that you can share your opinions?
The original reason I asked the question is my two favorite cameras, RB67 & Yashica 124G do not have meters and these are used for all tyoes of photography.

You got a lot of good advise in this thread already!

I said from the beginning that you will receive as many suggestions as people have meters. The reason? All name-brand meters, currently sold, are good meters. I do not know about any 'bad' meter.

Some work better for certain applications than others, some are very specific, others are more versatile. If you don't use the Zone System, you may not need a spotmeter. If you work in the studio with flash systems, you need one that can meter flash output. If you travel a lot, weight and size may be an issue. If you need more flexibility, a lightweight, tiny meter is not for you. If you do a lot of repro work, you want a retractable or replaceable dome.

It really depends on what you need it for and what fits your style of work. Some people love multi-purpose meters, others hate the compromise they sometime make to offer an all-in-one meter. Dedicated meters are often better at what they do, but you may need more than one meter to cover your type of work.

I suggest you go to a quality dealer and try a few out.

Personal opinion (and that's all it is):

1. every Gossen meter is good (except for their bulky spotmeter)
2. the Pentax digital spotmeter is hard to beat for Zone System work
3. the Zone VI version of the above brought no benefit to me
3. the Minolta spotmeter (not available new) has a better reading precision than above, but that is without practical consequence
4. Sekonic has excellent multi-purpose meters

Some advise based on my experience:

If you buy second-hand, make sure the batteries are still available. Learn how to use a meter (and when not to trust it) and make it part of your film calibration. Don't meter through a filter, meter without and apply the filter factor afterwards (especially with red filters). Understand that your camera, film/developer and meter is a system. Together, they dictate your EI.

 

[Q.G.]

I think the bulky Gossen Spot Meter is good too, except for its appetite for batteries and being bulky.
It is excellent for Zone work, offering a zone mode no other meter i know can equal.
What do you not like about it?

 

[Stuart Turnbull]

I would suggest a Polaris with spot attachment,never failed me once, simple to use too.

 

[Ihmemies]

If you don't mind digital meters and don't *need* a spot feature, Sekonic L-358 seems to be a pretty decent meter, looking at the specs. You can get one with 150eur incl. shipping from Hong Kong (= ebay), if you are lucky with import taxes.. I first considered Gossen Digisix/Flash, but Sekonic seemed to offer significantly more features for about same price.

 

[Greg_E]

The one single nice thing about the Digisix/Digiflash is that you can change the markings and get a non-corrected indication for much smaller apertures like you might find in Pinhole cameras. Mine is now able to indicate up to f512 and seems to do a decent job when there is enough light for the film to stay within reasonable exposure times. Just something to mention, that and they are small.

All that said sometimes I wish I had a good spot meter and sometimes a meter that could easily be set for the exposure of a video camera. Probably the spot meter would be used more often than the video work.

 

[DanielStone]

If I did lose them, I'd get the same two meters I have now, Sekonic L-358dr and L-778 spot meter. Love em' both, and even getting both used, they are terrific performers, and are both accurate to withing 1/10 stop of each other.

got both for a steal, but I'd be lucky to get them for the price I did again. therefore, I baby them to death.

-Dan