Long exposure light meter : Luna Pro, Sekonic L 718, L 358.

Pasukaru · Feb 14, 2016

I am looking for a reliable and accurate lightmeter suitable for long exposure in the night. My budget is around $200.
Can you please suggest me which one will work better between the Luna Pro SBC - F, Sekonic L 718 or the L 358?

Any onther good lightmeter beside these 4?

MattKing · Feb 15, 2016

The Lunapro SBC (Profisix in most of the world) has much better low light capability than the Lunapro F.

Otherwise, they are very similar, with the exception of the flash metering capabilities built into the F.

MattKing · Feb 15, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
LunaPro SBC is a good meter, although a voracious battery eater, for a reason I have never understood. You would think there would be no reason for a light meter to need so much. But 2 for 2 in my ownership experience, they eat 9V batteries like candy.

My Profisix (LunaPro SBC) lasted me about 30 years before it died.

A 9 volt alkaline battery was usually good for at least a couple of years.

The design of the battery connector might make it vulnerable to wear.

zanxion72 · Feb 15, 2016

I have the Lunalite SBC (the one with the three leds) and does well with long exposures. The battery also (9V) seems to last forever.
Btw, how long are the exposures you need?

Pasukaru · Feb 15, 2016

zanxion72 said:
I have the Lunalite SBC (the one with the three leds) and does well with long exposures. The battery also (9V) seems to last forever.
Btw, how long are the exposures you need?

The 90% of the time I won't need more than 30m of exposure. For that I was taking in consideration the Sekonic too.
Anyway, If the LunaPro is accurate and reliable I will get it since is less expensive than both the Sekonic.

Jesper · Feb 15, 2016

Profisix (LunaPro SBC) is a very good low light meter. I have two and change battery about once every three years. I use them for LF so it's just a couple of readings for each exposure and not that many exposures per month. Perhaps the batteries would drain a bit faster if I used them for 35mm as well but I don't want my meter to be bigger than my camera so they stay at home when I'm doing 35mm.

Pasukaru · Feb 15, 2016

Jesper said:
Profisix (LunaPro SBC) is a very good low light meter. I have two and change battery about once every three years. I use them for LF so it's just a couple of readings for each exposure and not that many exposures per month. Perhaps the batteries would drain a bit faster if I used them for 35mm as well but I don't want my meter to be bigger than my camera so they stay at home when I'm doing 35mm.

I will use it for 4x5 and 6x7 mostly...

Patrick Robert James · Feb 15, 2016

I have had an SBC for about 4 years now and haven't changed the battery yet. I replaced an uber expensive Sekonic do everything meter with the SBC when a battery blew up in the Sekonic. As far as I am concerned the SBC is a biiiiig upgrade....

Pasukaru · Feb 15, 2016

I just bought a Luna Pro SBC for $40... I hope it will work fine. Thanks for the answer.

Sirius Glass · Feb 15, 2016

Gossen Luna Pro SBC can be bought for under $100 from KEH. I bought mine through them.

HiHoSilver · Feb 15, 2016

Pasukaru, I was asking a similar question a couple months back. 'Got the same (similar) input. I bought the SBC from another member here. It has worked very well in 30sec - 16m exposures. I think you'll be pleased with it.

Les Sarile · Feb 18, 2016

What is the longest exposure that the SBC can calculate? Any ISO/aperture limitation with this?

HiHoSilver · Feb 18, 2016

Les Sarile said:
What is the longest exposure that the SBC can calculate? Any ISO/aperture limitation with this?

Hours

MattKing · Feb 19, 2016

Les Sarile said:
What is the longest exposure that the SBC can calculate? Any ISO/aperture limitation with this?

1/4000 sec to 8 hours
f/0.7 to f/128
ASA (ISO) Range 0.8 to 100,000
EV -8 - +24

Sensitivity 016 - 32,000 footcandles

from the manual

MattKing · Feb 19, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
After you have gone down to EV 0-1 at ASA 250, all the meters lose accuracy down to the reciprocity point. So I wouldn't put too much stock in a dial, as it is just a dial. Really doesn't mean a heck of a lot. For instance, I recently sold a Nikon F2S in absolute perfect condition. An F2S with a good meter can meter down to 10 seconds, and do it quite well. But even that one moved progressively closer to 1 stop off as I approached the 8-10 second range. Facing the cold reality, when it gets dark, the meter gets as blind as you do with your own eyes. No light is no light, period. It's a light meter. AFAIK, nobody has ever invented a "dark meter".
To this end, an SBC is a very fine, brittle, breakable plastic piece of oversized battery-hogging German engineering. As good as a meter gets (or got in its day). That's all there is to it. 8 hours? Throw in reciprocity into the mix and it's probably more like 8 days.
In reality, it's just a darn good meter that can see no better than you can.

There are of course no reciprocity issues with the meter itself - those arise with the recording medium.

The critical specification is the sensitivity range - 016 to 32,000 footcandles is very good.

APUGuser 19 has obviously had bad luck with them. Mine lasted for decades - and in some cases hard use - and used very few batteries. The pros and advanced amateurs that I sold them to back when they were current never came back to me with anything other than expressed satisfaction (save those who would have preferred them to be smaller).

chuck94022 · Feb 19, 2016

For what it's worth, I just bought an "as is" Luna Pro SBC on e*ay for $32. The bonus was that the proceeds went to the yolo county spca. I worried about "as is", but as it turns out, "as is" meant it included the spot meter attachment. The thing works like a charm and is clean as a whistle. It's going to be a nice addition to my LF bag, where everything I carry is just slightly too large...

Les Sarile · Feb 20, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
Facing the cold reality, when it gets dark, the meter gets as blind as you do with your own eyes. No light is no light, period. It's a light meter. AFAIK, nobody has ever invented a "dark meter".

I have always wondered why all the cameras that have aperture priority autoexeposure I have tested to date - earliest to latest, have a limited exposure time. That is, until I came across the Pentax LX. All the cameras I have tested have different results then what is listed in the manual except for the Canons that are fixed at 30 seconds. The manual for the LX states "125 second at f/1.2 to 1/2000th second at f/22 at ASA 100 under normal temperatures and humidity". But unlike all the other cameras, it keeps the shutter open for as long as it takes for it to get a "good exposure" or batteries die - all the while monitoring the scene for changes in lighting and changing exposure time accordingly due to its off-the-film metering scheme. I have since acquired a second LX and have tested both extensively and here are some long exposure shots I have taken with it.

I tried an obvious 15 minute exposure (minutes hand) taken on Kodak Gold 100.

Greater than 40 minutes on Kodak Ektar 100

This one I fired the shutter before 9pm and it closed sometime after 3am using Kodak Gold 100

I will be curious to try out the SBC and comparing its reading to my LX.

Les Sarile · Feb 20, 2016

APUGuser19 said:
Nice photos. A Pentax ES does that too.

Thanks.

I also tested the Pentax ES - as well as various other models from practically all other brands, and I have found no other models that come close and be repeatable to what the LX can do. Just to be sure I am talking about aperture priority autoexposure. Of course the only other cameras with off-the-film metering - and can monitor the scene and adjust exposure time in realtime albeit to a limited degree, are the Olympus OM2, 3 & 4.

AgX · Feb 20, 2016

Les Sarile said:
Of course the only other cameras with off-the-film metering - and can monitor the scene and adjust exposure time in realtime albeit to a limited degree, are the Olympus OM2, 3 & 4.

The Canon T90 employs off-the film surface metering too, for controlling flash exposure in a one certain metering setting.

Les Sarile · Feb 20, 2016

AgX said:
The Canon T90 employs off-the film surface metering too, for controlling flash exposure in a one certain metering setting.

I wondered when Canon finally incorporated TTL flash.

I only listed off-the-film metering as it pertained to this thread although I am aware of a few other models that had TTL flash.

Long exposure light meter : Luna Pro, Sekonic L 718, L 358.

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