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Looking for a light meter
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Gossen Luna Star F2 and You'll never regret it.
I still am using a couple Minolta IV F meters, love these.
The little bity Gossen Digisix meters are great, I have one of the original and the Digisix F models. Light meter, watch, thermometer
And you can where it around your neck and not know it's there.
The little bity Gossen Digisix meters are great, I have one of the original and the Digisix F models. Light meter, watch, thermometer
And you can where it around your neck and not know it's there.
I had the same quandary when I bought my Bronica SQa. I looked around and being a follower of Minolta equipment I bought a Minolta Autometer 3 complete with Invercone (their version) and a 10 degree spot adapter. OK it isn't a true spot meter but it still does a damn good job and it didn't cost me a fortune. I have yet to have a poor exposure using it.
It is quick to respond when the button is pressed and you can save up to 5 exposure zones and average them out
It is quick to respond when the button is pressed and you can save up to 5 exposure zones and average them out
Minolta made all sorts of attachments, flat diffuser is nice for adjusting lighting ratios. My meter uses a single AA battery.
Both the Gossen Luna Lux SBC & Sekonic L-308 can read out in EV. That was part of the selection criteria for buying them.
I own both a Gossen Luna-Lux and a Sekonic L-308s. I bought both meters used on eBay, and I paid about 3 times the price of the Gossen for the Sekonic. That was in 2019-2020. The Gossen takes a 9V battery, and the Sekonic takes a single AA; both last a long time.
Normally, I carry the Sekonic because it is smaller and lighter than the Gossen. And I think the Sekonic is more ergonomic - especially if using one-handed, or when taking incident readings (which is most of the time, for me).
But sometimes I carry two cameras loaded with different films which I want to meter at different ISO settings. The Gossen is easier/faster when changing the ISO frequently. I also prefer the analog dial on the Gossen. But the hefty size of it is what makes me want to carry the Sekonic instead.
I also owned the tiny Sekonic L-208 for a while (see post #6). I liked the size of the L-208, but the dial was loose on mine. Sometimes after shooting I will put the meter in my pocket long enough to find someplace to sit down and take notes. But I could never be sure the L-208 was still set the same as it was when I put it in my pocket.
The difference in size is greater than you might think from looking at this photo.
Normally, I carry the Sekonic because it is smaller and lighter than the Gossen. And I think the Sekonic is more ergonomic - especially if using one-handed, or when taking incident readings (which is most of the time, for me).
But sometimes I carry two cameras loaded with different films which I want to meter at different ISO settings. The Gossen is easier/faster when changing the ISO frequently. I also prefer the analog dial on the Gossen. But the hefty size of it is what makes me want to carry the Sekonic instead.
I also owned the tiny Sekonic L-208 for a while (see post #6). I liked the size of the L-208, but the dial was loose on mine. Sometimes after shooting I will put the meter in my pocket long enough to find someplace to sit down and take notes. But I could never be sure the L-208 was still set the same as it was when I put it in my pocket.
The difference in size is greater than you might think from looking at this photo.
It never seems to amaze me when someone asks me what kind of camera my luna pro sbc is. When I tell them it is a light meter they get a puzzled look on their face. My son uses his iphone app. Works about as good as my Gossen. I tried the android app and didn't like it. In the end all of them work. If you have an iphone I would start there.
Oh, I did not know that the iPhone app can take incident readings, spot readings as well as Zone System calculations. That must be a wonderful app.
myLightmeter Pro will do both reflective and a semi-incident. It's closer to a flat disc to check for even illumination. It offers EV and ISO from 3 to 6400 plus a hyperfocal estimator . You can also have up to five presets for various lenes or formats. It has a classic mode which looks a lot like a old Gossen meter. I've had it on my iPhone for years and use it occasionally but it's handy to have and it cost about five dollars. Sorry but there is no way to paste a Zone System calculator on the dial.
To the OP, the Sekonic 308 is the best deal on the market. The X version will meter for still, video, cine and wired or wireless flash. You can switch from reflective to incident in an instant. Plus you can have it read in stops or EV and adjust it for full, half or one third F stops. It runs forever on a single AA battery.
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I like the Raveni meters. I have a couple of the tiny ones and the spot meter. I tried most of the cold shoe mounted meters over the last couple of years and the Raveni is the only one whose led readout is easy to read in sunlight. I think the Raveni spot meter is simply brilliant. Both work best with fresher batteries, which is their only fault for me. They use cheap batteries, so I just always have batteries in my bag.
I’ve sold all the other meters I’ve had over the years, except for my Sekonic 308, which is a fine meter, as noted above. It’s always with me but rarely used.
I’ve sold all the other meters I’ve had over the years, except for my Sekonic 308, which is a fine meter, as noted above. It’s always with me but rarely used.
Top of my list is the Sekonic L-308 family, mine is an L-308B which must be well over twenty years old now and is still going strong. It's been dropped a few times and survived with hardly a mark, and the battery lasts forever (which can catch you out because you can tend to forget about it). Built in invercone as well.
I have a Gossen Digipro F which is very nice to hold and operate but the invercone is a separate clip on item, it's also a bit more fragile than the L-308 and the battery door keeps falling off so now it's taped over.
Then there is my Sekonic L-208, a great little meter for casual use, absolutely top marks for being so fuss free. However, in my opinion the L-208 is too small if you are going to be out in cold weather and want to operate the meter without taking your gloves off, and the dial can be easily turned from where you set it just by putting the meter in your pocket.
And one day I found myself after a long walk getting to my location and found myself without a meter, I'd rushed my packing. So using the wonders of modern technology I downloaded an app for my iPhone and it worked great, but I'm one of those people who find iPhones to be more slippery than a bar of soap, so I've never used the app again, in fact instead of an app I'd rather buy three or four Sekonic L-308 meters, then I'd have one for every camera bag.
I have a Gossen Digipro F which is very nice to hold and operate but the invercone is a separate clip on item, it's also a bit more fragile than the L-308 and the battery door keeps falling off so now it's taped over.
Then there is my Sekonic L-208, a great little meter for casual use, absolutely top marks for being so fuss free. However, in my opinion the L-208 is too small if you are going to be out in cold weather and want to operate the meter without taking your gloves off, and the dial can be easily turned from where you set it just by putting the meter in your pocket.
And one day I found myself after a long walk getting to my location and found myself without a meter, I'd rushed my packing. So using the wonders of modern technology I downloaded an app for my iPhone and it worked great, but I'm one of those people who find iPhones to be more slippery than a bar of soap, so I've never used the app again, in fact instead of an app I'd rather buy three or four Sekonic L-308 meters, then I'd have one for every camera bag.
A similar thing has happened to me a few times: I grab one camera bag from the car and walk away to take a photo only to find that I've left my one meter (a Sekonic 308) in another bag in the car. This is what prompted me to think about buying a second meter to leave in my other bag. Since I already have the Sekonic I thought about adding the Gossen Sixtomat, but maybe a second 308 is a better choice.
Don't let me talk you out of the Sixtomat. Curiosity is part of the hobby and maybe it speaks to you more than it does to me. It is a fine meter.
The L308 shown alongside the Sixtomat above is the L308B, a very old model.
The current L308X has seen quite a few upgrades, which makes me consider to get one more.
I especially like that the Sekonic now permanently shows the ISO value (instead of having to press the ISO button to see current value) and that 0.1EV value is shown with a number rather than a number of lines.
I have both Sekonic L-208 and L-308b meters. The L-208 is very small, light and pretty accurate. But one thing that comes with that is that the ISO scale is very small and if you are into setting small increments of ISO it is a coarse scale. Also, the sensor and incident reading "dome" are tiny. The L-308b is all around great, and I like it's all electronic functions which make for easy reading and I suspect are more durable than ones with mechanical interfaces. Speaking of which, I was sorry to see Quality Light Metric close.
I will not give you my favorite (I have several and there are many very good suggestions above, no need for more), but just want to add my $0.02 by stating the following:
Does your camera works with EV, i.e. offers you the possibility to choose EV instead of exposure time and f/stop? (like a Hasselblad) If yes, be sure to choose a meter which displays readings in EV.
Dialing in a single EV number, easy to remember because in the range of 5 to 15, is much more convenient than dialing in 2 numbers. Really day and night. I realized that when I started messing around with Hasselblads. I consequently miss the feature in every of my non-metered 35mm cameras!
Does your camera works with EV, i.e. offers you the possibility to choose EV instead of exposure time and f/stop? (like a Hasselblad) If yes, be sure to choose a meter which displays readings in EV.
Dialing in a single EV number, easy to remember because in the range of 5 to 15, is much more convenient than dialing in 2 numbers. Really day and night. I realized that when I started messing around with Hasselblads. I consequently miss the feature in every of my non-metered 35mm cameras!
Mine is the Sekonic L-308X and I like it.
It's a great little meter! I got mine last year when somebody posted that B&H had them on sale for $40.00 off.
I recommend this one highly.
OP
OP
Wow! Such great information. I have a few good leads now. I really like the sekonic 208 though.
OP
OP
Or maybe the Gossen Digisix. Or maybe the...
I used a Minolta IIIF Autometer with incident and 10% spot reflective readings for decades, and still have it. But lately, I've been using my Olympus E-PL1 micro 4/3 digital camera to assess exposure as well as using it as a director's viewfinder. The camera has spot, center, and averaging readings. The histogram and blinkies are helpful - I don't understand why light meter companies don't include them in their meters.
I like the Minolta but you have to replace the dome with the reflective attachment when you want to swith to reflective. Of course except for the flashmeter VI which you don't have to do that switching from spot to incident.
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