Luna Pro SBC

I never bought the Gossen Luna Pro because all the cameras I had back in the day of film(save the Pentax 6x7) had built in meters. I got the urge for some reason to buy one recently, a Luna Pro SBC from KEH and it looks like it saw little service and, what a joy it is! It's spot on reading reflective or incident light. I have a white stucco wall out back and decided to try it out. I used incident metering first and you could see the texture in the photo but it was white just like the wall. I metered again using reflective mode, opened up two stops over the recommended settings and voila, same as the incident reading.

I wish I had gotten one of these years ago as I wouldn't have had to carry a spare 35mm camera around to do my metering while using the 6x7. This is definitely a keeper and I decided to order the Variable Angle adapter to give 7 1/2 and 15 degree metering.

I have one of these, and I agree that they are excellent meters. I use mine with my Rolleicord and Bronica cameras. It is definitely one of the best analogue meters.
Alex.

I have a Sekonic L-778 spot meter but I'll never sell my Luna Pro SBC...NEVER!!

I like mine a lot too. I have the 7.5 degree angle attachment with which it can also, to some extent depending on the size area I need to meter, also fill in for my spotmeter in a pinch.

The only downside to it is that it's quite a handful. Doesn't bother me but it's larger than many meters and I've heard of people even being shocked by the size when they see one. It fits in a shirt pocket but definitely fills said shirt pocket.

Roger Cole said:

The only downside to it is that it's quite a handful. Doesn't bother me but it's larger than many meters and I've heard of people even being shocked by the size when they see one. It fits in a shirt pocket but definitely fills said shirt pocket.

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You have not added yet the Profispot-attachment...


The Luna Pro-SBC (originally designated Profisix) is not only a large but also a great meter.

I have a Luna Pro SBC and the 15° and 7.5° spot attachment. My only complaint is that it does have this nasty habit of munching on 9 volt batteries when it sits in the camera bag.

I bought my Profisix a bit over 30 years ago brand new in Germany, not the cheapest, but I have used ever since and slowly picked up most of the accessories.

Agx I agree the spotmeter attachment is rather large, but it is really accurate, plus you can change from 1º to 5º to 10º at the twist of a switch, that is the good news. The bad news, to read the changes you have to take the meter away from your eye and take a reading. Apart from that, it's brilliant.

I also used the lab attachment under the enlarger for a while and still do if I visit someone new to enlarging in their darkroom. Picked up the repro attachment and that worked better than I thought it would for under a reproduction camera and photographing flat pictures.

The tele attachment 7.5º and 15º is the one attachment I thought I would use the most, but I don't, I prefer the spot meter attachment instead.

The Profi Flex was a real sleeper, didn't really know if it would be useful. I picked it up for a few dollars about 20 years ago and it lay around, one day it was used for ground glass TTL to ascertain correct exposure for extreme bellows on a view camera, dead accurate. This can also be used with a step wedge and a light box and you can turn the Profisix into a sort of densitometer. Certainly tells you if your shutter speeds/gradations are accurate.

The Profi flash attachment works, I have the original model, but I wouldn't say it was that great, but it works.

I've used the Profi select TTL but that was a work situation and came with a pair of Sinar 4x5 and 8x10 cameras we had in our studios. It was using these that made me get the Profi Flex.

I have also used the profi Lux in a work environment, never seen one for sale, would pick one up in a flash if one was handy and the right price.

I have seen the Profi-Color being used, it works is all I can say. From memory one had to consult charts to get correct readings under certain situations. The studio had one for evaluation, it was so bad we handed it back before we had to and bought a dedicated colour meter which I think may have been a Minolta unit, not sure.

They are a wonderful meter, if you see the odd accessory around for the right price and they could be useful for you, then get them, they certainly enhance the meter.

The Profisix was replaced with the Mastersix, I think. The Mastersix was pretty good, but you don't see many of those around at all. Maybe they never sold, maybe they stopped measuring light, I don't know.

I have seen this single Profisix meter sitting in this establishment for decades now. Originally it was for sale at $1,100 AUD plus sales tax of 32% or $1,452 AUD. In July 2000 Australia switched to a VAT type of tax and the meter came down as the tax was now 10% instead of 32%.

You can see that it is still for sale and is brand new here. Interesting price dropping, maybe they realise it is sort of really over priced, it must have been in stock for close to 20 years.

https://www.vanbar.com.au/catalogue/product.php?id=94973

Mick.

I had originally thought the SBC was probably smaller than a pack of cigarettes...I was wrong. It's not overly large but bigger than I thought. It gets the job done and much smaller than my old Pentax spot meter for sure as it looks like a pistol and close to the size.

I have ordered the Variable Angle Attachment but forgot to ask if instructions came with it. It seems I've read when using the 15 degree section you have to add +1 stop exposure. It seems to me it would read correctly without that additional exposure since it's metering "through the lens"..

Mick Fagan said:

AgX, I agree the spotmeter attachment is rather large, but it is really accurate, plus you can change from 1º to 5º to 10º at the twist of a switch, that is the good news. The bad news, to read the changes you have to take the meter away from your eye and take a reading. Apart from that, it's brilliant.

The tele attachment 7.5º and 15º is the one attachment I thought I would use the most, but I don't, I prefer the spot meter attachment instead.

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Depends on what you are are doing. If you are out and about with a small camera and the Profisix, the Tele-attachment would not add really much size but adds metering comfort. In such a situation adding the Profispot-attachment will actually add significantly on the bulk of ones stuff.

ColColt said:

I had originally thought the SBC was probably smaller than a pack of cigarettes...I was wrong. It's not overly large but bigger than I thought. It gets the job done and much smaller than my old Pentax spot meter for sure as it looks like a pistol and close to the size.

I have ordered the Variable Angle Attachment but forgot to ask if instructions came with it. It seems I've read when using the 15 degree section you have to add +1 stop exposure. It seems to me it would read correctly without that additional exposure since it's metering "through the lens"..

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I added color spots to the light meter to remind me of the change in settings when using the attachment.

If you don't need spot metering but want a great incident and reflected meter, the little Sekonic is so freaking handy. Tiny enough that there's never an excuse to be without. Mine has lasted something like 15 years.

The SBC is a fine meter. It's my go to meter.
However personally on the less frequent situation that I want a spot meter, I'd prefer a stand alone spotmeter.
Admitidly I'm taken in by the idea of a cool spotmeter attachment for the meter I already like and am familiar with.......but for me when I weigh the advantages as I see them the attachment is gimmicky to me:
1) The attachment is big enough that I ask myself why not have another meter.
2) The attachment does not draw on the strengths and ease of use of the SBC (in my perception).
3) The Digital Pentax and Spotmeter F are top-notch (so much so that their weakness can be written off as preference or mearly insatiable photographer griping).

I don't claim to have the final word on this, that's just how I come down on this.

rthollenbeck said:

The SBC is a fine meter. It's my go to meter.
However personally on the less frequent situation that I want a spot meter, I'd prefer a stand alone spotmeter.
Admitidly I'm taken in by the idea of a cool spotmeter attachment for the meter I already like and am familiar with.......but for me when I weigh the advantages as I see them the attachment is gimmicky to me:
1) The attachment is big enough that I ask myself why not have another meter.
2) The attachment does not draw on the strengths and ease of use of the SBC (in my perception).
3) The Digital Pentax and Spotmeter F are top-notch (so much so that their weakness can be written off as preference or mearly insatiable photographer griping).

I don't claim to have the final word on this, that's just how I come down on this.

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I have used a Nikon F-100's spot meter with my 28mm to 300mm zoom lens as a highly selective spot meter.

I agree. I have a spotmeter (Soligor Spot Sensor, it will be replaced eventually but it does work) that I carry with my 4x5 kit. I keep the SBC in the bag with my Yashicamat 124. But I do have the attachment along and can use it if a situation is tricky and calls for it.

rthollenbeck said:

The SBC is a fine meter. It's my go to meter.
However personally on the less frequent situation that I want a spot meter, I'd prefer a stand alone spotmeter.
Admitidly I'm taken in by the idea of a cool spotmeter attachment for the meter I already like and am familiar with.......but for me when I weigh the advantages as I see them the attachment is gimmicky to me:
1) The attachment is big enough that I ask myself why not have another meter.
2) The attachment does not draw on the strengths and ease of use of the SBC (in my perception).
3) The Digital Pentax and Spotmeter F are top-notch (so much so that their weakness can be written off as preference or mearly insatiable photographer griping).

I don't claim to have the final word on this, that's just how I come down on this.

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This is precisely why I have a Luna Pro SBC and a Sekonic L-778.

I've been playing around with the Variable Angle Attachment mostly in 15 degrees area and found it's spot on if you add +1.5 to your read exposure. The back of the unit indicates +1 for the 15 degree circle but maybe due to age or whatever it's now +1.5 consistently. I can live with that.

If anyone has a spare spot attachment for the SBC let me know, I'm in the market.

Welcome to APUG

I was fortunate to buy one from a member here, at the recommendation of others. I have no idea as to my proficiency w/ it, but I seem to get negatives w/ it. There was no way any other meter was going to seem anything but huge. My little selenium cell was 1"x1"x about 5/8". 10 of them would fit in your pocket. No, the SBC does not create its own atmosphere & gravity, but its a big boy. And a pleasure to use. 16 frames yest. 18 today. When folks told me it was a good meter, they told me right.

HiHoSílver, concerning size you still have to attach that Profispot thingy to your meter, as "You aint seen nothing yet".

Enjoy your meter.

I think I got it. One pod for the meter, one for the camera. check.