Need light meter! Gossen Multibeam or Sixtar?

[jtlns]

Hi all, to measure correct exposure with my Bronica SQ-A I'm looking for an affordable light meter. So far I found 2 working meters I can buy over her in Belgium the Gossen Multibeam (or Variosix Electronic 2 as it's called in Europe) and the Gossen Sixtar. To me the difference seems that the Multibeam has 2 LED lights to find the correct exposure, and it will allow you to do spot metering. The Sixtar has an analog needle find exposure.

I'm leaning more towards the Multibeam, but it's an older device. Do you see any reason to pick on over the other?

Once again, thanks for your advice!
Jan

 

[AgX]

Concerning light meters, as a crucial tool, you should not look what you can obtain at the moment, but rather what meter suits you best, and then look where to find it, even locally. It should not be that problem to find any Gossen meter in Belgium.

Here are many threads on "best" meters.

 

[jtlns]

Well "best" meters usually equal "$$$".
Since I'm just starting to explore MF, I'm not yet willing to invest a lot of money in a light meter. My idea was to buy "what's good enough" for now, see how it goes and then later on maybe "scale up" to a meter that can also do flash/strobe metering.

Hope this makes sense!

 

[AgX]

Depends on what you have to pay for those you have in mind right now.

 

[itsdoable]

I have used both.

The Sixtar requires a mercury cell for accurate readings, which are no longer being made. There are options, a voltage stabilized insert with a silver oxide cell ($$) or recalibrating the meter for silver oxide voltages. It is fast reacting, and has a extended low light range.

The MultiBeam is a null meter design, and is not as dependent on battery voltage - thus you can use cheap alkaline batteries in it. It is a little slower in use, but you can be more precise in where you are making reflective measurements.

 

[MattKing]

I find the MultiBeam to be difficult to use, because it can be challenging to determine when the two LEDs are "matched".

 

[piu58]

I use the Gossen Digiflash (very similar to Digisix) for many years. It is very small and very accurate, I love it. No spot metering, of course.
You can buy it new for around 150€ or look for a decent one in ebay (as I did).

 

[Mick Fagan]

In your part of the world Gossen is everywhere, I would be thinking a Gossen meter, but to be honest for a really smaller increase in cost, you could have one of the far better Gossen meters.

I myself have owned and used the same Gossen Profi-Six meter for over 32 years, it turned out to be the almost the best ever purchase in photography for me. As time went on and my photography requirements expanded/changed, I picked up, bit by bit, a few accessories for the Profi-Six.

They are now very cheap in various parts of the world I have been to, plus accessories, which may or may not in the future be needed or desired by yourself, are everywhere as well.

Mine, and others I have used, are seemingly very accurate and just work and work and work.

Uwe made a good suggestion, the Gossen Digisix is what I have used when I road tested a Bronica SQA some years ago. The SQA I nearly bought came with a speed grip, which has on its top, a hot shoe. The Digisix has an accessory that allows you to place the meter onto a hot shoe mount, which was being sold with the camera.

The Digiflash that Uwe mentioned is what I would purchase today if my Profi-Six died. It is incredibly small, seems accurate and from my memory with the Digisix, comes with a 9V battery, meaning you will get a lot of use between battery replacements.

This is a Luna Pro F which does flash as well as reflected and incident light measurements.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gossen-Luna...203919?hash=item5680affa0f:g:OlAAAOSwFqJWjdW5

This is in Germany and depending upon just where you are in Belgium, possibly only a short drive away in Solingen.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Gossen-Prifi...935027?hash=item41a1e3cc73:g:qzQAAOSwUdlWc-q1

Both of these meters should have a leather two piece case, mine does and it has protected my meter in a back pack, motorcycle pannier, checked baggage on aeroplanes, the back of a bicycle.

But perhaps the best one, would be to go with the more modern and much smaller Digiflash. Any meter that is as small as this and is capable of measuring flash, incident and reflected measuring, is something to behold. You will at some point in time in your photographic journey, wish to measure flash light, reflected light and incident light, this little meter does all three in a really small package.

I realise money can be very important, but, get a good light meter if you can. It will serve you well, possibly for something like 32+ years like mine has.

Mick.

 

[sagai]

It took me a while to persuade myself that I need a light meter, finally I had a Sekonic L308-s that was double than the budget I have set before.
I have Never regret it for a minute regardless it costs me more or less the same as my medium format TLR. I
tend to use it for my 35mm slrs too rather than the built in meter of those.

Apart from my ignorance all exposures I have now is spot on for MF.

So, I also would do encourage you not to hesitate a wee more expensive one if that would serve you better on a long run.

It would be an offy situation to have an entry model and in some low to medium light situation all you would have is out of measurement response from your new meter.