Need recommendation: spot meter that can be read at night

Roy Keane · Feb 26, 2022

I'm old and my night vision is terrible. Can anyone recommend an external spot meter that:

Is easy to read at night
is a good value in the used market

I have an old Minolta Spotmeter M. Works great, but I just can't see it at night without a flashlight.

Deleted member 88956 · Feb 26, 2022

Spotmeter M (and F) has backlit display, does it not work on yours?

Roy Keane · Feb 26, 2022

Yeah, the backlighting is wonky on mine and the letters/numbers are really small

Alan9940 · Feb 26, 2022

I've never used my Reveni Labs Spot Meter at night, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work and be easy to read. The low EV end could be an issue depending on just how dark something is that you want to read. I doubt there are any used ones around, yet, but they aren't particularly expensive new. Might want to dash off a message to Matt and ask about using this meter at night.

Deleted member 88956 · Feb 26, 2022

Well, if digits are too small on Minolta, I don't know of one that has them bigger. Pentax Digital Spot has bright red LEDs in the finder, can't miss those, but I'm not sure if this is one to use at night, not even in the dark. Meter needs to be able to measure that dim setting, before there is a need to see what it measured. Gossen's Lunapro SBC is very sensitive, but that has no light. Its Spot Attachment kills some of that sensitivity and makes meter twice as big. Never used Gossen's Ultra Spot, maybe that is something to look at, but not a cheap option.

Personally I'd go with another Minolta Spot M or F, just one that is all good as designed.

Alan Edward Klein · Feb 26, 2022

Maybe a fresh battery might help.

Donald Qualls · Feb 26, 2022

I have an ancient Pentax 21/1 spotmeter, and with the correct battery its internal dial light is easy enough to read. Problem is, the dial light runs off the mercury battery that powers the meter circuit, so you're either going through zinc-air hearing aid type batteries or you need a converter -- and the converter I have won't pass enough current to operate the dial light. I've heard of converting these to run the dial light from the 9V booster battery (used for light levels below, IIRC, EV 10); that's a one-time upgrade that can include changing the "grain of wheat" incandescent dial lamp to a tiny white LED, and give you a meter that, with care, will last another fifty years.

Sirius Glass · Feb 26, 2022

The Pentax Digital Spot Meter is a bright digital EV number, however then one will have problems reading and moving the dials at night.

markbau · Feb 26, 2022

VTLD said:
Well, if digits are too small on Minolta, I don't know of one that has them bigger. Pentax Digital Spot has bright red LEDs in the finder, can't miss those, but I'm not sure if this is one to use at night, not even in the dark. Meter needs to be able to measure that dim setting, before there is a need to see what it measured. Gossen's Lunapro SBC is very sensitive, but that has no light. Its Spot Attachment kills some of that sensitivity and makes meter twice as big. Never used Gossen's Ultra Spot, maybe that is something to look at, but not a cheap option.

Personally I'd go with another Minolta Spot M or F, just one that is all good as designed.

Agree regarding the Pentax digital spot, very easy to read at night the only problem is it can't read very low light levels. I started a thread about this not long ago. I'm now looking at this Sekonic:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...401_858_l_858d_u_speedmaster_light_meter.html

ic-racer · Feb 26, 2022

Many of the Sekonic spot meters have illuminated display on the outside. My 558 also shows illuminated exposure information through the eyepiece.
However, since the tone reproduction cycle distorts quite a bit as EV goes down, I wouldn't know how to interpret a spot reading at night.

eli griggs · Feb 27, 2022

A business sized fresnel card, together with tiny button cell LED seems to me to be what is needed for the Minolta, which is a great meter, M or F.

Pentax meters are too dim to see, and the V lacks illumination on the needle scale, beyond the first few readings, IMO

Richard Man · Feb 27, 2022

It's not just the display, but the sensitivity of the meter. For example, EV0 is 1 sec F1 aperture. Most meters do not meter that low, let alone EV -2, -3 etc.

Neil Poulsen · Feb 27, 2022

My thought . . . if there's enough light to photograph, then there should be at least enough light to read a meter.

How about a light on a headband that can be worn on those occasions where it's tough to see a dial. Pentax Spotmeters, either the digital or the Pentax Spotmeter V, have an internal light to make it easier to take a reading. But use some sort of flash light to read the dial. Maybe a small pen light that could be put between teeth would work? How often is this an issue with your photography?

faberryman · Feb 27, 2022

What film are you using at what ISO/EI and shutter speed/aperture settings when it is so dark you can’t see the markings on your exposure meter?

Donald Qualls · Feb 27, 2022

faberryman said:
What film are you using at what ISO/EI and shutter speed/aperture settings when it is so dark you can’t see the markings on your exposure meter?

Any film, as long as there's a tripod, cable release, and reciprocity calculator...

eli griggs · Feb 27, 2022

I like the idea of a head light or clip on visor or glasses light but, with a strong red filter that can give illumination to Minolta, M, F or other exterior displays.

This would do nothing to aid Pentax spotmeter with internal displays.

DREW WILEY · Feb 27, 2022

The Minolta Spotmeter F has bright LED readout. For the Pentax digital spotmeter, which I prefer, I just carry a little folding magnifying glass and, if too late in the day, a mini-flashlight in my pocket too. But if it's that dark, you might be off the lower end of the EV scale anyway.

etn · Mar 5, 2022

Richard Man said:
It's not just the display, but the sensitivity of the meter. For example, EV0 is 1 sec F1 aperture. Most meters do not meter that low, let alone EV -2, -3 etc.

The new Sekonic L-858 measures down to -5 EV, according to the datasheet. (Disclaimer: I do not own one and have not tested this feature)
It is not particularly a "good value on the used market", though, if you manage to find one used at all. The meter has been introduced only a few years ago.

Arthurwg · Mar 5, 2022

Small penlight

Need recommendation: spot meter that can be read at night

Deleted member 88956

Deleted member 88956

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