Pocketable Meter

[Sjixxxy]

I use a Luna Pro SBC right now, great meter, but if I'm shooting anything smaller then 4x5, it is bigger then the camera. Are there any good small incident meters available on the market, or quality used ones that are affordable that I can use in more social gathering type situations where just showing up with a small rangefinder or MF Folder is preferable. I don't need any frills, just the ability to do incident readings when I need them. I'm halfway decent and judging a scene by eye, but when the light gets more tricky it is good to have one, and the luna pro doesn't fit well into pockets unless I'm wearing a coat.

 

[Flotsam]

Check out the Gossen Digisix (or Digiflash). I use mine all the time and love it. It's tiny, accurate and does incident or 25 degree reflected.

 

[mark]

There is that little tiny spot meter. Aggie has one. That sucker is tiny but definitely on the expensive side.

Ambient meter-I though Gossen made a small basic one?

 

[Deniz]

Sekonic L-398 incident meter is very small and doesnt even use batteries.. can't get any better than that..

 

[rjr]

Two suggestions:

If you´re in with bigger bucks, go for a Gossen Digisix - allthough it reminds me more of a bicycle speed-o-meter it´s a full scale lightmeter (with some bugs). Gossen offers an adapter to mount it to accessory mounts/hot shoes. I actually don´t like digital lightmeters, I need an overview on EVs with one glimpse of my eye - too much fiddling around with these digital toys.

The alternative comes from the long gone Soviet Union - a Sverdlovsk 4. I recently bought a few kits via Ebay from Kharkov, Ukraine... apparently they were new, the boxes labeled in succeeding numbers, serial numbers matching and truly looking unused. Got them for 15Dollar plus 7 bucks postage in total - not bad deal.

The Sverdlovsk is twice the size of the Digisix when used in battery mode, half the size of a box of cigarettes. It´s a CdS meter, usable in object and incident mode, covering a field of ca. 8°...

You have a viewfinder - raise it to your eye, push the button on the side and turn the wheel with your thumb until the LED starts glowing. Thats your reading... easy, no?

Designed for Rsch53, the soviet kind of PX625 mercury cells - but there is a bridge circuit installed, the meter swallows everything in a range of 3 up to 4 Volt. Plus the kit comes with an battery adapter which is filled with ordinary AA cells and mounts on the bottom of the lightmeter.

The whole thing is cheap, accurate in readings, decent in finish and small. I like mine.

Theres a actual photo of one of the kits I purchased:

http://fotos.cconin.de/kameras/zub.htm#sverdlovsk4

And on-detail information:

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/sverdlovsk4/index.htm

If you are too lazy to judge or meter - print out my Tomsk 1d table, based on Sunny 16 and Sunny 11.

http://www.rohleder.gmxhome.de/tomsk1d.pdf

I always carry a copy in my wallet - and I know many around the world doing it, too.

Best, Roman

 

[Ole]

I have a very small Kalimar Clip-on meter - no batteries, smaller than a 35mm film canister. Cost me hardly anything at all (postage + $2) on ebay...

Now if anyone could point me to a manual, I'd be very happy!

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have a Digisix, and I like it. One thing that takes getting used to is that it's so small you have to pay a little more attention to the orientation of the sphere to be sure you're getting an accurate reading, but once you get the hang of it, it's a good meter. It's what I've been using lately when I'm just wandering around the city. It also has a timer, clock, and temperature reading, so I can use it in place of the pocket watch that I usually carry, and it's also handy for Polaroids.

 

[Sjixxxy]

Does the Sverdlovsk 4 have incident metering? I don't know enough german to tell if itis mentioned in the first link, and the second doesn't say, though the illustrations on Page 5 of the manual looks like it is flipping it over for ambient readings.

 

[rjr]

Does the Sverdlovsk 4 have incident metering? I don't know enough german to tell if itis mentioned in the first link, and the second doesn't say, though the illustrations on Page 5 of the manual looks like it is flipping it over for ambient readings.

Correct, there is a small diffusor plate on top of the meter that can be turned 180° and flipped over. It then covers the cell and 50% of the viewfinder.

Oh, indeed, thats page 5. I haven´t found a copy of an english manual yet, looks like Alfred had no luck either.

But it´s pretty much self-explanatory.

The best in the manual is the illustration of "incident vs ambient reading" - would _you_ demonstrate it in front of a tiger? ;->

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/sverdlovsk4/manual/10.htm

Bought mine from a guy in Kharkov, his ebay nick is "Soviet-Foto"... because I bought two of the Sverdlovsk he threw in a third (a Lunasix3-copy named Leningrad 6) in for free.

Roman

 

[Dean Williams]

Check out a Sekonic Twinmate. It's small (about the size of a film canister) and will do ref and inc. I think it is model #208.

Dean

 

[Lee Shively]

I agree with Dean. The Sekonic Twinmate L-208. Tiny little meter that doesn't cost a lot and is very accurate. It is for both reflected and incident light. Be forewarned, it doesn't have a thermometer, alarm clock, GPS or cell phone included. It only reads light.