Portable used light meter recommendations - affordable, neck lanyard friendly, reflected light

[miha]

On portable meters...GOSSEN SIXTOMAT digital has been my companion for the last 20+ years. Feather-light.

 

[BradS]

...and the old Luna Pro...

 

[MattKing]

The Luna Pro SBC only has that name in the USA. It is known as the Profisix in the rest of the world. It was the successor to the older, mercury battery powered Luna Pro meters.
The Luna Pro F only has that name in the USA. It is known as the Lunasix F in the rest of the world.
The US distributer for Gossen mandated the name changes for the US market.
There are a lot of US badged meters around the rest of the world.
Here in Canada authorized dealers sold the Profisix and the Lunasix F.
FWIW, my Luna Pro F (bought used) is of similar weight and slightly larger than my older, black Luna Pro meter.

 

[BradS]

...and here they are side-by-side...

 

[Craig75]

If you carry a phone with you then youve already got a lightmeter. $5 app and youve got reflected incident and a spotmeter

 

[MattKing]

If you carry a phone with you then youve already got a lightmeter. $5 app and youve got reflected incident and a spotmeter

Really?

I can't figure out how to install the app.

 

[BradS]

Really?

I can't figure out how to install the app.

You’ll need to contact Q back at MI6 for an upgrade.

 

[Craig75]

Really?

I can't figure out how to install the app.

Re-boot it.

 

[ic-racer]

I tried a iPhone exposure meter app once. Maybe they are better now. At the time it would not always give the same reading twice. Hard to compensate with an ISO tweak on that one. Also, it downloaded ads to my phone. So, fail right there. In fact it was that iPhone app that caused me to get a late model Sekonic spot meter.

 

[Craig75]

I tried a iPhone exposure meter app once. Maybe they are better now. At the time it would not always give the same reading twice. Hard to compensate with an ISO tweak on that one. Also, it downloaded ads to my phone. So, fail right there. In fact it was that iPhone app that caused me to get a late model Sekonic spot meter.

I use this (but on android)

https://apps.apple.com/gb/developer/david-quiles/id578971109

And its bang on against my minolta iv. A phone meter should be deadly accurate. No pattern with diminishing readings towards the edge of the pattern. Fully adjustable zoom. A complete matrix reading. Its going to depend on who the wrote the software for sure but i think this app is top quality (im sure there are others just as good or better).

 

[MattKing]

I use this (but on android)

https://apps.apple.com/gb/developer/david-quiles/id578971109

And its bang on against my minolta iv. A phone meter should be deadly accurate. No pattern with diminishing readings towards the edge of the pattern. Fully adjustable zoom. A complete matrix reading. Its going to depend on who the wrote the software for sure but i think this app is top quality (im sure there are others just as good or better).

The quality of these apps probably depends heavily on the qualities of the phone.
It should also be noted that the inclusion of an incident metering function will definitely be hardware dependent.

 

[eli griggs]

No, the small grey meter I'm referring to is labeled "Luna Pro" with the split center meter ensign includes "SBC".

Really?

I can't figure out how to install the app.

You put your finger in it and twist in the binary; it takes awhile.

 

[eli griggs]

It looks like I've got hold the wrong end of the stick, so disregard my use of the Luna Pro SBC as a smaller alternative to the Luna Pro F.

I was thinking of the Luna Pro, old version, which is a great meter and hacks with the diode for the newer SR44 batteries.

Thanks all, for setting me straight.

 

[Craig75]

The quality of these apps probably depends heavily on the qualities of the phone.
It should also be noted that the inclusion of an incident metering function will definitely be hardware dependent.

The phone should be pretty minor in it all as they will all have at least 1/2.55 size sensor. For the meter you dont care about image resolution or lens or whatever else. Youre just using that sensor as a light sensitive recorder. I only ever use the bottom of the range Samsungs ($200) and that always matched my minolta. How far you can take the spotmeter with cameras that use multi lenses in the phone i dont know as i ve never own multi lens phone.

The incident side just uses the front facing camera.

 

[AgX]

Thanks all, for setting me straight.

What would Apug be without the confusion caused by the Gossen designations. Already confusing are the original names, but importer Berkey then made a total mess from it (from todays internet perspective).

If nothing goes, this issue will always be topical at Apug...

 

[beemermark]

Gossen Pilot. Selenium cell but I rarely, if ever, see a bad cell in light meters. Small and cheap.

 

[AgX]

I have a lot of meters and amongst the selenum ones many are dead or very insensitive.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Reflected light or reflected plus incident would be preferable. Needs to be portable so none of those big heavy meters because I'll never use them. Affordable maybe $50 max looking on ebay.

CDS meter preferable because I've heard bad things about reliability of selenium meters.

Want to use it with my Canon III rangefinder.

Any recommendations?

Gossen Lunastar F2 does all you want plus flash metering but is hard to find for $50. You get what you pay for it!

 

[Sirius Glass]

What would Apug be without the confusion caused by the Gossen designations. Already confusing are the original names, but importer Berkey then made a total mess from it (from todays internet perspective).

If nothing goes, this issue will always be topical at Apug...

Then do not look at the Graflex Graphic product naming.