Small, Thin Light Meter

ColColt · Apr 17, 2016

I'm looking for a small light meter I can put in maybe my back pocket for times when low light can fool you. I have a Luna Pro SBC but it's too large and the Minolta Auto Meter III is not accurate as it underexposes 1/2-1 full stop in many circumstances and has no method of calibration. Any suggestions?

benjiboy · Apr 17, 2016

I have a Luna Pro SBC David that I retired to my sock draw years ago, I recommend you look at the Gossen Digipro F2 http://www.gossen-photo.de/english/foto_p_digipro.php that's very flat , light, pocket-able , robust and deadly accurate, I've had one for a few years and like it a lot.

Sirius Glass · Apr 17, 2016

L-308S-U Flashmate http://www.sekonic.com/united-states/products/l-308s-u/overview.aspx however most thin light meters will break the first time you sit down with the meter in your back pocket.

Fixcinater · Apr 17, 2016

iPhone plus free app.

Alan Klein · Apr 17, 2016

Isn't there a screw adjustment inside the battery compartment in the Minolta III? There's one in the IIIa.

Andre Noble · Apr 17, 2016

dont actually put it in your back pocket unless you weigh only 40 lbs

mdarnton · Apr 17, 2016

Fixcinater said:
iPhone plus free app.

I have an Android phone, and there's a really good meter for that, too. I checked it against my "real" one, and it's fine.

ColColt · Apr 17, 2016

I did look at the Digipro F2 and it looks like a good one. The Lun Pro SBC was worked on by George at Quality Light Metric and it's spot on with my F2A but just a mite too big. I downloaded a free app for my LGV10 (Android) but as mentioned it just wasn't that accurate.

Alan-There is no adjustment in the battery compartment with the Auto Meter III. There is, I believe with the next generation but not this one.

bdial · Apr 17, 2016

You might want to look at the Gossen Digisix, it's not thin, but it is quite small, more or less the size of the 9v battery in your SBC. The major downside is that it doesn't have an on/off switch, so it has a bit of an appetite for batteries. There is also a version that has a flash meter function.

Chan Tran · Apr 17, 2016

If you can't carry a meter the size of the Gossen Luna Pro then don't use a meter at all. Phone app is not worth having in low light situation.

ColColt · Apr 17, 2016

bdial said:
You might want to look at the Gossen Digisix, it's not thin, but it is quite small, more or less the size of the 9v battery in your SBC. The major downside is that it doesn't have an on/off switch, so it has a bit of an appetite for batteries. There is also a version that has a flash meter function.

I saw that one but think it's only an incident meter.

John Koehrer · Apr 17, 2016

Personally the Gossen Digi whatsit's are a pain to use. Itty bitty buttons don't work with my fingers.

CropDusterMan · Apr 17, 2016

Gosh, the Sekonic 308 has to be one of the smallest meters out there, and it's good...however, I
do not recommend placing it in the back pants pocket. Go to Newswear website and look at the pouch
called "Small Utility Pouch"...it'll fit the Sekonic 308 perfectly...or wear a button-up shirt with a
front pocket, attach the lanyard through a button-hole and keep it in the pocket.

ColColt · Apr 17, 2016

I had the Sekonic L-308 many moons ago and didn't like it. The one I had, IIRC, was only an incident meter. I don't think I'd have any problems with the buttons on the DigiPro-my hands are not all that big. The Luna Pro SBC is good but never have liked the activation button being on the left side. Looks like it should have been on either the front or right side. I feel like a spastic trying to operate it half the time.

bdial · Apr 17, 2016

ColColt said:
I saw that one but think it's only an incident meter.

It is incident and reflective, the incident hemisphere can be moved to either side for reflective readings.
It's also a timer, thermometer (air temperature) and tells the time.

Re: John's comment; it can be a little fussy to operate, since it just has two buttons that do everything. For example to change film speed, you have to press and hold a button, when it's in the right mode, then click through various speeds to get to whatever you're using next (or every time you change batteries, which ever comes first).
The little Sekonic L-208 might a good alternative for a small meter, it's got an analog needle instead of numbers and speeds are set on a ring scale like a Luna-Pro.
I bought the Gossen because I wanted to have the flash capability and something that could mount on a hot shoe, I don't regret the choice, but I wouldn't mind more simplicity in operation.

CropDusterMan · Apr 17, 2016

I use the Minolta Flash Meter IV in a Newswear pouch.

chriscrawfordphoto · Apr 17, 2016

ColColt said:
I'm looking for a small light meter I can put in maybe my back pocket for times when low light can fool you. I have a Luna Pro SBC but it's too large and the Minolta Auto Meter III is not accurate as it underexposes 1/2-1 full stop in many circumstances and has no method of calibration. Any suggestions?

Send it to Quality Light Metric and have it recalibrated. They'll replace any bad parts at the same time, it'll work like new. Cost is about $100. You'd have a hard time getting a good used meter for that, and yours would work perfectly.

ColColt · Apr 17, 2016

I sent the Luna Pro SBC to George and he did, as usual, a great job fixing and calibrating it. That's the third meter he's done for me including the Leica MR-4.

That little Gossen Digisix 2 doesn't look like a bad meter. I don't need a flash meter as I don't do studio work anymore.

Sirius Glass · Apr 17, 2016

ColColt said:
I had the Sekonic L-308 many moons ago and didn't like it. The one I had, IIRC, was only an incident meter. I don't think I'd have any problems with the buttons on the DigiPro-my hands are not all that big. The Luna Pro SBC is good but never have liked the activation button being on the left side. Looks like it should have been on either the front or right side. I feel like a spastic trying to operate it half the time.

I suggested the Sekonic L-308 precisely because it is small, it is a reflectance meter, it is an incident meter, and it is a flashmeter. One only needs to move the dome to use it as a reflectance meter. <<mumble>> <<mumble>> <<mumble something about actually reading the f* manual>>

ColColt · Apr 17, 2016

I had that meter way back in 1978. I don't recall a thing about it except for whatever the reason I didn't like it then. Reading the owner's manual does indeed have it's merits.

Fixcinater · Apr 17, 2016

The cell phone app meters work fine in low light, because you transfer to using your intuition and knowledge that any dark situation will require you putting as much light as possible onto the film. A dark bar is a dark bar is a dark bar...

MattKing · Apr 17, 2016

ColColt said:
I saw that one but think it's only an incident meter.

Nope. Reflected, incident and, if you have the Digiflash version, flash.

I like the little buttons, and the mix of analogue and digital. There are some tricks involved if you want to avoid running the (readily available and really cheap) batteries out.

EDIT: not for the back pocket though - side or shirt or jacket pocket instead.

Arvee · Apr 18, 2016

I don't believe the 308S was available in '78. I believe it was introduced around 2000 or so. Google and see if you are thinking of the current 308S.

mdarnton · Apr 18, 2016

Fixcinater said:
The cell phone app meters work fine in low light, because you transfer to using your intuition and knowledge that any dark situation will require you putting as much light as possible onto the film. A dark bar is a dark bar is a dark bar...

Mine's good down to something like EV2, accurately, but by the time I get down there, I don't want to follow what the meter says, anyway. This was one of the shocks of going digital: the camera did a great job in low light. . . so great that everything looked like it was shot in the middle of the day. Lesson learned.

mweintraub · Apr 19, 2016

I put the L358 (had 568 but sold it because it didn't fit in my back pocket) in my back pocket. Works well.

Small, Thin Light Meter

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