Super sensitive light meters

[markbau]

Tonight I was photographing a late dusk scene and thought my Pentax spot could get me some ballpark figures. Alas, it was too dark for anything to register. So I was wondering if any of the latest and greatest spot meters out there are more sensitive than an 20 year old Pentax spot meter?

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Luna Pro

 

[Chan Tran]

Tonight I was photographing a late dusk scene and thought my Pentax spot could get me some ballpark figures. Alas, it was too dark for anything to register. So I was wondering if any of the latest and greatest spot meters out there are more sensitive than an 20 year old Pentax spot meter?

Do you still want to measure spot? If you do it would be rather difficult because spot meters are not as sensitive because the sensor is restricted to a very small spot. The incident meter would be a lot more sensitive but I guess it wouldn't work for you. So I understand your problem but I don't really have a solution. The Gossen Luna Pro is more sensitive but only if you use it for incident or 40 degree reflective.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Do you still want to measure spot? If you do it would be rather difficult because spot meters are not as sensitive because the sensor is restricted to a very small spot. The incident meter would be a lot more sensitive but I guess it wouldn't work for you. So I understand your problem but I don't really have a solution. The Gossen Luna Pro is more sensitive but only if you use it for incident or 40 degree reflective.

Take pictures with a digital camera and use its settings. Don't forget to calculate and adjust for reciprocity failure for the film you're using. You might want to bracket.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Try metering a white sheet of paper or card. That will get you an extra 3 stops or so of sensitivity. Don't forget to then adjust the exposure by the same three stops.

And look out for reciprocity failure. Slow films suffer less reciprocity failure and can sometimes be functionally faster than their higher ISO brethren.

 

[Sirius Glass]

For night photography I have been using the Jiffy Calculator since it was first published in 1963.
https://www.scribd.com/document/2604955/jiffy

 

[BrianShaw]

Luna Pro

Ding, ding, ding…

 

[ic-racer]

Tonight I was photographing a late dusk scene and thought my Pentax spot could get me some ballpark figures. Alas, it was too dark for anything to register. So I was wondering if any of the latest and greatest spot meters out there are more sensitive than an 20 year old Pentax spot meter?

No, the Pentax is about as good as it gets. Up to Sekonic 588, still only matching the Pentax with EV1 as lowest range. The latest Sekonic 858 does to to EV-1, that might be the most sensitive 1degree meter.

 

[markbau]

Take pictures with a digital camera and use its settings. Don't forget to calculate and adjust for reciprocity failure for the film you're using. You might want to bracket.

Yes, I have used that technique and it works well but I didn’t bring a digital camera on this trip. I did have an iPhone but the procedure for getting ISO/f stop/shutter off an iPhone apparently needs an app and is a bit convoluted.

 

[wiltw]

In the days of film, cameras with meters rated to 4EV absolute light levels were common. Some cameras were rated down to 2EV.
With modern digital cameras, rating of the meter down to 0EV, and the most recent mirrorless meter reads down to -3EV.

 

[Craig75]

Yes, I have used that technique and it works well but I didn’t bring a digital camera on this trip. I did have an iPhone but the procedure for getting ISO/f stop/shutter off an iPhone apparently needs an app and is a bit convoluted.

I use this on android and really rate it. Here is apple version. Its set up just like an old sekonic or weston and really accurate.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mylightmeter-pro/id583922375

It's not a 1 degree spot but it does have good zoom function on it and goes down to -2ev (according to website) so it should get you in a good space to work

 

[BrianShaw]

Gossen LunaPro, both CdS and SBC, were spec’d as -4 to 17 EV(100).

 

[Sirius Glass]

I had the Gossen LunaPro SBC light meter. It is a great light meter.

 

[guangong]

For night photography I have been using the Jiffy Calculator since it was first published in 1963.
https://www.scribd.com/document/2604955/jiffy

Ditto!
I find calculators and tables much less fussy than meters for night photography.

 

[markbau]

Try metering a white sheet of paper or card. That will get you an extra 3 stops or so of sensitivity. Don't forget to then adjust the exposure by the same three stops.

And look out for reciprocity failure. Slow films suffer less reciprocity failure and can sometimes be functionally faster than their higher ISO brethren.

Metering a white sheet of paper would have been useless. My subject was 500 metres to 3 kilometres away and I was standing under a rather bright street light. Metering a white sheet of paper in my situation would have given me an exposure of a few seconds. I've just developed the film and the 40 second at f8 looks to be about the best of the bracket. I didn't have to worry about reciprocity failure as I couldn't get a meter reading.

 

[AgX]

Gossen LunaPro, both CdS and SBC, were spec’d as -4 to 17 EV(100).

The OP only is interested in spot meters.
And in their spot meter conversion the Gossen Profisix and Mastersix have a sensitivity of only EV 3 at 1degree

 

[BrianShaw]

The OP only is interested in spot meters.
And in their spot meter conversion the Gossen Profisix and Mastersix have a sensitivity of only EV 3 at 1degree

If it gets dark enough, the OP may need to relieve the spot requirement.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

The OP only is interested in spot meters.
And in their spot meter conversion the Gossen Profisix and Mastersix have a sensitivity of only EV 3 at 1degree

This is true yet the only way to get as low as Luna Pro can is to get Luna Pro and use it without thinking spot. Otherwise majority of spot meters fall in same region and cannot be called super sensitive no matter which one.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

If it gets dark enough, the OP may need to relieve the spot requirement.

+11

 

[AgX]

Or, to stay in the picture, use a spotlight...

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Or, to stay in the picture, use a spotlight...

 

[Sirius Glass]

If it gets dark enough, the OP may need to relieve the spot requirement.

I had the 5° spot meter attachment which is why I sold it and bought the Pentax Digital Spot Meter.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

I had the 5° spot meter attachment which is why I sold it and bought the Pentax Digital Spot Meter.

Multi-spot for Luna Pro is 1/5/10 degree switchable spot.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Multi-spot for Luna Pro is 1/5/10 degree switchable spot.

But I had the 10°/5° attachment and rather than sell that and find a 1° to buy, I ditched it. I needed a good spot meter much more than I needed a low light level meter.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

But I had the 10°/5° attachment and rather than sell that and find a 1° to buy, I ditched it. I needed a good spot meter much more than I needed a low light level meter.

To be fair, Luna Pro with Multi-Spot is a behemoth, the whole meter grows like 3 times in volume. But works fine otherwise. But I stated it just to clarify its availability. I use Minolta Spot when spot is needed. But Luna Pro is a fantastic meter.