Which Light Meter ?

[R.Gould]

For day to day metering I use either a weston euromester or master 5 the only disadvantage is the very low level lighting, the westons are very good but I use a sekonic meter for flash and very low level metering, I have checked the three Weston's I have, a Euromaster, master 5 and 4, against the sekonic and they are all within a 1/4 stop, they are great meters, I would not hesitate to reccomend either the euromaster 1 and 2, master 4 or 5 for everyday use, The euromaster 2 was still being made until fairly recently in the UK, and using a Weston meter and reading the manual for them will teach you more about exposure than any book

 

[Xmas]

This is a generalization, but note that:

a) there are selenium meters that still work OK even after 50 years
.

My oldest Weston II is 1947 about 68 years, it is calibrated in Weston rather then ASA...

 

[MartinCrabtree]

For flash I have a Quantum Calcu-Flash. Bought it off a member here. It's a stop over but consistent. Cheap too.

I only have a couple bodies that don't have excellent meters built in. So the hand held meters get infrequent use but when I need them they work.

 

[Helios 1984]

Other question. Do I need the Gossen conversion kit with the WeinCell Zinc/Air batteries or is this kit only meant for Alkaline batteries ?

 

[Xmas]

No it is one or the other but...

Note the zinc cells need a current draw to be spot on they are perfect in

- trapped needle cameras
- Olympus OM1

But don't work as accurately with very low current devices try a hearing aid battery and O ring very cheaply as a test and note they can leak if left in device to end of service my hearing aids last 6 months with all holes open even after leaking...

 

[Helios 1984]

Hi folks,

so I took delivery of this beauty, this morning, I snagged it off Ebay for 36USD$ with the faux-leather case.
I installed a battery, put an object on my desk, stood there with the meter pointed toward the camera, set the ISO 100, pressed the red button on the left to activate the meter, turned the dial until the needle lined with the 0.
I set the aperture at f/11 & the shutter speed at 5sec, I will assume the meter is OK as the brightness of the picture I took was adequate. (Not the picture bellow) I'll try it outside as soon as the weather permits.

Note: The diffuser was set for Incident.
Question: Should I remove the battery when I don't use the light meter ?

 

[BrianShaw]

Other question. Do I need the Gossen conversion kit with the WeinCell Zinc/Air batteries or is this kit only meant for Alkaline batteries ?

With the Gossen adapter you'll want to use silver cells.

 

[fotch]

Note: The diffuser was set for Incident.
Question: Should I remove the battery when I don't use the light meter ?

If you don't plan on using soon, or, if your worried that you may forget to remove if you don't use again soon, yes.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If you don't plan on using soon, or, if your worried that you may forget to remove if you don't use again soon, yes.

My Gossen Luna Pro SBC likes to eat 9 volt batteries when it sits unused. Remove the battery when it sits around.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

or you can used the attached for free and doesn't need any batteries,just relies on a stable sun as we had for the ;last 4.5 billion years

 

[Helios 1984]

Yesterday I sent a mail to Gossen, I asked if they could provide me with information about the Lunasix F. I received a reply with a PDF of the Lunasix F user manual : ) I'm pleasantly surprised that they keep data of 30 years old + devices. If anyone is interested in this PDF, PM me & I will forward it.

 

[BrianShaw]

If you don't plan on using soon, or, if your worried that you may forget to remove if you don't use again soon, yes.

Not intending to contradict because what is stated here is good and most conservative advise... but I don't and never have, and never had a problem. The only problem I can imagine is battery failure that causes leakage. That would be bad since it could be fatal to the meter.

 

[Helios 1984]

Not intending to contradict because what is stated here is good and most conservative advise... but I don't and never have, and never had a problem. The only problem I can imagine is battery failure that causes leakage. That would be bad since it could be fatal to the meter.

I am feeling like I'm asking too much questions but better informed than in the dark, right ? Can I put any 9v in that particular light meter ? I installed a 6LR61 Alkaline but I can clearly read 6F22 (Zinc-Carbon) behind the light meter. Both types has a nominal voltage of 9v, the Alkaline hold a charge of 565mAh while the Zinc-Carbon hold 400mAh. There is also Lithium but usually their nominal voltage is slightly over 9v and I thought it might affect the readings, same thought about the NiMH which has a voltage slightly under 9v.

 

[BrianShaw]

You can never ask too many question!

I never did the research on 9v batteries, but for other batteries in meters I'm more concerned with the voltage change over time... as the battery ages. I'm sure there are manufacturer data for the 9v batteries just as for all the others. I want that curve to be as flat as possible until the battery/cell expires.

 

[Xmas]

You can never ask too many question!

I never did the research on 9v batteries, but for other batteries in meters I'm more concerned with the voltage change over time... as the battery ages. I'm sure there are manufacturer data for the 9v batteries just as for all the others. I want that curve to be as flat as possible until the battery/cell expires.

If the manufacturer calls out a simple cell the circuit has voltage stabilisation or uses a bridge circuit only the simple circuits need mercury or silver cells.

 

[BrianShaw]

If the manufacturer calls out a simple cell the circuit has voltage stabilisation or uses a bridge circuit only the simple circuits need mercury or silver cells.

Yes, very true for Luna Pro and many other meters. But is there an equivalent statement for 9v batteries? I don't believe they have ever been made in either mercury or silver formulations. Helios' current concern is 9v battery for the Lunasix F.

 

[MattKing]

Yesterday I sent a mail to Gossen, I asked if they could provide me with information about the Lunasix F. I received a reply with a PDF of the Lunasix F user manual : ) I'm pleasantly surprised that they keep data of 30 years old + devices. If anyone is interested in this PDF, PM me & I will forward it.

A couple of points:

1) the meter you have was one made for the USA market, and badged "Luna-Pro F" (not Lunasix F).
2) in most of the world, that meter would have been known as the "Profisix F".
3) while the instructions for the meter say you can use a zinc carbon 9v battery, it is far better to use the alkaline version, not least because they are much less prone to leakage.
4) I never remove the battery from mine unless I am storing it away. I do try to check batteries in my equipment reasonably regularly.
5) the 9v battery connector in these meters is like the ones that used to be used in transistor radios. It is relatively easy to damage them, but also relatively easy to replace them.
6) most of the manuals for older Gossen meters can be found on their website. They are not easy to locate, are sometimes only locatable through the German part of the site and are a!most universally labelled using the " correct", worldwide name, rather than the special, USA only names reserved for that market only.

Have fun with your meter. That version is excellent. You need to be careful to distinguish it from the Luna-Pro SBC/Profisix when you raed up on it, although it does share many things ( including several accessories) with the Profisix.

 

[M Carter]

I am feeling like I'm asking too much questions but better informed than in the dark, right ? Can I put any 9v in that particular light meter ? I installed a 6LR61 Alkaline but I can clearly read 6F22 (Zinc-Carbon) behind the light meter. Both types has a nominal voltage of 9v, the Alkaline hold a charge of 565mAh while the Zinc-Carbon hold 400mAh. There is also Lithium but usually their nominal voltage is slightly over 9v and I thought it might affect the readings, same thought about the NiMH which has a voltage slightly under 9v.

Seems to me that (a) something like a meter would have circuitry to stabilize the voltage for accuracy and (b) this would be an easy test. Set up a light or go out under full sun and take readings with different batteries - you should know immediately if there's a difference. Try a new alkaline vs. a worn out one (even wear one out the day before by hooking it up to something and running for a few hours).

 

[Sirius Glass]

or you can used the attached for free and doesn't need any batteries,just relies on a stable sun as we had for the ;last 4.5 billion years

I like the table. And not batteries were consumed in writing this post.

 

[Xmas]

The majority relied on mercury or silver cell voltage.

The ones that tolerate different battery types use bridge circuits or differential galvanometers (eg k1000).

Some may have stabilidation but that was more expensive than eg bridges in bygone days.

 

[Helios 1984]

I've partly read the instruction manual, I had to adjust the 'Zero Adjustment Screw' because the needle was off by 3mm on the right and wasn't aligned with the short green line.

I like how friendly user they made that particular explanation.