Why are spot meters so expensive?

[Alan Gales]

I bet if the local pro shop down the street had new spot meters for sale they wouldn't sell a one. I own 3 myself and I don't really need another one.

 

[markbau]

Lately, I've done a little experiment. I've used spot meters for over 30 years but lately I've got my meter reading and then pulled out an incident meter. 99% of the time the readings are the same. I must add that with strongly backlit pics the situation is a bit different. I know that if/when my Pentax spot meter dies I won't be looking for a replacement.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Anyone use the spot exposure readings built into a digital camera instead of a dedicated meter?

 

[mark]

Anyone use the spot exposure readings built into a digital camera instead of a dedicated meter?

I did and found it to be wrong. I had some grossly under exposed negs, but the digital images turned out fine. I think those are calibrated to the ccd or whatever the sensor is. I've never felt the exposure readings from the digital cameras I've used jived with my idea of what the exposure would be with film.. I also compared a Nikon and a canon side by side on the same evenly lit wall and they were different from each other.

Some people say it works fine though.

 

[BradS]

Spot meters?

We don't need no stinking spot meters!

 

[DREW WILEY]

Why would a pro spot meter be cheaper than any other type of precision optic? They aren't amateur or consumer items, and mine have all been remarkably reliable. But they aren't used just by bearded old men wearing cowboy hats and using mahogany cameras. Probably far more are still routinely in use in the movie industry and analogous professional lighting sets. They know their distinct advantages. But the fact these hold up many years with just periodic recalibration means there's little incentive to make more of them. It's too easy to find used ones in good condition at reasonable pricing, just like lots of pro film camera gear.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Why would a pro spot meter be cheaper than any other type of precision optic? They aren't amateur or consumer items, and mine have all been remarkably reliable. But they aren't used just by bearded old men wearing cowboy hats and using mahogany cameras. Probably far more are still routinely in use in the movie industry and analogous professional lighting sets. They know their distinct advantages. But the fact these hold up many years with just periodic recalibration means there's little incentive to make more of them. It's too easy to find used ones in good condition at reasonable pricing, just like lots of pro film camera gear.

Actually, I don't think spot meters are used or even usevul on a movie set. It's against logic of shooting those things, although it might be interesting to see a movie on Ansel Adams exposed with Zone System principles.

 

[GLS]

Actually, I don't think spot meters are used or even usevul on a movie set.

I think spot meters are very commonly used, especially if the movie is being shot on film.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

I think spot meters are very commonly used, especially if the movie is being shot on film.

Throughout the years incidents meters were the common tool for movie industry. I'm sure spot meter could be tried or even used exclusively, but motion picture having everything in constant motion defies the idea of pinpointing exposure value in specific spot that will change in a moment anyways.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I'm sure this has been askedbefore, but why is technology that is present in every cheap camera, camcorder and phone in existence so expensive? It blows my mind that a new company has not entered this arena to steal the market. It seems someone could charge 33% less and still make a killing.

Don't tell me someone can't make one for $200. They make entire cameras for that much. They make 32-inch flat screen TVs for that much.

any6 product costs exactly what it can be sold for;the demand is low; the risk to make them is high;the 2nd-hand market is an option; many bought them and never used them; a Pentax Digital Spotmeter can still be had for around $200. What are you waiting for?

 

[Chan Tran]

Anyone use the spot exposure readings built into a digital camera instead of a dedicated meter?

I only use the spot meter built into my film and digital camera for checking it. I never actually use it.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Besides being told so by several Hollywood cameramen, there is the fact that for many years now there has been a person in that area making his entire living exclusively repairing and calibrating meters, almost all of them Pentax spotmeters. Every time I've called him he's been busy with numerous meters in line ahead of me. Do the math. It takes a steady flow of a lot of spotmeters to make a living that way. One degree spotmeters are ideal for measuring light from the camera position on a movie set, when you can't interrupt the action by going in there with an incident meter. It makes perfect sense, and I have no doubt it's common practice. Furthermore, have you noticed that those Pentax meters have an IRE scale on them, and were designed for that kind of industry to begin with, and not just still photographers? These kinds of meters are more accurate and versatile than TTL meters inside cameras - maybe not if you're a sports photographer needing instant automation, but for anything amenable to careful strategy. I won't to into details why here.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Besides being told so by several Hollywood cameramen, there is the fact that for many years now there has been a person in that area making his entire living exclusively repairing and calibrating meters, almost all of them Pentax spotmeters. Every time I've called him he's been busy with numerous meters in line ahead of me. Do the math. It takes a steady flow of a lot of spotmeters to make a living that way. One degree spotmeters are ideal for measuring light from the camera position on a movie set, when you can't interrupt the action by going in there with an incident meter. It makes perfect sense, and I have no doubt it's common practice. Furthermore, have you noticed that those Pentax meters have an IRE scale on them, and were designed for that kind of industry to begin with, and not just still photographers?

Not gonna argue that spot cannot be used on movie set, what I said was it makes no sense at all to think that spot meter is a movie tool as light is one thing, ever changing reflection another, and logic is just not there to constantly check metering when movie is being shot. But, I said it before, no doubt it can be used, perhaps it is even more common now than ever before. Perhaps I'm too old fashioned and accept the evidence from movie sets of years long past.

What a serviceman does is his thing and I see no relation to this argument though.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Making an entire living in that very area repairing spotmeters for Hollywood cameramen at an average ticket of a $100 apiece, for decades now, and you see no connection with actual application ¿????? !????!!!!??$& ?? That equates to a LOT of those kinds of meters being preferentially used. It can't be coincidence.

 

[Luckless]

Throughout the years incidents meters were the common tool for movie industry. I'm sure spot meter could be tried or even used exclusively, but motion picture having everything in constant motion defies the idea of pinpointing exposure value in specific spot that will change in a moment anyways.

I've been around more marketing and documentary filming than moving filming, but I had seen more than a few spot meters pulled out to take readings.

Possibly more so in advertisements, where it is common to check what kind of light response you're actually getting off a product. While metering through the camera is becoming more and more the norm, the lighting and setup work is still often done before the camera actually gets on location. Crews being able to accurately ballpark everything and make initial adjustments before hand just saves everyone time rather than waiting for the camera to show up before finding out something is actually going to blow out in the highlights.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I've been around more marketing and documentary filming than moving filming, but I had seen more than a few spot meters pulled out to take readings.

Possibly more so in advertisements, where it is common to check what kind of light response you're actually getting off a product. While metering through the camera is becoming more and more the norm, the lighting and setup work is still often done before the camera actually gets on location. Crews being able to accurately ballpark everything and make initial adjustments before hand just saves everyone time rather than waiting for the camera to show up before finding out something is actually going to blow out in the highlights.

And that is why one should send all light meters to Quality Light Metrics in Los Angeles. https://www.yelp.com/biz/quality-light-metric-hollywood

 

[KenS]

I use a clean cloth for 'white with texture' and place that in ZVIII+1/3 which in "reality" is usually within 1/3 of a 'stop' using my incident light meter reading.

Ken

 

[AgX]

Lately, I've done a little experiment. I've used spot meters for over 30 years but lately I've got my meter reading and then pulled out an incident meter. 99% of the time the readings are the same. I must add that with strongly backlit pics the situation is a bit different.

This should be the case if the measured area is of 18% reflctivity. But with a spot meter you may measure areas of other reflectivity and then "place" the result appropriately, especially if using a meter of the Profisix kind.