Light Meter Recommendation

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todders

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adrian
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I seem to have gone a little film crazy of late and amongst my numerous purchases i have a Leica M2 on its way which hoepfully i should receive tomorrow.

Iam looking for a suitable light meter i have narrowed it down to probably the most obvious choices either the Sekonic L-208 or Gossen DigiSIX 2.

I will be be shooting some street and general scenes at cities and beach side locations.

Has anyone had any experience good or bad with these meters,?

thanks adrian
 
Going by your two choices, I'm presuming that you wish to go "analogue"?

Never used either of those but ave used other brands, Weston etc and not had any bad experiences.

If you choose to consider a digital meter then I can highly recommend the Sekonic L308-S
Runs on one AA battery which seem to last forever, is small, very light, very accurate even in dim lighting conditions.
 
Asha said:
Going by your two choices, I'm presuming that you wish to go "analogue"?

Never used either of those but ave used other brands, Weston etc and not had any bad experiences.

If you choose to consider a digital meter then I can highly recommend the Sekonic L308-S
Runs on one AA battery which seem to last forever, is small, very light, very accurate even in dim lighting conditions.
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Thanks Asha i was looking at analogue originally but as i have started to look about i have seeen some digital as well which could also be on the horizon. thanks for the recommendation
 
I much prefer an analogue dial as it means I can read off all possible aperture/shutter speed combinations at a glance, rather than having to physically scroll a wheel. Illogical, since with an analogue dial I've had to scroll a wheel at the outset to transfer the reading, but there you are.

My personal favorites are the Lunasix range because of their extreme low light sensitivity. The downside is that they were made to use mercury cells, and need a couple of adaptors (available from the Small Battery Company) to use silver cells. They take two batteries, and so need two adapters, so probably not one to go for (I've been using a Lunasix since Christmas 1965 - yes, still the same one, going strong). The newer Profisix (I think I've got the name right) uses a nine volt battery of the type that used to be used in transistor radios.
 
I have the Sekonic L308s (and an M2 amongst other things) and it's a brilliant little meter. Really accurate, lightweight, tough and pocketable. I used a Weston Master V previously but it hasn't seen any use since I bought the Sekonic.
 
Kevin Allan said:
If you want a very compact meter then you might like the Sekonic Twin-Mate L208s. I liked mine till I lost it on a rail line.
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That's the badger, simple, tiny and effective, I never leave home without one.
 
I use a Sekonic flashmate because I sometimes use flash, I got it reduced on an Amazon warehouse deal otherwise they are a bit pricey but as Stephen says you do have to scroll through to get the speed/aperture and the current ISO setting isn't glaringly obvious, not that anyone would ever forget to change the ISO when they switch camera or film :banghead:
 
Before you lay out a lot of money on a lightmeter, if you have a smartphone then consider trying this first (the same developer has a version out for iPhone too, but I've not tried that one). https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dq.fotometroNa&hl=en_GB

I also have a Gossen Lunasix meter, but I tend leave it at home now as I find the app is fine for what I've needed in average daylight situations, and it's always with me as it's on my phone! It's worked OK for me on a Sony Xperia T and a Samsung Galaxy S7, so I'd imagine it should be OK with most modern Android phones with a decent camera on them. Anyway, for £2.10 I think it's great!
 
I use the Sekonic L208, good little meter, it works well.
 
I've used an M3 for street photography in the past and it's been a pain getting the metering right. I used the app on my phone which is absolutely fine, but unwieldy and a pain in the bum to get it out. I bought a Voigltander VCii meter on a whim at the photo show this year and it's brilliant. Max ISO is 3200, apertures from f1 to 22 and shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/2000 sec. It's accurate and intuitive to use. Best of all it slots in the hotshoe so no need to "get it out". It's made of metal and whilst it might look cheap, it feels solid & substantial for something so tiny.
 
so many suggestions and ideas this is much appreciated, iam reading through all of the ideas and certainly food for thought.
 
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Whilst when I first started with film I tried the light meter apps for the iPhone, I quickly realised how inconvenient it was every time I wanted to take a reading to get out my phone, unlock it, open the right app, take a reading, put it away and shoot. So much quicker with a dedicated meter either in your pocket or around your neck/over your shoulder. Out, click, done. Mine however is pretty massive (Sekonic L-508 I believe) so in future would get a smaller one as I never use the spot reading function.

In time you will learn that when the light changes to adjust a stop or two either way and how colour neg reacts well to over exposure and adjust accordingly without having to check a meter.
 
Harlequin565 said:
I've used an M3 for street photography in the past and it's been a pain getting the metering right. I used the app on my phone which is absolutely fine, but unwieldy and a pain in the bum to get it out. I bought a Voigltander VCii meter on a whim at the photo show this year and it's brilliant. Max ISO is 3200, apertures from f1 to 22 and shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/2000 sec. It's accurate and intuitive to use. Best of all it slots in the hotshoe so no need to "get it out". It's made of metal and whilst it might look cheap, it feels solid & substantial for something so tiny.
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Just googled that meter...It doesn't look out of place on a Leica….Tbh it isn't a million miles off the look of one of the original Leica meters designed for the M series
 
Asha said:
It doesn't look out of place on a Leica
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It looks good to be sure, but I still prefer the M6 for "usability". The biggest benefit is that it doesn't need "getting out" and as Gareth mentions above, it's very easy to visually check whether you're a stop over or under by looking at the lights.

The downside is that it isn't idiot proof and I have stuffed up quite a few exposures by setting the lightmeter to balance correctly then taking the shot without making matching adjustments on the camera. (bad iphone photo inc)


IMG_1140.jpg
 
I had a Sekonic L-208 which I loved, but sold it as it only meters down to LV 4 (and it's unreadable in low light). Mind you, the L-308 doesn't really do what I want either! If you can get a cheap L-208 it's a great tool for normal light...
 
erm just saying for cheap ideas....when I took some night shots with a camera that didn't have a light meter (well even if it had, most old cameras are useless in low light as you can't see the readings in the viewfinder) and all I had was Weston meters (again useless in low light)....... I took a Canon eos 300 to take readings and readings all lit up in the viewfinder and handy to have a very light weight back up camera.
Price for Eos 300 with lens £20-£30?
 
Harlequin565 said:
It looks good to be sure, but I still prefer the M6 for "usability".
The downside is that it isn't idiot proof and I have stuffed up quite a few exposures by setting the lightmeter to balance correctly then taking the shot without making matching adjustments on the camera. (bad iphone photo inc)


View attachment 247513
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I also had an M3 with the Voigtlander meter, and it is indeed a very neat and accurate combo when you're taking photos. Not just as handy as a separate meter for checking the light before you get the camera out, or for use with other cameras, and it seems to be another thing I sold before prices went up! :rolleyes:
 
excalibur2 said:
Price for Eos 300 with lens £20-£30?
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This always makes me wonder (i.e. grumpy) why modern meters are so expensive. They're built in to almost all cameras these days - and most modern (D)SLRs have multiple different ways of metering a scene - spot, centre weighted etc etc. Why does a dedicated meter cost so much more? And I get that they can do flash. But so can a DSLR if you put a trigger on it. Take the exposure, copy settings across to film. Voilá.
[/thread derailing with old fart moaning]
 
Harlequin565 said:
This always makes me wonder (i.e. grumpy) why modern meters are so expensive. They're built in to almost all cameras these days - and most modern (D)SLRs have multiple different ways of metering a scene - spot, centre weighted etc etc. Why does a dedicated meter cost so much more? And I get that they can do flash. But so can a DSLR if you put a trigger on it. Take the exposure, copy settings across to film. Voilá.
[/thread derailing with old fart moaning]
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Well I find it amusing some one spending lots of dosh on a super duper light meter to use on an old film camera when you don't know if anything is accurate any more. :rolleyes:
But if you carry a digi (erm for backup) with a film camera then you don't need a separate light meter, but as mentioned the EOS 300 is a very good exposure meter and erm it can take pictures as well...weight with 35-80mm kit lens and battery 600g=about 1.3lbs
 
I have had my L-208 for years. It is simple, light, compact and non-intrusive, exactly what you want in these scenarios.

I owned an L-308s prior to that and it was fine - but larger and took longer to quickly read the range of aperture/speed combinations. Much more useful in a studio setting.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well I find it amusing some one spending lots of dosh on a super duper light meter to use on an old film camera when you don't know if anything is accurate any more. :rolleyes:
But if you carry a digi (erm for backup) with a film camera then you don't need a separate light meter, but as mentioned the EOS 300 is a very good exposure meter and erm it can take pictures as well...weight with 35-80mm kit lens and battery 600g=about 1.3lbs
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When I very first got a film camera, this is what I did, I had my digital camera at the same time to take a reading with (and a photo first). It was cumbersome, heavy, awkward and annoying. I would much, much rather have a small handheld meter or even none at all than carry a digital camera (if I owned one, which I no longer do).

The little Voigtlander meters are rally good. A friend of mine used one with his M4 and always got good exposures. I often consider swapping my M3 for an M6, but it would be a lot of outlay just for the built in meter.
 
I have used the Sekonic Twinmate L208 for over four years now and would not be without it.

Always give an accurate reading and most cases keep it attached to the camera via the hot shoe.
 
ChrisR said:
the L-308 doesn't really do what I want either!
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:thinking:
so what is it that you want it to do besides read light levels and calculate figures which can generally be done in the head without difficulty?
 
medwaygreen said:
I have used the Sekonic Twinmate L208 for over four years now and would not be without it.

Always give an accurate reading and most cases keep it attached to the camera via the hot shoe.
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....but £88 to £139 to buy on the bay o_O
 
Asha said:
:thinking:
so what is it that you want it to do besides read light levels and calculate figures which can generally be done in the head without difficulty?
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Well, I want tobe able to meter in the dark, basically, for long exposure night time shots up to 30 seconds or more (maybe LV -1)? And then show me the settings with a backlit display so I can actually read it. It would be good if I could somehow program the reciprocity failure into the meter as well!

An option is to use the Pentax LX, which meters to -6.5 EV with auto exposure, and use the exposure compensation dial to approximate for reciprocity failure. It meters off the film, but doesn't tell you how long the exposure will be, but it can be up to 125 seconds (it's incredibly nerve-wracking sitting beside the camera, wondering if this time it's actually broken!). However, it's usually got colour film in it, and I often want to shoot black and white. And of course, it's not LF.
 
Sounds like you need a Lunasix and a small keyring torch to read it. You presumably would need some light just to set the aperture andshutter speed?
 
Gonna buy a meter for incident light reading? Well what about a coffee cup over the lens of a SLR o_O
 
excalibur2 said:
Gonna buy a meter for incident light reading? Well what about a coffee cup over the lens of a SLR o_O
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Peter B said:
Depends what it's made of Brian,
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Well a clay one with a base 3/4 inch thick should give best results I reckon(y):LOL:

DISCLAIMER: I best put one just in case there is some numpty out there that actually takes me seriously!:wideyed:
 
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