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Thread: Meter Madness

  1. #1

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    Meter Madness

    I've got way too many meters. Or do I?
    I started off an old Adams a friend gave me many decades ago, which died (the meter, not my friend) I replaced the Adams with a Weston Ranger 9 converted to use silver buttons.
    Added an old Weston Master VI which Quality LightMetric overhauled, then a Luna Pro SBC which is more responsive for night photography.
    Is this too many meters for one hobbyist?
    The trouble with having more than one meter is you never know which one to believe, or which one to use to calibrate the others.
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  2. #2
    Roger Thoms's Avatar
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    Re: Meter Madness

    Well, let's see, I have a Gossen Ultraspot II, Pentax Spotmeter V with the super cool Zone VI leather holster (overhauled by QLM), Gossen Lunapro SBC, Gossen Lunapro (which I haven't used), and a Sekonic Zoom Master L-508 Light Meter. So no I certainly don't think that you have too many meters. Now I don't spend a lot of time comparing meters, so that helps, and out of all of them I am favoring the lowly Spotmeter V. I've been on a simpler's better kick lately so you just might see some meters for sale. Now I would also keep the SBC as its good in low light plus it takes 9v transistor battery, oh and the Sekonic because it works with my strobes. And the Ultraspot was my first meter and I can only get a fraction of what I paid for it so might as well keep it. Then there's the Lunapro which was only $10 on Craigslist and takes Mercury batteries, couldn't sell that without knowing whether it works or not.

    Is there such a thing as MAS? I feel afflicted.

    Roger

  3. #3

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    Re: Meter Madness

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kasaian View Post
    The trouble with having more than one meter is you never know which one to believe
    Exactly. Also, there is a difference between a meter that you use every day and a meter that you pull out of a drawer, not used for ages, and trust it with important images. I use a Sekonic L-488 spot meter for my LF b/w work (zone system) and a Sekonic L-308B for incident metering of studio strobes. I do own a few other meters (Weston Master, Weston Master II and V, a couple of Gossen Lunasixes, etc.). I don't use them, so I don't trust them... On a recent trip, however, I took a tiny old Gossen Sixtino as a backup and found it amazingly consistent with my spot meter readings.

  4. #4

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    Re: Meter Madness

    I've got three Pentax digital spot meters, one in the U.S., one in Europe and one back-up. They all agree to within 1/3-stop, so no problems there. I still feel the need for another backup here in Europe... If my meter here goes bad, I'll have to buy one.

    So, no, you don't have to many meters.

    And, you can simply calibrate them to themselves (assuming they are all reading linearly) by adjusting the film speeds on them so the readings agree. Just make sure the reading you calibrate to gives you the results you need.

    Best,

    Doremus

  5. #5

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    Re: Meter Madness

    You can never have enough good meters... Just hope you have the right one on hand when needed...

    I was shooting distant billboards near LAX (at night) with a long lens, when I reached into my bag for my Pentax digital spot, and what came out??? My Minolta Flashmeter IV incident meter... (Useless for what I was shooting!!!) I suddenly realized that my (then) new (used) Leica R6 had a semi-spotmeter inside that saved the (night)...

    That flashmeter saved (someone else's) bacon at a wedding, (where I was a "guest" that was "asked" to bring a camera) and the young photographer that was hired to shoot the formal set-ups did not own a flashmeter, and she told me "It's OK, my flash always works at f16"... I pull out the meter, read it, and it says f8... Lucky her...

    My Gossen LunaLux SBC scale will calculate pinhole exposures, but a little large to lug around...

    But I will often go out with just one of my Weston Master 6 meters, and take my chances...

    Steve K

  6. #6
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
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    Re: Meter Madness

    When it comes to owning photo gear I live by one controlling principle: Too much is never enough.

    Buy whatever you want and cherich it as long as you want.

    In the practice of photography however , just having something doesn't mean its going to help you create better images. Working professionals that I know look on their gear as tools, much as a craftsman looks on saws, wrenches or hammers. If it doesn't help him get the job done it is just extra weight.

    If you need different meters for different types of photogrsaphy, by all means use them. If a meter is less useful, but you are emotionally attached to it (and I can understand that) then it should go into a display case or a deep bag in a dark closet (my wife's choice).

    Myself: I have an old Minolta Autometer IV f with a 9deg spot vattachment. It does ambient, and flash with corde connection and without in both reflected and incident modes. I am used to the buttons and the display.Some day I'd like to have a newer technology meter with a tighter spot, but I.m good for now.
    Drew Bedo
    www.quietlightphoto.com
    http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo




    There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!

  7. #7
    2 Bit Hack
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    Re: Meter Madness

    I am no expert by any means but I have a Gossen Pilot2 (hardly ever use), a Sekonic L-478DR (which I do not ever use because I do not trust it), and a Pentax Spotmeter modified by Zone VI Studios, which I almost always use. I have been known to use the spot meter in the D800E too.
    Regards

    Marty

  8. #8
    Jim Jones's Avatar
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    Re: Meter Madness

    An inexpensive but reliable meter in every camera kit is logical. It's having a ready-to-go kit for several formats and various subjects that can become unreasonable.

  9. #9
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
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    Re: Meter Madness

    I have two that are within 1/3 stop, a Pentax Dig Spot ZVI Modified and recently acquired a Pocket Spot (2'x2.25"x3/4") which I had wanted for decades it seems-they are hard to find new or used. Prior to this I had two Pentax Dig Spots ZVI modified-they were within 1/3 of a stop even after having them both cleaned and adjusted. I sold one during the recession but it left me feeling a bit naked without a backup. Alan Ross suggests simply adjusting the two meters set point so they match and then doing your personal ASA tests etc. based on that-as it doesn't really matter if they are perfect as long as they are consistent. Though 1/3 stop is a trifle it always bugs me a bit.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

  10. #10

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    Re: Meter Madness

    I''ve got 2 Pentax digital spotmeters and a Pentax Spotmeter V. They all read the same. I also own a Minolta Flashmeter lV for strobes.

    Too many different types/brands of meters and I get confused on how to use them.

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