Best Bang for the buck in a light meter?

[Atracksler]

Looking for a light meter, I kind of need one now, but only really want to buy one. I know I can get a decent incident light meter for pretty short money, I know I can spend a lot... I can get a spot meter, but its not going to do it when I'm using strobes (this will probably be off for a while for me).

Will be using it with large format mostly, since my digital rig has it built in....

Looking at minolta, maybe, since I can get a meter now, and get a spot meter attachment....I just really don't know....

Thanks in advance. I don't really have a budget, I can wait to find a good one, but I don't really want to drop $700 on one (I'd rather have another lens and film..)

Thanks in advance, ad

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Best bang is the Metered Light Pocket Spot. You can get one through Alan Ross.

Or, look for good used Pentax 1 degree spot meter.

Both of these have served me very well.

But there will be other opinions of course.

[IanG]

Best bang for Buck is a Lenigrad 4 :D I have 2 and they are surprisingly accurate and reliable, as well as being small.

I mostly use a Minolta Spotmeter F it's great for Ambient (daylight) and Flash, very accurate and not too large.

Ian

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Best bang is the Metered Light Pocket Spot. You can get one through Alan Ross.

Is this still being produced?

[Oren Grad]

My workhorse is a Sekonic L-308 incident/reflected/flash meter. The latest version, L-308S, is available new at B&H for $199; older versions in the 308 series can sometimes be had second-hand in good condition for less than $100.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Yes, there are still some available. I believe Alan is your best bet to get one. I love mine, bullet proof and reliable.

[Drew Wiley]

I'd look for something accurate and durable rather than initially cheap, and that kind be serviced or recalibrated if necessary over the long haul. I personally like
Pentax digital spotmeters or the similar (but typically a bit cheaper used) Minolta Spotmeter F.

[Ken Lee]

It's often a good idea to carry two. One of them can be very cheap if you like, but a spare comes in handy in case of battery failure or meter failure.

I have a Pentax Spot meter but rarely use it. I prefer the Gossen Digisix (http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/gossen/digisix/index.htm) since I use incident 99% of the time and this one is small with a wide range of light sensitivity. I like simplicity.

[Atracksler]

How is the Adorama (Soligor) Digital Spot Meter?

[jp]

I have two as well. A sekonic L208 for simple and light, and a Minolta Flashmeter IV for spare/flash uses. If I misplace one (more likely than battery failure), I've got the other. I don't practice spotmetering so I can't help with that.

[Drew Wiley]

The premium spotmeters like the Pentax and Minolta have multicoated optics, the cheap ones like Soligor apparently do not. This can make a difference in the
reading if pointed toward strong light due to flare. I always use a deep rubber lens shade on my meters as well.

[Bruce Watson]

Looking for a light meter...

What to look for depends on your workflow. If you need incident, there's no point in looking at a Pentax Digital 1 degree Spotmeter. But if you are implementing a variation on the Zone System, a 1 degree spot is pretty much a requirement.

I'm using a modified Zone System, and a Pentax Digital Spotmeter. For this duty, it works a treat, not a better spotmeter out there AFAIK. There's a fair number of these out on the used markets. The Zone VI modification for this meter is really nice to have. Just sayin'.

[brucetaylor]

+ 1 on the Gossen Digisix. I use incident primarily, and it works well. Very small, accurate. Then there are the phone apps, they cost only a few dollars and they work! Great back-up too.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

The lumu (http://lumu.eu/) looks interesting. It is an incident dome that plugs into a phone's audio jack, and then is read by an app. I have used the Lumu app without the dome for reflective metering, and it seems reasonably accurate. Not as accurate as my Pentax meter, of course, but a great back up.

[Ken Lee]

Speaking of apps, I like Pocket Light Meter (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-light-meter/id381698089?mt=8) for iPhone: there's a free version. It's reflective-only however, but in a pinch it's great.

The Luxi app (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/luxi/id670342309?mt=8) for iPhone is also free, and you can buy an incident attachment (http://www.esdevices.com/) for approx. $20.00. (I haven't tried it)

The Lumu looks nice but costs as much as some light meters.

[BetterSense]

I am still looking for a good meter app for my Galaxy android phone. I don't understand why you can't just take a picture and have it display the EXIF data.

[Bill_1856]

Late model Weston Master. Send it to Quality Camera in LA to bring it up to standards.

[DennisD]

Re - Zone VI modified Pentax 1 degree digital spot meter vs non modified Pentax meter

In any case, the Pentax digital spot meter is one of the best and easiest to use spot meters for zone system photographers. If you're not going to use the zone system or some variation that requires use of a spot meter, get something less specialized.

First of all, I don't wish to start a major debate regarding this issue. There are people with very strong feelings about Zone VI modified meters vs straight Pentax (non modified) digital spot meters. Either choice is really OK.

These meters are primarily available in the used market. The Zone VI modified meters usually bring a premium. However, some photographers who have done careful testing question the added value of the Zone VI mods.

If you chose a non modified meter you can easily make a zone scale similar to that found on the modified meters using a p-touch label machine. The zone scale is really helpful for placement of zones once a spot reading is obtained.

Before making your choice, google the first line of this post in bold above. You will find varying opinions and articles on the matter. In particular, the article written by Paul Butzi, and his follow up article, are worth reading.

I've owned both meters and never felt there was any significant difference in performance when compared against other meters and sources of guaranteed calibration. Even using the modified and non modified meters side by side under typical conditions, I never found significant differences in readings. That's my experience over many years of practical use.

Most importantly, with any used Pentax digital spot meter, is finding one in the best possible physical and working condition. That includes a very careful check that the internal LED readout numbers and the 1/3 and 2/3 stop indicators are bright under normal working conditions. I've seen meters where these readouts have become quite dim. Further, if the lens is scratched, its coating compromised or the meter casing banged up, stay away, even though there's no mechanical readout. Be sure the activation switch is responsive and not erratic. The battery compartment should be clean, no sign of past leakage.

[Bill_1856]

My Pentax digital spot meter still works perfectly, except that it came from the factory ONE STOP OFF! I never bothered to get it corrected, but now I use it so little that I can't remember if it's one stop under or one stop over.

[sun of sand]

Price performance panache winner lunapro SBC
Minolta auto spot cheap but pretty big and good

If super cheap a bewi quick

3 more choices

[neil poulsen]

How is the Adorama (Soligor) Digital Spot Meter?

Personally, I'd be careful about buying a Soligor spot meter. I suspect many photographers own and like these meters. But my first spot meter was a Soligor, and the circle in the viewfinder didn't match the actual sensitive area. I took it back and bought a Pentax V. (W/any meter, check for this by bringing the viewfinder circle near a dark or very bright edge. Keep an eye on the reading as the circle gets close to the edge. Then, turn the meter upside down and repeat with the same edge.)

I don't think it's about which brand/model to get. I pay pretty close attention to EBay, and members occasionally list a really excellent meter at an excellent price. For example, my Pentax Digital 1 degree spot purchased on EBay cost me about $129. A few months ago, I bought an excellent Minolta Spot meter (older model) for a really great price in the FS/WTB forum.

[HMG]

I love my Minolta IVF. But verify the serviceability of Minolta meters as Minolta sold their meter business and I think they no longer have factory service. But if there are 3rd parties who service them (like Quality Light Metric) then you're OK.

[Kirk Gittings]

Speaking of apps, I like Pocket Light Meter (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-light-meter/id381698089?mt=8) for iPhone: there's a free version. It's reflective-only however, but in a pinch it's great.

The Luxi app (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/luxi/id670342309?mt=8) for iPhone is also free, and you can buy an incident attachment (http://www.esdevices.com/) for approx. $20.00. (I haven't tried it)

The Lumu looks nice but costs as much as some light meters.

I tested this on an Iphone 4 a couple of years back and found it suffered horribly from flare-making it unreliable IMHO, but maybe this was the phone itself? The camera in the 4 itself was very flare prone as opposed to the 5s and later. What are you using it on?

[Ken Lee]

I tested this on an Iphone 4 a couple of years back and found it suffered horribly from flare-making it unreliable IMHO, but maybe this was the phone itself? The camera in the 4 itself was very flare prone as opposed to the 5s and later. What are you using it on?

http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/spots.jpg

I have only used the Pocket Light Meter in a pinch, on my iPhone 4.

I have noticed that the "spot" it measures is more of a wide blurry spot than a small discrete spot: perhaps that's the same thing as flare.

[Jim Jones]

Late model Weston Master. Send it to Quality Camera in LA to bring it up to standards.

Or an earlier Weston Master, GE, or Norwood. I still use a Weston Master II. Dollar for dollar it was a better investment than almost any other meter, and more compact. If it's too dark to use the Weston, it's too dark to be out making photographs.

[CropDusterMan]

Hard to beat an Autometer 4F

[Ari]

Minolta IVf or Sekonic 308s, either can be had for under $200 and they are reliable, solid, and compact. They each use one AA battery.
I bought my IVf in 1997, and it's never steered me wrong.

[Bill_1856]

Or an earlier Weston Master, GE, or Norwood. I still use a Weston Master II. Dollar for dollar it was a better investment than almost any other meter, and more compact. If it's too dark to use the Weston, it's too dark to be out making photographs.

When I was a kid, I spend my money on a GE DW-68 (long gone). Wish I'd bought a Weston.

[Michael Graves]

My workhorse is a Sekonic L-308 incident/reflected/flash meter. The latest version, L-308S, is available new at B&H for $199; older versions in the 308 series can sometimes be had second-hand in good condition for less than $100.

I second the L-308s. I've been using one as my primary meter now for about a year. It's small, accurate, does reflected or incident readings and can be used to measure flash.

[Kevin Crisp]

There's a rumor the Weston cells are no longer made, making it impossible to restore them when they go bad. Anybody recently tried getting quality light metric to fix one? I hope it is not true, they are very useful.

Obviously every meter ever made will eventually get mentioned in this thread. (The GE DW-68? I started with one of those dogs.) I have to say the one meter I have never had steer me wrong, in 42 years of use, is the original Gossen Luna Pro. I had QLM convert one to modern cells and calibrate it and it is still a great meter.

[David Lindquist]

There's a rumor the Weston cells are no longer made, making it impossible to restore them when they go bad. Anybody recently tried getting quality light metric to fix one? I hope it is not true, they are very useful.

Obviously every meter ever made will eventually get mentioned in this thread. (The GE DW-68? I started with one of those dogs.) I have to say the one meter I have never had steer me wrong, in 42 years of use, is the original Gossen Luna Pro. I had QLM convert one to modern cells and calibrate it and it is still a great meter.
I have a record of being told by George Milton in November 2013 that he could no longer replace the cells in the Weston meters as the company that made them had gone out of business. I think I posted something to this effect on this forum in the past.

OTOH see: http://ian-partridge.com/westonrepair.html

As of April 2015 this site offers replacement of Weston selenium cells. They are in England.
David

[Tomas10]

Did you take a look at LxMeter (http://www.optivelox.com/app_en/lxmeter.htm) ?
You can get an interesting light/flash meter for less than 60 eur.

[Atracksler]

I went to a photo start after a meeting and got a Minolta Auto Meter IV F with a (I know its "only" 5°) Spot meter and a case for $60. Thanks for all the good recomendations!