View Full Version : Your lightmeter suggestions? Need light, small, sensitive, spot?
I currently have the sekonic 508. I like the zoom spot, and incidence reading capabilities. However I am looking for something more light, smaller, more sensitive (in dark) and perhaps simpler? I would like to apply it to the zone system. What meter would you suggest?
My experience with the Sekonic 508 is of mixed feelings. The second time out, the numbers and letters all came off.:mad: Customer service at the time was horrendous and I was not honoured the manufacturer's warranty. The meter doesn't seem to be able to read deep shadows. Iit is a convenient meter due to its design and features, on the good side, and I find it to be very consistent.
For new spot meters there is the Sekonic 756 DR. Used there are other Sekonic spot meters to choose from. I have the 756 DR and also a Pentax V. The Pentax V is what i use daily. These come up on e Bay and on Craigs list or in the USA on www.keh.com. The Pentax sells on line for what I paid new 30 years ago!
Frank Petronio
2-Oct-2010, 19:36
Most people end up relying on the Pentax Digital Spotmeter, about $300 to $350 in good condition used.
Ron Marshall
2-Oct-2010, 20:05
Another vote for the Pentax digital; simple and well made.
I've used a Gossen Ultra Spot for a number of years. It's accurate and reliable, but huge. And the readings only appear in the viewfinder, which I've come to find annoying. I re3cently replaced it with a Minolta Spotmeter F, which solves the aforementioned problems.
Bruce Barlow
3-Oct-2010, 04:38
Pentax Digital. I splurged and own two, one of which was out on loan for years.
anotherJoe
3-Oct-2010, 05:01
I like my Soligor 1 degree spot meter -- cheap ($25 on craigslist), reliable, easy to use. Uses a standard 9v battery.
Joe
The thing you need to watch out for with the pentax digitals is they can be slightly out of whack when it comes to where the meter is reading from. I had one that wasn't reading on the reticle, slightly off to the side. I returned it and bought another only to find the same issue. Not a big deal unless you're taking readings where a shadow is adjacent to a highlight, etc. It costs about $75 to get it fixed/recalibrated.
Matus Kalisky
12-Oct-2010, 04:57
Gossen Digiflash goes down to LV 0 what is just average performance, but it can go down to LV -9 if you use it in the mode in which it can measure the contrast range of the scene - see more HERE (http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/gossen/digisix/index.htm). I did not try it myself yet. But it is not really a spot meter ...
Brian Stein
14-Oct-2010, 17:17
The smallest modern true spot meter is the pentax digital, the minolta is just a bit bigger; both are very good. The lightest modern semispot meter is the L408 (IIRC model) which read 5 degrees. There are some smaller older spot meters (L206?) but they are no lighter and you may have the mercury cell thing happening.
The Metered Light Pocket Spot has to be the smallest spot meter available
Jack Dahlgren
15-Oct-2010, 12:40
The Metered Light Pocket Spot has to be the smallest spot meter UNavailable
Fixed that for you.
http://meteredlight.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=2
Brian Stein
16-Oct-2010, 05:32
Hmm yes, forgot about them. 120 g with battery is less than 1/2 a pentax 260 g with battery, but then you can rely on getting a pentax!
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