Light meter suggestions?

[MILC Toast]

I have received advice from "you don't need a light meter" to "use a smart phone light meter app".

I'm kind of resistant to both.

Is there anything easy to use, durable and cheap that works as well or better than a cell phone app?

I think I would like to keep my budget around the $50 level but I want a forever tool, not disposable. Used is ok.

I'm not sure if that is wishful thinking. I just don't know what is out there.

I think I'm going to start mainly with landscape/architectural photography but might eventually do indoor stuff with artificial lighting.

[Bernice Loui]

There is no such thing as a "forever tool". IMO, those light meter apps are... light meter apps that can never have the capability of a serious light meter.

~Case of stating this sheet film view camera journey not knowing what kind of road is ahead... Add to this, the challenges of learning how to view camera..

First question would be what kind of lighting needs to be metered? Ambient, strobe/flash, incident or spot ?
At best any light meter "app" would be an incident-ambient meter with ?? accuracy, sensitivity and capability. Keep in mind these "fones" are at best do most-master of none. Keep in mind, no "one" was or is specifically designed to be a film photography light meter.. it can only simulate at best.

If only ambient-incident light needs to be metered, majority of moderate cost light meters will do. This easily fits into the $50 budget.
Adding on to ambient light only would be flash/strobe metering capability. This will increase the cost of the meter, easily near the $50 budget limit.
~Minolta flash meter IV (owned/use one for decades to this day), Sekonic and others..

If ambient light optical spot metering is needed, the meter just got more costly due to complexity and more, this again will easily near or exceed the $50 budget.
~Pentax spot, Minolta spot meter M, Sekonic and others..

If ambient and strobe/flash spot light metering is needed, the $50 budget will absolutely be busted.. as these meter are complex and not simple if they are any good.
~Example would be Minolta Spot meter F (owned/used for about three decades now).

There are also combo spot/ambient meters the measures ambient and strobe like the orginal Minolta flash meter VI which is now the Kenko KFM-2200. Have one, it's good for what it does.

In all cases, many of these light meters are no longer produced or supported by their manufactures. Good ones like Minolta have proven durable/reliable/accurate/repeatable over the decades.

Keep in mind a GOOD light meter is essential for proper film photography, it is the device that facilitates proper film exposure, proper film images to be made and the key to greatly limiting the waste of film in too many ways. Which is why a GOOD light meter is worth far more than $50... or one box of 5x4 film today.. simply add up the cost per sheet and your time which is not replaceable to discover why spending more than $50 for a good light meter is very wise investment..


Bernice

I have received advice from "you don't need a light meter" to "use a smart phone light meter app".

I'm kind of resistant to both.

Is there anything easy to use, durable and cheap that works as well or better than a cell phone app?

I think I would like to keep my budget around the $50 level but I want a forever tool, not disposable. Used is ok.

I'm not sure if that is wishful thinking. I just don't know what is out there.

I think I'm going to start mainly with landscape/architectural photography but might eventually do indoor stuff with artificial lighting.

[BrianShaw]

$50 is a fairly thin budget. But you can get an older meter that will meet your basic needs and last you a very long time. Look at eBay for Gossen Luna Pro SBC. This is a large meter but is easy to use. Unlike the older Luna pros, which are great meters (one of my “forever” meters) this version uses a common 9V battery. General coverage reflected and incident. A “system” meter that can be expanded for flash and spot metering. Those accessories will break your budget but good options for the future perhaps. Super sensitive too. Only negative that you need to really think about is the size. It’s big.

I’m sure that there are other options that might meet your requirements; I’m sure others will chime in with suggestions.

[MILC Toast]

It looks like my luck is holding up. A friend of mine who has gone digital might loan to me a Pentax Spot Meter. That should help me figure out exactly what I need before I buy.

[SergeyT]

Compare that to a "phone app" that feature a spot meter

[MILC Toast]

That's a good idea comparing a dedicated meter to an app.

I kind of think an app has a chance of working because many phones and specifically the phones I am interested in have well respected camera performance. They meter light well enough to set exposure for a tiny sensor digital camera and get it right. If a light meter app can take advantage of that performance, it should be good. It might be hard to calibrate exactly but a common phone like iPhone, Pixel or a Samsung flagship should be easy enough for the app publisher to create calibration settings for those phones.

[otto.f]

It looks like my luck is holding up. A friend of mine who has gone digital might loan to me a Pentax Spot Meter. That should help me figure out exactly what I need before I buy.

If you just start, which I don’t know, there is nothing wrong with a spotmeter but it is quite a bulk, in size and in figuring and thinking out what your exposure will be in the end. In my experience I only need it in landscape when I want to emphasize parts of the images where I cannot walk to.
A fine handy meter is the Gossen Digisix2, which I use for incident metering, which is good in 90% of the light situations. A small minus is that you really need to calibrate it with a grey card. For more insight in the brightness range of a subject/situation I mostly use Gossen Sixtomat F2 which is very reliable and always gives exactly the same value with incident metering and reflective metering from a grey card.

[esearing]

If you want a forever tool then save up for it. Use whatever in the mean time (including a digital camera). You can likely find used sekonic meters in the 500 or 700 series that do it all for under $300. Same goes for Tripods, Lenses, and even backpacks, save for what you want and be happy that your closet is not filled with cheap stuff that you can never sell.

In my experience your phone will die, fall in the river, or get lost - then you have no meter or app.

[Alan Klein]

If you just start, which I don’t know, there is nothing wrong with a spotmeter but it is quite a bulk, in size and in figuring and thinking out what your exposure will be in the end. In my experience I only need it in landscape when I want to emphasize parts of the images where I cannot walk to.
A fine handy meter is the Gossen Digisix2, which I use for incident metering, which is good in 90% of the light situations. A small minus is that you really need to calibrate it with a grey card. For more insight in the brightness range of a subject/situation I mostly use Gossen Sixtomat F2 which is very reliable and always gives exactly the same value with incident metering and reflective metering from a grey card.

What do you do with the other 10%?

[Alan Klein]

You could use your digital camera as a light meter. That's free.