Spotmeter for Zone System

[Tin Can]

I need strobe readings

I also use it to check and adjust enlarger projection

and soon for big contact prints

[Alan Klein]

It was always easier for me to visualize and interpret the analog Pentax needle than the digital numerals.

I can estimate time better with an old fashioned clock with an hour and minute hand than I can when looking at a digital clock. It has to do with the analog nature of the way our brains work.

[Fred L]

Had a Pentax Spotmeter V but got rid of it as I found it to be on the bulky side. Have a Minolta Spotmeter F but it needs to be cla'ed. Currently use the digital Pentax and for my needs it works very well (don't use it for Zone). Both are unmodified although one came with the Zone scale.

[Drew Wiley]

I don't gravitate toward bells n' whistles products like the current Sekonic offering. The simpler the better. I like the Pentax just the way it is. Maybe in a studio environment something like that might make more sense, but not stuffed in a backpack pouch, reaching for it during a blizzard, needing to work quick and intuitively.

[faberryman]

I don't gravitate toward bells n' whistles products like the current Sekonic offering. The simpler the better. I like the Pentax just the way it is. Maybe in a studio environment something like that might make more sense, but not stuffed in a backpack pouch, reaching for it during a blizzard, needing to work quick and intuitively.

One alternative is to use a Sekonic for everyday metering tasks, and save the Pentax for when you are out in a blizzard when it is really needed.

[willwilson]

This thread inspired me to purchase a backup Pentax digi. I started out with a Soligor spot sensor II (which is my current backup). No comparison between the two, especially for metering very dark scenes. The Pentax is fast and easy to read. Sometimes the Soligor was difficult to see the reading 100% depending on the scene.

The Soligor is a fine meter though. I took many hundreds of negatives with it. A lot of this will be personal preference. It's harder to try these antique tool out these days so good to have a indepth discussion for folks to reference.

Pentax and Soligor are both big and bulky. They also will get your carryon searched at the airport everytime.

[Fungus]

My wife surprised me this morning with a Pentax Digital Spotmeter in like-new condition for my birthday. I look forward to using it.

[BrianShaw]

Nice wife!

Happy birthday!!

[Ben Calwell]

I’m using (trying to use) a Sekonic Dual Spot meter gifted to me by my brother. It replaces my stolen Pentax V Analog, which I loved. My age-atrophied brain is struggling to figure out this complex piece of gear that has umpteen modes. With the Pentax, I used a homemade zone sticker that made life so easy. With the Sekonic, for me, the easiest method is the Time mode, whereby I adjust zone settings via shutter speed. Not what I’m used to, but the Sekonic is a nice piece of gear, and I’d hate to stick it in a drawer.

[Mark J]

I've used a Soligor for years, I think I chose it because it was lighter than eg. the Pentax. At the time I bought it, someone was selling nicely made stick-on Zone scales for the front bezel, that's done very useful service for over 25 years !