Your lightmeter suggestions? Need light, small, sensitive, spot?

[l2oBiN]

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?

[sergiob]

My experience with the Sekonic 508 is of mixed feelings. The second time out, the numbers and letters all came off. 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.

[ki6mf]

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]

Most people end up relying on the Pentax Digital Spotmeter, about $300 to $350 in good condition used.

[Ron Marshall]

Another vote for the Pentax digital; simple and well made.

[hmf]

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]

Pentax Digital. I splurged and own two, one of which was out on loan for years.

[anotherJoe]

I like my Soligor 1 degree spot meter -- cheap ($25 on craigslist), reliable, easy to use. Uses a standard 9v battery.

Joe

[vinny]

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]

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. I did not try it myself yet. But it is not really a spot meter ...