Hand Held light meters - advice?

[usayit]

We're getting a little off track with the internal vs external meter conversation, though.

a bit off track... yes... but it started with your post... :-/

99% of what population? those heavily involved with photography or the regular consumer base that just want to snap good photos?

I still sold a lot of meters in the past so they must still be useful.

 

[usayit]

Analog meters can be easier and faster to read: you see the whole range of shutter speed / aperture combinations at once,

you do have a point but I found it far easier to get an exposure reading at a quick glance with a big digital display.... my othersekonic pictured... is analogue... so I guess it comes down to preference. Its much like the discussions photogs had when cameras started to appear on the market with digital in viewfinder displays.

Your reply reminded me of a conversation I had with my father when I was very young... I had just purchased my first calculator. He pulled out his slide rule and showed me how it was better because all the range of values where right there presented at once... I still found the calculator easier.. lol

 

[Helen B]

A vote for a Sekonic L-398? Easy to use, no batteries. I got one in brand new condition on E-bay with box, papers, high slide and disk for I think it was like $80.00.

Yes, The 'Studio Deluxe' is a very nice meter indeed. I have one. It isn't particularly sensitive though - if that isn't a problem, then go for it.

Best,
Helen

 

[fmw]

My attitude is that, if you are going to buy a handheld meter, then buy one that does things a typical in-camera meter doesn't do or doesn't do well. As an example. I keep two hand held meter to this day. One is an old Minolta spotmeter. No in-camera meter I've ever used handles spot metering like this unit. The other one is a multifunction Gossen digital meter that does incident and flash metering as well as reflected metering. No in-camera meter I've ever used does incident or flash metering. I try to meter incident light whenever it is handy to do so because the meter readings aren't fooled by the reflectivity of the subject. So spend a little extra and get some capabilities that you can take with you into future to complement your in-camera systems.

 

[Helen B]

If you want to look to the future and get a versatile meter as Fred suggests, then consider a Sekonic L-508, L-558 or L-758. They all have the same size and shape (the L-758 is the one in the middle, above) with slightly different functionality. None of them are as sensitive as the Profisix/Luna Pro SBC. If you are interested in spot meter comparisons, I can go into the differences between most of the available models - I have five different spot meters. In case you are wondering why I have so many meters, I teach all that metering and exposure and film/sensor testing nonsense at a fairly high level, and I try to be able to use and explain any meter that is thrown at me.

Best,
Helen