I need... a light meter.

[minicoop1985]

Hey guys. It's come to my attention that I look absolutely ridiculous having one camera mounted to a tripod while I use my DSLR as a light meter. So, since I'm going to be doing more film photography with unmetered cameras, I need a good, INEXPENSIVE, yet fairly reliable light meter. I've tried some apps on my phone, but all of them seem to crash and fail, so does anyone have some suggestions on a fairly cheap meter I can throw in my bag? I have absolutely no idea what's what in the meter world, so your help is massively appreciated. Thanks!

 

[480sparky]

There's basically two flavors: Incident and Reflective.

Incident meters are used to measure the light striking the subject (you walk to the subject, and hold the meter facing the light source). Reflective meters measure the light that's reflected off the subject (just like the camera does). I prefer incident metering as the brightness of the subject does not affect the reading. OTOH, I use a spot (type of reflective) meter when I can't go to the subject.

 

[minicoop1985]

Spot meter, huh? Hmm... That has me intrigued, as I do plan to do some landscapes.

 

[480sparky]

Spot meter, huh? Hmm... That has me intrigued, as I do plan to do some landscapes.

Hang onto your wallet. A basic meter can probably be had for less than $50. But good spot meters will run much much more.

 

[Derrel]

Pocket Light Meter for iPhone is rock solid... That said, Gossen has made some good meters over the years, as has Sekonic. The older Sekonic L-398 Studio Deluxe M and the Gossen Luna-Pro S are what I call "analog" meters, meaning they have a nice mechanical analog "scale" with lots of f/stops and shutter speeds listed out..so one can see the entire range of possible, equivalent exposures, from the slowest, to the fastest, or from the smallest possible f/stop to the widest f/stop possible, for the lighting conditions. I actually think that the older stytle "analog display" meters are better for doing B&W work. I especially like the older style dial face popularized on the Weston Master series, with its highlight, shadow, and middle gray marks...very useful.

Newer "digital" meters typically display only ONE, single exposure combo at a time, and are not quite the same in feel or operation. Something like the Sekonic 308 would be a good example.

The Minolta Autometer IIIf is affordable,. and reads both flash and ambient incident, and is affordable. A meter that reads both flash and ambient is often called a "combination meter".

 

[peter27]

I paid 20 euros plus postage for a Gossen Sixtar in pristine condition about two years ago. It can be used for reflective as well as incident metering and is very good. Don't be put off older meters on the basis that you can't get batteries for them: the modern equivalents work perfectly well.

This was shot with an old Voigtländer and metered with my Gossen: Ecce Homo | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[480sparky]

To add yet another layer of complexity.... there's meters for flashes, like you'd use with studio-style strobes.

 

[Mach0]

Pocket Light Meter for iPhone is rock solid... That said, Gossen has made some good meters over the years, as has Sekonic. The older Sekonic L-398 Studio Deluxe M and the Gossen Luna-Pro S are what I call "analog" meters, meaning they have a nice mechanical analog "scale" with lots of f/stops and shutter speeds listed out..so one can see the entire range of possible, equivalent exposures, from the slowest, to the fastest, or from the smallest possible f/stop to the widest f/stop possible, for the lighting conditions. I actually think that the older stytle "analog display" meters are better for doing B&W work. I especially like the older style dial face popularized on the Weston Master series, with its highlight, shadow, and middle gray marks...very useful. Newer "digital" meters typically display only ONE, single exposure combo at a time, and are not quite the same in feel or operation. Something like the Sekonic 308 would be a good example. The Minolta Autometer IIIf is affordable,. and reads both flash and ambient incident, and is affordable. A meter that reads both flash and ambient is often called a "combination meter".

I have the Minolta iii with no issues.

 

[pgriz]

For much of my film/slide photographic life, I used a Gossen Lunapro meter to figure out the light. It had various attachments that allowed it to be turned into a spot-meter, enlarger meter, etc. My cameras were either fully manual, or had wonky lightmeters that worked accurately for twenty minutes either side of the full moon. Now modern cameras have much superior equipment, and you can actually rely on the meter to give you a "good" exposure. But when I want to control how the image will look, where the highlights and shadows should lie, I use an incident light meter (Sekonic L-358). It's not cheap, but it allows me to do all the measuring I need, plus it does flash as well. I know you can certainly go cheaper, but these days I would want the meter to be able to do flash, because the additional light (in the right place, at the right angle, etc) makes life so much more pleasant. If you're doing film AND using multiple flashes, then a flash meter becomes a necessity. Mine allows me to figure out the relative contribution of flash to ambient, and that is very useul in figuring out how to balance the different light sources (ambient, flash, etc.)
.

 

[cgw]

Film and processing aren't getting any cheaper. Buy the newest meter you can afford. This rules out relics like old Gossens and Westons. The Sekonic 398M is OK for incident metering but can't cope with low-light. They're also remarkably heavy for their size and are harder to read than the legible LCDs on newer Sekonics(try spinning the dial on a 398 and you'll see what I mean). Bang for the $? Probably the Sekonic 318/328/308. If you want true 1 degree spot metering, the Sekonic 508 does it all: spot/incident/flash in one package at a fair price for its capabilities. If you're tempted by the oldies, keep in mind that a working meter isn't necessarily a accurate meter.

 

[MK3Brent]

What type of photography?

Sounds like landscape.

I'd recommend a Sekonic 558.
Great for landscape. You can meter highlights and lows, save them and average them.

Some great tools.

View attachment 62122

 

[minicoop1985]

Thanks for the info, guys. I have a lot to think about and a lot of options, and that's what I was hoping for. As for what kind of photography, it's going to be a variety of things. I'm going to use this camera for my photo blog, so it's going to perform in a variety of situations from macro to landscape and a lot in between.

 

[hirejn]

The Sekonic L-308s is an excellent budget meter, especially if you look for a used or refurbished one. The pro world uses mainly Sekonic. In fact out of all the top photographers I follow I haven't seen another brand mentioned. Also grab some online tutorials about how to use them.

 

[MK3Brent]

The Sekonic L-308s is an excellent budget meter, especially if you look for a used or refurbished one. The pro world uses mainly Sekonic. In fact out of all the top photographers I follow I haven't seen another brand mentioned. Also grab some online tutorials about how to use them.

I use this meter for flash photography the most. PC wire it into your remote for strobes, and sync them up. Very useful, very accurate.

I would recommend it also.

 

[gsgary]

I have got 4, my latest is a Weston Master V with invercone, they are beautifully made and still accurate and look like the dogs