Spot Meter Ergonomics

[l_a_k_h_i_n_d_e_r]

I was looking at various new spot/flash-meter (combo meters)

yesterday, and could not understand how ergonomic disasters keep on

happening in this age of Computer-Aided-Design:

 

1. Gossen (Starlite) Spot Meter is without a display in the

viewfinder! It is like going to a movie whose music is playing outside

the Theater.

 

2. Sekonic L-558, whose measure button (trigger) is under the

viewfinder lens! At the back!! It is like shooting a gun with its

trigger right where your nose is! Imagine a Spotmeter (or a gun)

triggered by your nose!

 

I am sure a Pentax Digital Spot Meter could not match the

functionality offered by the above mentioned meters, but what a dream

Interface! I am not pitching for Pentax or Minolta stuff. Actually,

the Seconic L-358 (flash meter) felt very good in my hands. Is a very

nice flash meter.

 

I wonder are all these companies designing products for the sake of

bringing new stuff to the market, or to help the photographer?

[janko_belaj]

I strongly disagree with you... have Starlite and can't imagine what the size would be of

such monster. What the price would be, and after all, why? That isn't AF system... If I have

time to take my camera out of my backpack, place it on tripod, compose, move few meters

or just few centimeters, recompose... I sure have time to look at Starlite's

screen.<br><br>

Janko

[peter_dendrinos1]

I agree, ergonomics is important. Perhaps not the most important, but significant. I spend a good deal of time behind the camera, and I like to keep things simple. A light meter that is easy to handle is preferable. I have both a Pentax and Minolta. I use the Pentax much more because I like the simple interface of the dial over the digital interface of the Minolta.

 

Pete

[janko_belaj]

...oh, don't get me wrong, please. I also think that there is some space to improve

ergonomics on our tools, including spot meters, but I was referring to Lakhinders wish to

have display in Gossen's viewfinder... I'm looking at it right now, and just don't see space

for such kind of improvement. But I would surely like to have better triggers than those on

my Starlite.<br>

<br>

Janko

[l_a_k_h_i_n_d_e_r]

Janko, just exactly how will you find out the brightest and the darkest spots of an object? Any (decent) spot meter will let you do that without once taking your eyes off. But with Starlite..?

[janko_belaj]

... well... that sounds like my problem. Have seen few of them, but none had any kind of

information in viewfinder except those rings which I don't know how to name on English.

Now I don't disagree that strong as before :-)<br>

If you are buying a lightmeter in my country, you can chose between Gossen and Minolta

and that in just one shop. When I was in need for that tool (spot-flash-meter) I needed

one immediately so didn't made a proper research.<br>

My apologize for replaying with such tone, but I still think that placing anything in

Starlite's viewfinder will make him bigger (and is big now!)...<br>

<br>

Back to what you have accentuated, sometimes it seems that new products are coming on

market just to catch competition or to bring them new dollars in name of new products. It

is our luck that we are talking about part of market which is still slow in developing

(compared to the market of digital cameras, computer operating systems, sport shoes...).

For instance, imagine Cooke Optics selling their new Triple Convertible in "public beta"

version, with latter upgrade on Lens v.1.0.1 and with patch 1.1.b... But you could chose

color... Lens in metal pink... ;-))<br>

<br>

Janko

[luciano_capitanio1]

Two years ago I'd got the Starlite. At that time there was the option between Gossen and Sekonic 508 or 608. Now there is the new Minolta too.

The 608 has the f stop and time indications in the viewfinder. But his weight is about the double than the Gossen and also his thikness is almost twice as much. So I didn't find the Sekonik very ergonomics, even tough it is extremely complete. I choose the Starlite, because it's very simple to use (much less buttons!) , very easy to recover in my pocket, has a very useful "zone system mode", and I found it very ergonomics. When I'm studing a scene, I don't need the spotmeter to recognize what and where are the darkest and brightest zones. This can be recognized very easily by the eyes. But I need a spotmeter to have information about the contrast and the right exposure. So I simply take two lectures of these two zones (and one of the gray card or similar zone...) and then I control on the digital panel the contrast and the exposure: very easy and very fast. Where is the problem? I don't find so important to have these informations in the viewfinder. Maybe you think this is wrong. Well, the 608 is the perfect gear for your requirements.

[www.graemehird.com]

I also have the Starlight. The lack of viewfinder display is of no consequence during actual use. Meter off the two extreme parts of the scene you want to record while using the "average" function and you will see the SBR of the scene at a glance. You then choose the exposure settings you want from the analog scale at the bottom of the screen.

 

If you can't see which part of the scene is the darkest that you would like to record, you need more than a spot meter.

 

The Starlight is a very capable meter and I'm happy I bought one.

 

Graeme

[bob haight]

I have had all three meters. The Pentax is IMHO the best. I like the lack of the memory functions which, the other two have, which work whenever. Fun getting different readings from the same measure. The Pentax is much more reliable.

[patrick_li2]

I have L558, fantistic, I normally just add all possible spot - record all metering results, it could record 9 spots - then choose right setting.

 

But since I have 2 550EX flash, not sure how I could get the remote feature working with my Canon 10D.

[ilkka]

I wouldn't need to have a display in the viewfinder for a simple spot measurement. But I do find it very handy when comparing the difference, the light and dark areas, within the image. Sure I can see where they (most likely) are by eye, but it is good to see the actual EV differences when scanning the scene. I have the Minolta SpotF and find it ideal in this sense. I did compare all the other models before buying it and liked it even more than the Pentax because it shows the difference directly in +/-EV values in the display.