Voigtlander VC Light Meter (for hotshoe)

[phillip-robert]

Hi,

I have an M3, and have been thinking of buying the Voigtlander VC light meter which fits into the hot shoe. Has anyone had good/bad luck with this meter?

Thanks

Phillip

(sorry the link is so huge)

 

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http://www02.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___191967___VOMS___REG___CatID=902___SID=EB3BC027E70___call=specs#goto_specifications

[jay_.]

The VC meter has one serious flaw: no way to lock the reading. So

you can't meter at eye-level and know what you're metering. I have a

Sekonic L208 Twin-Mate, which also fits in the shoe. Bring the

camera to eyelevel, select the 90mm framelines and frame what you

want to meter, push the meter button. The needle stays locked, you

can then read off the exposure and set it on the shutter and lens.

[hoyin_lee1]

My experience with the shoe-mount Voigtlander VC Meter has been

pretty good. I'm using it on my M4-P, and it's more convenient and

allow faster shooting than with a handheld meter. Metering with the

VC meter is done at chest level and the aperture and shutter-speed

readings transferred manually to the lens and camera body. This was

the way to meter using the uncoupled exposure meter built into older

cameras. This takes some getting used to, especially for those who

are used to eye-level metering through the camera's viewfinder. I

shoot slide film, which has less exposure latitude than negative

film, and the exposure result with the VC Meter is extremely good. I

rarely get more than just a couple of mis-exposed shots with every

roll of film. Most of the faulty exposures were actually my own

mistake--when I aimed the meter towards the sky rather than towards

the subject. The only problem I have so far is that the meter's shoe

can be too loose fitting on some cameras and too tight on others, and

the meter has been dropped more than once (and by Sod's Law, always

on hard ground), either by slipping off from a loose-fitting shoe, or

slipped off my fingers while trying to pull it off from a tight

mount. Despite the mishaps, the poor meter seems to work fine, which

goes to show how well built it is. I would thoroughly recommend this

meter based on my user's experience.

[andrew_schank]

I still like the battery powered Leica meter MR on my M3 the best,

which is shutter coupled and reads a direct f stop. In actual field

use, its nearly as fast as the built in meters to me. It also hold a

meter reading and has a selective metering angle of what a 90mm lens

sees.

[phillip-robert]

I actually have an MR meter which died, is there any way to fix it

(which would be cost effective?)

Thanks

Phillip

[eliot]

Phillip

 

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I have a Leicameter MR4 which I have used for almost 15 years with

never a problem. It is very convenient to use and if you use it

properly (understanding the principles of light metering), you will

always get the proper (or at least desired) exposure. It is always

within less than 1/2 stop of my Gossen Luna Pro analog meter, which

is my "gold standard".

 

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I would contact a competent Leica repair person about your MR meter,

it may be fixable if the electronics are not fried. This meter uses

a cadmium sulfide photocell, which unlike the old selenium meters,

doesn't often go dead. I would think the VC meter would be

inconvenient to use because it is not coupled to the shutterspeed

dial, as is the MR/MR4 meter. Also, according to what I've read, the

diode display remains lit for only about 10 sec.

 

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I checked the Steve Gandy (cameraquest.com) website. He is charging

$ 150 for a new VC meter. You can probably get a nice working MR4

meter for about the same price, which would be my choice, if I were

in your position. As far as I'm concerned, the only real down-side

to the MR4 meter is that it requires a mercury battery, which can be

hard to come by (though there are substitutes that can be used).

 

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I agree with the comment about the actual use of the MR4 meter being

very quick, not much slower than an onboard camera meter.

[jay_.]

1. The selenium-cell Leicameters read at chest-level, which was ok

because they had a very wide angle of coverage. The MR and MR-4 CdS

meters read an angle comparable to a 90mm lens, have a reading lock,

and are best used at eye-level otherwise you don't really know what

the meter ie reading.

 

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2. For repairs on MR/MR-4 you might try Hollywood Light Metrics in LA.

[iván]

Hi, Phillip:

 

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I own a VC Meter and have used it long enough to discover that I

don't like it: Jay is certainly right. In fact, I think that any

advise coming from him should be, at least, carefully considered.

 

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From my particular point of view, the problem with the VC is the lack

of measurement lock. It is OK if you measure from waist level (two

hands neeeded if not mounted on your camera) but then again I'm never

sure whether the meter actually looks what I want it to. It covers

the same field than a 90 mm lens so that using it at waist level

while you actually hold the camera (not the meter) could easily mean

that your are aiming to something different than intended (IMHO)

specially if your adjusting the little wheels at the same time.

 

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And if I don't feel very sure about the indication of my meter, I'd

be better off relying on plain Sunny 16, which is right most of the

times in my case (we are talking about B&W, right? If the subject

matter is slides, you do need a meter).

 

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Today, and thanks to Larry in this same site, I'm using a Gossen

Scout II he gave to me and feel very happy with it: one handed

operation, no batteries, very responsive and, though from waist level

too, I feel that now I do know what I'm aiming to.

 

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Anyhow, what meter to use will depend upon your particular

preferences/experience, so that I intend only to supply you with the

information I think fair to let you know after my personal experience.

 

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Best of luck, Phillip.

 

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Regards

 

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-Iván

[craig_zeni]

I use a VC on an M3 and on my Rapid Omega...have had excellent results with it shooting slide film. Like most any tool it takes a bit of learning to get the hang of it but have picked it up pretty well.

 

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Yes, it can be a bit fiddly as the wheels don't lock down, and it's not as quick as a Leica meter that drops onto the shutter speed wheel, but it does work well.

 

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I did read with interest the post on the Sekonic - I'm tired of swapping my VC between the M3 and Rapid Omega - about how big is the Sekonic?

[furcafe]

I have the Cosina Voigtlander VC & like it for the same reasons

that others have noted. The lack of a reading lock is a pain, but

far from a significant flaw . . . for me. I also have an old, but

refurbished, Leica-Meter MR & while it's nice to have the reading

lock, I've found that it's just not as accurate as the VC in low-light

conditions (it's also considerably bigger & doesn't really give

1/2-stop readings like the VC). FYI, if you're in the US, I would

recommend George Milton of Quality Light-Metric in Hollywood,

California (323-467-2265)--he did a great job repairing my MR &

recalibrating it for silver oxide batteries.

[yip2]

I had one.

Didn't give good readings.

Disposed of it promptly.

[raymond_tai]

I use the VC meter and like it for the convenience of having it on

the hotshoe and not having to fumble for a handheld meter. The

shortfalls mentioned above are valid, however you have to be

creative to get the most out of it. I don't trust where the meter is

aiming either especially when I can't take the reading eye level.

Instead I point it at the palm of my hand or whatever and use the

reading as zone 5 or whatever. I know it isn't comforting but

works really well for me.

[michael_darnton1]

I like the VC meter. If you're looking for an in-camera meter mounted

on top, with all the attendant comforts, this isn't it. If you're

comfortable with a hand-held meter and want one that sits on top of

the camera instead of in your pocket, it's just fine. Personally, I

think it's funny that people complain that their VC won't couple to

the camera and won't allow you to meter using framelines, but

wouldn't make the same criticism of a Sekonic meter that's eight

times larger, doesn't couple with the Leica shutter and framelines,

and is in a pocket somewhere, or at home because it's too much to

carry around. The disadvantage of any of the Leica meters is that

when they're on the camera there's no place to fit accessory finders

for your 24, 21, and 15mm lenses. Voigtlander sells a double-shoe

attachment that will hold their meter AND a finder.

[johannes_fleischhauer]

Hi Phillip,

I just bought a VC meter and think it is very convenient, becuase it

is small and fits on the camera hot shoe. I also compared the seconic

L-208, but this is much still much bigger and I think it is not really

constructed to mount it on the camera. It is a little drawback that

the meter doesn't have exposure lock, but I think you get used to it

and you can always use the "hand method" ray described. Compared to

the Leica Meter MR it gives you much more accurate readings in

available light situations (the MR gives you more a guess of what you

should set). I didn't get my slides back yet, but I think they should

be ok, because the readings are very accurate compared with a spot

meter and my M6 build in meter. When I saw the seconic and the VC

meter next to each other my decision was quickly made. I guess you

could also buy it and sell it with a little loss on the internet or

trade it in when you don't like it.

I hope this helped you in your decision.

Johannes

[robert_marvin]

I get very good exposures with mine and especially like its great

low-light abilities. I don't think not being able to meter at eye-level

is a disadvantage because, with a non-TTL reflected light meter

you often must make adjustments like aiming it down when

there's a large expanse of bright sky.

[alfie wang]

The VC meter in my Bessa-T camera has given me very very accurate

exposure readings. About 90% of the shots had the correct exposure

and I was rather happy about it. I agree that the VC meter doesn't

lock in the reading but neither does my meter in the Leica CL camera

which uses match needle reading rather than the LED display. I think

that the VC meter is a reasonable investement and more accurate than

the Leica MR which is more of a collector's item.

[jim_scheffler]

The old coupled selenium MC meter is still a pretty good choice for

general photography. I have used several of them over the year's on

M3's with satisfactory results. They can still be found in good

working order for $50 to $60.