Which Meter Should I Get?

[jay_chartwell]

I am in need of both a spot meter and an incident meter, preferably something

small and lightweight. Which brands/models should I consider?

 

Also, do all current models that apply include a flash meter? I guess it would

be nice to have a flash meter included, but if it is possible to forgo the flash

meter for small size, I would consider that.

[nickwhite]

There is not a great choice in spotmeters these days - certainly not in a budget range.

 

Three names come to mind; Pentax, Gossen and Sekonic.

 

Of those the Pentax Spotmeter is probably the most expensive and least specified (no flash measurement)- but seems to have a devoted following.

 

Gossen have the well specified 'Starlite' which has 1-5deg spot capability as have the L558 or newer L758 from Seconic, which is probably the market leader.

 

None of these however could be described as compact (compactness and Spot readings don't really go together due to the need for a viewfinder on the meter). But they are all superb flash meters.

 

The most compact option would probably be the Sekonic L358, this does not have spot metering in it's basic form, but there are three Spot attachments available for it - 1deg, 5deg and 10deg.

 

I have the older Seconic L328 which is much more compact, I recently picked up a 5deg spot attachment for it on ebay, but they are few and far between it seems.

 

Hope this helps.

[nickwhite]

Just a correction to the above -

 

It seems the Seconic L758 has 1deg spot metering only now (not 1-5deg). The L558 is no longer listed on their site (may be a good option if you can still find one in stock, as would a used L508).

 

Also the Pentax is a spot meter only (no incident or flash)

 

http://www.sekonic.com/products/products_features.asp?ID=130

 

http://www.gossen-photo.de/english/foto_produkte.html?foto_starlite.html,picts/navi_foto_sub_01_starlite.gif

 

http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/cameras/accessories/spotmeters/

[Ed_Ingold]

If you need a light meter, it's best to get one that does spot, incident and flash. I have a Sekonic L-508, which meets my needs. The L-558 and L-758 have an optional Pocketwizard transmitter, which would be a great time-saver, plus in-finder readings for the spot meter. You should be able to find a used Sekonic for a reasonable price. Don't worry about a zoom spot meter - a 1 degree setting is necessary and sufficient.

[ilkka]

Another meter that is a bit more compact and does it all is the Minolta Autometer VI which has now been reintroduced under the Kenko brand name.