tyler_cordaro Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I am looking for an inexpensive light meter for my Mamiya rz67. I have been carrying around my 40D but its a pain to lug around both cameras. Also should I be looking for a spot meter and not a light meter. Any help would be great thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eophotos Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Hmm.. There is no such thing as an inexpensive spot meter I'm afraid. They are very useful though but it depends on the photography you do. For landscapes I would recommend one, for inside and/or studio work it's probably not necessary and you would then go for a Sekonic 308S (quite cheap), a Polaris or else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randall ellis Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 There are a number of inexpensive light meters out there that work well - for example I use a Gossen Luna Pro with my RB67 and large format cameras and find it works very well for what I need it to do. I used to have a fancier meter, but when it broke I set it aside and just used my backup meter, the Luna Pro, and have never looked back. Depending on your style, and what you want out of a light meter, a spot meter may or may not be the best choice. If you want to get a spot meter because a lot of people say that you should, I would counsel patience until *you* know *specifically* why you want one. Spot meters work well for many people, but, like any tool, you need to understand how to use one before you can get good results from it. What is it about your current method of metering that makes you feel the need for a spot meter? By the way, I'm not trying to imply that spot meters are not good tools, rather I think that many people want them because they feel that they will improve their metering technique automagically, and that's not really how it necessarily works out in the end. Consider how often you rely on the spot metering capability, and how often you use a wider metering mode before making a costly commitment. Your SLR has a 3.8 degree spot metering capability (according to the Canon website), so you should be able to use a meter that has a spot attachment and get approximately the same results as what you have now. This type of meter allows for the attachment of a 5 degree spot attachment while still allowing you to to do both reflected and incident metering. Any meter with spot capability (1 degree capability is considered to be a true spot meter) is going to be quite a bit more costly than a meter that has a 'spot' attachment, so think about how much you can afford compared to what you will get out of the tool before going with someone else's opinion. Just something to consider... - Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richterjw Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I use a Gossen DigiSix, which is inexpensive and pretty simple, but does not have a spot meter. Unless you face a lot of complex lighting scenes, you should fair well without a spot. If the budget is tight, you may just need to learn to adjust your exposure to your specific needs based on the average reading the meter delivers. JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavelp Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 It's hard to say whether you need a spotmeter without knowing what you shoot and what film you use. The film latitude of C41 and B&W films helps a lot to compensate for not-so-perfect reading, with slides you better know what your exact exposure should be. Spotmeter allows you take reflected reading of objects you cannot get to and that are in a different illumination than you are. For me this situation comes often up when shooting in cities where the shadows thrown by buildings are often overlapping and the resulting mess is hard to guess. Be aware that spotmeter is a reflected light meter so you still have to compensate for colors outside the midtone range. Anyway, LunaPro SBC ($100) is an excellent choice if you do not need a spotmeter and Sekonic-L508 is my favorite for built-in spotmeter (I got mine for $250 three years ago). The L-508 does everything (incident, spot, flash) and it's a compact package. LunaPro SBC has reflected (not-spot) and incident built-in and you can get a module for flashmetering (LunaFlash), a module with a bigger white dome (LunaSphere) and a module for true 1deg spotmetering (not sure what it's called, it's difficult to find one and it runs around $100). Lightmeters cost money but if you save a little to get a good one, you won't regret the investment and it will last forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_marvin Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I wouldn't want a spot meter as my only light meter, although they can be quite useful. FWIW, my main meter is a Gossen Luna Lux (that cost me all of $20 used--yes, I got a bargain). I also use a Soligor Spot Sensor II spot meter which is quite accurate. These go for $100 or so used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiromu_kurosaki Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I use DigiSix as well, and has been working very well. I shoot negs and slides, landscape, portrait, snap, everything, but still, my little digisix is good enough. I have thought about getting something that has spot capability, but whenever I am afraid of over/under exposing my landscape, I would usually bracket, and get one correct exposure. Anyway, I don't know what you do, but spot meter is not "must have" for everyone. And cheap meter can do most things right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akajohndoe Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Sekonic L-508 Zoom Master. Incident/Spot/Zoom. Inexpensive is relative to what you get, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler_cordaro Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thanks for all the good Info . This community is by far the best online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_watson Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 As DN mentioned, the Sekonic 508 is now a near-bargain:1 degree spot, flash, ambient, reflected in one package. They're not free but affordable since the 600 and 700 series meters hit the market. Worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_watson Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 As DN mentioned, the Sekonic 508 is now a near-bargain:1 degree spot, flash, ambient, reflected in one package. They're not free but affordable since the 600 and 700 series meters hit the market. Worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_watson Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 As DN mentioned, the Sekonic 508 is now a near-bargain:1 degree spot, flash, ambient, reflected in one package. They're not free but affordable since the 600 and 700 series meters hit the market. Worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eophotos Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Wow Gary, what a great way of increasing your forum posting statistics! lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speed_trials Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 best thing about the L-508 vs newer versions is that the L-508 takes plain AA batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts_photo Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Even a plain-Jane 1deg spot meter is a great tool, but you have to learn to evaluate the scene using your noggin. You can get a finer degree of exposure control in response to the scene, but it comes at the cost of learning to work with tones and placing them as desired. It's a bit more work than using an averaging or incident meter. I think a spot meter is a worthwhile investment. /.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_e._forks Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 another vote for the Sekonic 508. I'm quite happy with that meter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western_isles Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I use a Pentax digital spot meter which cost about £200 in the UK. New they are £475 so try and get a used meter. They are very simple to use and very robust. Metering is a 1 degree spot. I purchased mine from Ffordes of Inverness (use Google) and I have found their postal service very reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbristol Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Unlike most of the previous contributors I use a metered prism finder for shooting nature/landscape. If this is what you are primarily doing a metered finder is more than adequate. Use of graduated nd filters will bring your entire frame into the latitude of slide film. I have used this method for many years. I still use a handheld spot meter for tricky lighting situations and sometimes for finding the difference between the highlights and shadows which will indicate which density of grad needed. Many years ago I purchased a analog spot meter from Adorama which I still think they carry. The thing is tough as a tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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