Light meters for classic camera lovers

[User_4525289]

<p>Well, I guess that not of us are Jedi knights and not all of us can guesstimate the exposure always right used sunny 16 rule, especially in difficult conditions. What light meters are you guys using to back yourself up? I have Gossen Luna-pro which is unfortunately not that accurate especially indoor. It looks classy though.</p>

[john_tran14]

<p>Use one of your camera (that has meter) as an exposure meter.</p>

<p>Sunny 16 is NOT the only way of "guesstimation". You could (and should) even create and use your own rules for guesstimation.</p>

<p>It is in the "difficult conditions" that our guesstimation is more important</p>

[User_4525289]

<p>John, you would be surprised but I KNOW how to guesstimate the exposure. More over I used not to have a light meter for a long time since Smena 8M (that is a camera) does not come with TTL system. I am just wandering what other classical camera folks have.</p>

[Brad Cloven]

<p>My favorite light meter is my Nikon F3HP.</p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>Well, Brad, that is one of my favorite cameras, which begs the question. If I were going to use another camera as a light meter, I suppose I would use a good P&S digital, probably my wife's Canon A620 or my Canon A650IS, and even to take a picture with it, check the histogram and look for blown highlights.</p>

<p>Either of those I mentioned would provide matrix, spot or centerweighted average modes of metering, and since each have a manual mode, they would provide shutter speed and aperture. Probably not good for depth of field since digitals tend to have large depths. One disadvantage is that they don't have wide apertures, but that wouldn't be a major obstacle.</p>

[gabor_szabo3]

<p>Kozma, when I shoot my film cameras, more often than not I'm guessing exposures with Sunny-f/16 .<br>

My favorite meterless camera is the Pentax SV. Perfecvt size, clean lines, and M-42 ( infinite lens possibilities). <br>

When in doubt, I use one of a brace of <strong>Weston Master Deluxe</strong> meters. Again, classic looks, small, and very handy.<br>

I used to have a Pentax Spotmeter, but rely on DSLR more when working large format cameras. </p>

<p>I prefer meters without batteries and sold off a few Luna Pros last year ( indoors innacurate, you say ?? Hmmm, never had that problem). And they're noway near as classy as a Weston meter. The Gossen Pilots are cute, though !</p>

<p>I often find el-cheapo <strong>Vivitar 45</strong> lightmeters with SLR systems I buy at estate sales. They take a single SR-44 cell and seem to be good performers. I save these meters for the cameras I re-sell on eBay that have dead built-in meters. <br>

Minolta Autometer IV-F for studio strobe work.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>Hi KP! I use a Weston Ranger 9 for spot reading and Gossen pilot for day light. Recently I bought a Leningrad 7, which has a regular scale and a low light sensitive scale. I am very impressed with it. It is much like the Weston Master series. Most of my Prakticas have working TTL meters in them, quite reliable. Of course, often I ignore them all and do my own guesstimates, not necessarily Sunny 16. I also learned to use cameras in the 1950s here [the NO Meter years] on a Fed 2. Regards, sp.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>Like many of the others I generally have a Weston meter. The responses seem to be more in the direction of selenium meter. MY dad has a Gossen Pilot and it's small and stable. The Luna-Six I have is so much bigger than the Weston and it never quite agrees with the Weston either which is unsettling. I think I would like the Voigtländer II meter especially for mounting on the flash shoe and/or neck strap. What I don't like is.......it costs so much. Any meter is intended as a guide and they're not infallible and neither are you for that matter just experience and interpertation. I am quite often dissatisfied with my photos, but it's not just a "correct" exposure.. it'S a dramatic exposure I want. I am very jealous of some posters here .. like S.G. Adams, Rick Drawbridge and Andy Collins, Tony Lockerbie etc..... they usually manage dramatic exposures and I doubt it's accidental. Anyway, the idea of a digital P&S as a meter appeals to me too and I will investigate what the other poster suggested.My little Sony/Zeiss is just not quite suitable. There isn't a manual mode or a quick way to create a what-if siutation and then change parameters for another what-if scenario. My best in-camera meter is the Minolta XD7. It's one intuitive camera and has lots of ways to create what-if scenarios. I do like and trust my Weston IV and my Dad, as a present, paid to have it renewed by Quality Light Metric in Los Angeles. (323) 467-2265. It helps me sleep better, but a light meter is only a guide... you as the photogrpaher makes the exposure. Also, our lovable classics<br>

aren't very reliable mechanically and may not be able to perform to spec either... go figure! I think August Hovrath's approach, testing the shutter and carrying a crib sheet, is probably the only real solution.<br>

 </p>

[matt_blomqvist]

<p>I bought recently a nice Sverdlovsk-4 which comes from the former CCCP. It's great! It's small, cheap, bullet proof and it can be calibrated. You watch through the meter and the metering area is about the size of the one in Leica MR-4 meter, something like 90mm lens in Leica viewfinder terms. You can take incident measurement too if you like.<br>

My other lightmeter is Seconic Twinmate L-208 which is a small and nice meter too. </p>

[SCL]

<p>I have a Gossen Luna-Pro for those situations, but rarely use it. Over the years, I've become pretty adept at guestimating exposures.</p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>For most of us when we use one of those old classic camera that doesn't have a light meter generally because we want to not because it's the only thing we have.<br>

1. My first choice for using one of those camera is to use no meter because it's many times the reason to use the old classic rather than a more modern one.<br>

2. I use the Minolta Flashmeter VI because that's what I have. I think either the Sekonic 558/758 or the Gossen Starlite also fine. BUT I rather use no meter than a lesser meter.<br>

3. I would sometimes use a P&S digital camera as a meter. The camera I use is the Nikon CP5000 an old one. I do not use the CP5000 meter per se but rather taking test shot with it, fine tune, and use the setting.</p>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>I have a couple of meters I use for backup. One is a Gossen Pilot II, which is handy because it needs no batteries, though it's poor in low light. The Pilot II, unlike the original Pilot, also allows user calibration, in addition to the usual zero adjust.</p>

<p>I also have a Sekonic Micro Leader, which uses a mercury battery, but I've found that some partially exhausted alkalines put it right on the dot, and it uses virtually no current, so a battery stays at the same voltage for a long time. As long as I keep an eye on the battery check, it ends up being accurate enough.</p>

<p>I use a Minolta X-370 as my master meter calibration standard. </p>

[ron_gratz]

<p>As a user of Zeiss-Ikon cameras I use a Zeiss Ikophot - still very accurate, compact and easy to use with my Super Ikonta B and C.</p>

<p>Ron Gratz</p>

[john_tran14]

<p>I rarely use any meter in manual exposure. That is why I like the old manual camera. I said rarely means except when the light is below EV 3/EV 4. I dont like exposure longer than half a second and using tripod. Again, except when I have to. Only when I want to use Auto mode, then the meter (in camera) is a must. In those situations, I'd check the camera meter to make sure it's close to my own judgement before I use its Auto mode. I'm totally comfortable to use the ISO setting to bias the meter and adjust the meter close to what I want. I often use memory lock feature to override the meter in Auto mode</p>

[Julio Fernandez]

<p>Sverdlovsk-2. Before that, a Weston Master II. If it is really critical, a Canon A510 digital P&S in manual mode. Wish I'd have an incident light meter sometimes.</p>

[steven_bristow]

<p>I use a Gossen Luna Pro F. It's a great meter, simple to use and extremely accurate. I bought it when I was 14 years old and still use it.</p>

<p>I also like using older meters, like the GE DW58 and PR-1, and some of the Weston Master series.</p>

[User_4136860]

<p>I'm using a Sekonic L-358 Flash master.</p>

[Gus Lazzari]

<p>A miniature, simple S76 batteries, silicon cell, 30 degree angle, LED display meter that can also have it's shoe position changed !</p>

<p>The fantastic (<em>click>>></em> <a href="http://www.cameraquest.com/voivcmet2.htm">Voigtlander VCII</a> ) meter. You can still get one of these little gems in either chrome or black...</p>

[paul_keller]

<p> The tiny Gossen Digisix and Digiflash have proven themselves accurate and tough. Reads both in reflected and incident readings and can be attached to the hot shoe of most cameras. I tend to think in terms of EV and so the EV readout works very well with older Hasselblads, Retina's, etc. I mostly use Sunny 16 while shooting B&W negative film, but pull out the Digisix when Velvia is in the camera. </p>