carlos_prado2 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Hello</p> <p>Can anyone suggest a small, inexpensive shoe-mount light/exposure meter.</p> <p>I just what a very compact meter I can attach on my camera cold shoe.</p> <p>I've seen some vintage ones on Ebay, but i need suggestions for what brands work well.</p> <p>Also, if there are modern cheap ones, I would appreciate suggestions.</p> <p>Thanks</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winfried_buechsenschuetz1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>All vintage hot-shoe mounted exposure meters I have seen have selenium cells, and these are prone to aging, so do not expect an old meter to be too accurate.<br> Good news: you can buy the Voigtlaender VC meter as new, but this one is not really cheap...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlos_prado2 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Voightlander is way too expensive. I Will have to take my chances with and older shoe-mount selenium meter.</p> <p>Any suggestions?</p> <p>Also, does anyone know where to get the vintage selenium meters serviced and repaired?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_502260 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>I would get the Gossen Digisix. It's new so it should be accurate for a meter of its type. By now most of us are spoiled by built in matrix and spot metering with modern cameras. Even the Canon F-1 and Canon FTb cameras of 1971 had 12 degree metering angles. Whether you use a separate meter attached to an accessory shoe or hand held you have to look out for back lighting and situations where there may be a large difference in brightness between the foreground and the background. I still enjoy using my Gossen Scout 2 and Pilot meters when shooting in good light with my Bronica SLRs. All eight of them are meterless. In High School I had a Vivitar 24 CdS meter. This was small and had a foot which fit the standard accessory shoe. If you can find a used one in good condition you might like it. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winfried_buechsenschuetz1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Selenium cells are no longer manufactured. I have heard of a company still repairing old selenium meters but I think they have their prices, too... There ARE old selenium meters out there which still work correctly, I have an old french Chauvin-Arnoux meter which is still accurate. But it is rather a game of luck to find a working one which mounts on the accessory shoe.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean_yves_mead Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Sekonic L-208. Set ISO when you load your camera. To meter, press the button, match up the needles, and read off EV and all matching shutter-speed/aperture combinations at a glance. Couldn't be simpler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlos_prado2 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>winfried</p> <p>What is the name and website of the company that repairs selenium meters?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_wheatland Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Quality Metric in California?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_richardson9 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>I got one of those leica MC meters for £11, looking at the prices on ebay though I got a bargain.</p> <p>You can pick up the old handheld meters for next to nothing these days, such as a weston master 5 for >£10. It would be much cheaper than buying an old hotshoe meter and trying to get it repaired!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>These little meters weren't very good to start with (I know -- I grew up with them) and are surely even worse now. I'd recommend that you either buy a "real" meter, or just go by the printed instructions with most films.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie_strickland Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>I second Jean-Yves' recommendation: Sekonic L-208. I have one and find it a very fine meter.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou_Meluso Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>I have a very cute, compact Tower shoe mounted selenium meter, new in the box, that is still accurate. It's designed to work on the Tower/NICCA LTM rangefinder cold shoe. Aires has an interesting looking cylindrical one for the 35-III. The one for my Canon P/IV series rangefinders is the most accurate, such as it can, with hi/lo sensitivity but it's not really compact.</p> <p> But like all above, these wide-area meters have limited usefulness. Some have diffusion panels to make them "incident" meters. Again of questionable value sitting on top of the camera facing the subject. Mostly collectors gobble them up to complete a camera outfit, working or not. However if you are dead intent to find one, look for one that has been stored in it's original box in a cool, dry place. Light and moisture are the enemy of these meters.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_madio Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>I will third the recommendation for the Sekonic L-208 ... compact, reliable, and simple to use.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winfried_buechsenschuetz1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p><em>Quality Metric in California?</em></p> <p>Not quite right - it's rather Quality Light Metric.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_robison3 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Please keep in mind that a small selenium meter is just about useless in indoor light or even outside in dim gray conditions. I picked up a Pilot 2 last year that is accurate and compact but useful only in good light. If that is OK then the Pilot could be attached to a accessory shoe with it's case screw. You would have to make the shoe adapter yourself out of a piece of aluminum. I think Gossen made a shoe adapter but that was years ago and they would probably be very hard to find today. The Pilot and Pilot 2 seem to be plentiful and cheap on the used market and are quite compact.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebu_lamar Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Those type of meters are expensive and many are not accurate. They were built for expensive cameras and they were more for look than real use. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_roberts4 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 <p>Carlos,<br> I have a small Sekonic shoe mount, takes a battery, don't know if it works. If you pm me with your address I will send it off to you..</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winfried_buechsenschuetz1 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 <p>I totally agree that simple selenium meters are suitable for daylight outdoors use only. Usually their range is limited to, say, 1/30 at f/2 for ASA100. For difficult lighting situtations you will need a more sensitive meter, and these devices usually are handheld. Very few of them have a simple built-in viewfinder (like the Gossen Metrastar or the russian Leningrad6) so you can aim quite precisely.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soeren_engelbrecht1 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I am fortumate enough to have a working Leicameter MC, too. Agree that it is useless in low light. In that case, I use the Canon S95 that I always carry with me. And I just got a Light Meter app for my iPhone that I'm checking out... Finally, I also have good experience in simply guesstimating. Mostly fine with 400 ISO B/W... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_baker6 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 <p>The Sekonic L-208 also gets my vote. It can be shoe mounted but it also sits in the hand nicely. You can take a light measurement without drawing any attention to yourself (unlike hand held meters with a dome). </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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