Seeking Light Meter Recommendations

[gm1664886068]

The light meter on my Canon F-1 is defunct. Rather than try to get it repaired (again) I would like to consider using a hand-held light meter. Any suggestions of what light meter to use? My intention is to use it for landscape work, only.

 

Thanks.

 

Gary

[kendunton]

The light meter on my Canon F-1 is defunct. Rather than try to get it repaired (again) I would like to consider using a hand-held light meter. Any suggestions of what light meter to use? My intention is to use it for landscape work, only.

 

Thanks.

 

Gary

Do you have a phone - iphone or similar?

The free apps are pretty good.

[BeBu Lamar]

For landscape a meter with combination of spot and incident would be good.

[Bill Bowes]

Gary, for the last 5 years or so I have been using Gossen Pilot meters with my various folding MF cameras, and now the FSU 35mm collection. They are a selenium unit (no batteries) with both reflective & incident capabilities. Once "zeroed" in for YOUR working habits, the units perform flautlessly, unless you drop the meter! Currently they run $15-25 on Ebay. I use them for size mainly. I have Weston V's in my larger RB-67 kits. A Gossen Luna Pro is somewhere in my "collections" of stuff". Aloha, Bill (Right now V2.2 is having a snit fit & uploading a picture is impossible here. . later for the pic)

[Bill Bowes]

The Pic.

[rodeo_joe1]

The Sekonic 'Studio' L398 is, IMO, the most reliable selenium meter. Still in production, but can be bought used for a reasonable sum.

 

Weston IVs, Vs and Euro-Masters are probably the least reliable. I see dozens of them at camera fairs in non-working or inaccurate condition. Their selenium cells simply wear out. OTOH the Weston III seems to go on forever. It was the first Weston calibrated in ASA (=ISO) speeds, but unfortunately its invercone kits are difficult to come by.

[Wouter Willemse]

Some time ago, I bought the Sekonic L308 brand new; it's very reasonably priced, and I prefered buying something with warranty (I can take quirks from a camera, but a meter should just work), and taking normal AA batteries. So far, I've found it be perfectly reliable, and easy to use. Haven't use its abilities for metering flash yet, so no idea about that, but as a 'normal' incident and reflective meter, it does the job perfectly fine.

 

I've used apps before on my smartphone, and found them a reasonable solution in normal light conditions; for landscape work it might generally work actually. But in more complicated light conditions, not as good, so personally I feel spending money on an actual lightmeter is worth it over using a smartphone. But - since the apps are often free - sure worth trying first.

[JDMvW]

I still think that it is hard to find a better hand-held meter than the Gossen LunaPro SBC. It also uses a 9-volt battery instead of the mercury ones. Numerous attachments for it allow it great flexibility. It is pretty large, however.

 

Shown here with a Leudi extinction meter:

[kendunton]

I wonder if Gary will ever respond...

[Bill Bowes]

The "secret" to keeping the Weston IV & V models "alive" is to keep them light tight until needed. My "prime" V was purchased in 1971 while at Brooks. . . The Sekonic L-398 used there "died" after less than a year. Seconic would not honor the warranty past 90 days, so they lost a good customer. The Sekonic was a good meter. About 20 years later I opened the Sekonic & it was a "broken" cell wire. 15 minutes open, fix, close. Aloha, Bill

[Moving On]

Second the Luna-Pro.