Light meter recommendations?

[dgphoto]

Hello.

I am looking for recommendations for a reliable, affordable light meter. I've recently bought a Bronica GS-1 and need a meter to help determine exposures.

Anyone have opinions on the Gossen Luna Pros I see for ~$80?

Thanks in advance.

David

[MartinCrabtree]

I have about $110 tied up in a Weston Master II. Picked it up for $16 on eBay and had it reconditioned by Quality Light Metric for $88. Helped me understand exposure better but has shortcomings in low light. Rarely shoot low light and have had good luck fudging exposure there. No battery and it should last as long as I do,well maybe longer.

[domaz]

The Sekonic L-488 is a good one that you can often find cheap. They are kind of ugly blocky meters that are clearly from the early 90/late 80s. However they are one degree spot meters that can also do flash and are very accurate. A Luna Pro is ok but not really as good as a spot meter, especially if you find yourself metering distant subjects (i.e. landscapes).

[Lee L]

You may want to search for older APUG threads on this topic, there are many. You might also want to state any preferences for meter type (spot, incident, reflected, low light, flash), size, battery used, brand, etc. With 43,000+ people here, you'll get recommendations for a good percentage of all light meters ever made as the thread goes on. You'll also get folks telling you that a light meter isn't necessary.

[RalphLambrecht]

David

Lee is right.
This type of thread is rarely helpful to reach a purchase decision. You'll get a ton of recommendations mostly about what people own. Few people have experience with varies lightmeters of the same type. You can safely assume that all name-brand meters are good products. The difference comes down to personal preferences in operation and handling.

I would seek the help of a good dealer or a camera club in your area. You need to see and try these meters yourself to be certain.

[Thingy]

The affordable bit might be a problem. I can recommend the Sekonic L758D which I current use and certainly is a big improvement on my old Weston IV & V meters. The Kenko KFM-2100 is also an excellent meter, but both of these might be outside you financial comfort zone.

It really depends on what you need. I opted for the Sekonic because I needed a spotmeter but still wanted to take ambient light readings for copy work and wanted a flashmeter built in, rather than having to take three seperate meters with me, as in the days of yore.

[Moopheus]

Hello.


Anyone have opinions on the Gossen Luna Pros I see for ~$80?

I use a Luna Pro F with the snap-on angle viewer and it works very well for me. Easy to use and seems pretty accurate; more reliable than the built-in meters in my old Nikons. I chose the F version because it works with a standard 9-volt battery, some of the older versions require obsolete batteries.

[holmburgers]

Are you looking for reflected, incident or spot? Or all the above?

I can say that I've used (and only used) a Weston Master II and a Pentax Spot Meter V.

The Weston cost me $10 on local Craigslist and required no calibration. If you buy one, make sure it comes with a case; that way you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't sat for years w/ light hitting its selenium cell, thus using it up.

The Pentax Spot V is also great, but seem to go for around $100 on eBay.

[CGW]

I'd avoid relics like Westons and ancient Gossens that require unavailable PX625 merc cells.I'd look for the newest/least expensive ambient/reflected model available like a Sekonic 308 or earlier 318 or 328. For spot capability, the Sekonic 508 is affordable now and does it all: flash, spot, ambient and reflected. You'll see lots of testimonials about the durability of old meters but at least as many have age-related accuracy/linearity issues that make them a false economy, especially with film/processing costs and availability becoming problematic in many areas.

[Andrew Horodysky]

I think you're going to have a lot of fun with your new camera purchase; it's a great format with limitless possibilities.

Regarding a meter, you'll probably want to first determine (in general) what you plan to photograph. Depending on where you live, see if there's a decent camera store that offers various meters by the major manufacturers (eg. Sekonic, Gossen, etc.). Talk with a dealer and have him/her demonstrate the different types of meters together with their uses/purposes and capabilities -- the simpler, the better. Maybe, go to a couple of dealers, for a few points of view. You might end up with something you hadn't considered. That's what happened with me (and I'm very happy).

Good luck.