Digital Industrial Lightmeters - Lots of models and use at MF

I need a lightmeter for 517/16 Zeiss Ikon Nettar and I bought the camera for 30 dollars. I am surfing the net and I dont know how old they were , Weston Light Meters goes from 60 dollars. I found many new digital lightmeters at architecture, surveying and construction people online shops. They advertise like 20 000 lux. I dont know what is lux or candela and how to transform them in to camera use. They come with a moon dome and I dont know it is good for MF Format Photography also.

If anyone shed some light, I would be grateful.

Thank you,

Umut

Mustufa, lux, candela et al not relevant for practical, uncomplicated photography, just EV scale, aperture, shutter speed, iso adjustment, and maybe (if using flash a lot) split balance/ambient flash. In terms of pricing, a second hand Weston meter could be had for $30, but it would probably benefit from being thoroughly checked out if it is looking quite old. I personally will not buy second hand meters under any circumstance.

The "moon dome" is called an invercone. It distributes/diffuses light evenly onto the very sensitive photocell lurking below. It is used for incident and reflective metering, but not at all for spot metering (for those meters that offer spot metering).

Not sure what you have come across referring to a digital lightmeter for surveying? Or how something that is good and proper for surveying might be just as useful for photography.

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Not sure what you have come across referring to a digital lightmeter for surveying? Or how something that is good and proper for surveying might be just as useful for photography.

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Garyh, I dont know the reason of there were hundreds of lightmeters are sold at surveying sites here. And why they advertise them as 20000 lux. May be architects, surveyors shoot digital pictures of the works and needed a real lightmeter, I have no idea. They are cheap , big and complicated and I did not see one except internet.

Its 8 AM , Still surfing and I dont know how these sleepless nights ends .

Thank you,

Umut

http://www.amazon.com/Gossen-Digisix.../dp/B00006OAJB

I don't know why you're looking for industrial meters, something like this sounds more appropriate

I believe candela = foot candles, which is a measurement that old light meters used to use, then convert that to EV which then converts to shutter/aperture values. Usually this is all displayed and really all you have to do is match the reading to the shutter/aperture levels.

Meters haven't changed much, just got electronic.


~Stone

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EASmith,

They go for around 40 dollars. That Gossen is 140 dollars and cash. I can buy 40 dollars one with monthly payments of 4 dollars if I could be sure its usable for me. I dont go to the city center more than 2 times a year and I am connected to everything via screen. So I cant check it .

Umut

Stone,

Thank you very much.

Umut

A good light meter is always a good investment.

Yes, agree but happy, unangry sister and mother is a good investment also :)

Umut

I imagine that these industrial meters are designed to measure the ambient light in a room or other space, testing different lighting in workspace -- I am sure that there are building or safety codes for the amount of light required in a workspace. If the dome is permanent, the meter can be used as an incident light meter, but probably not as a reflective light meter.

If 20,000 Lux is the upper limit it can test, then the meter may not be very good for photography. Looking at the back of my Luna Pro SBC, I see that 22,000 Lux at ASA50 would be about f16 at 1/15th Sec (EV 12...or f8 at 1/60th)...if that is any help at all...and if I am reading it right!

I just looked on line at some of the industrial light meters, and they have a range of 0 to 20,000 Lux. Some are measured in foot candles (2000 ft candles is about 22,000 Lux). Some measure from 0 to 50,000 Lux...and as the price goes up, some meter 0 to 400,000 Lux...which is pretty good (4+ stops higher than 20,000), still not as high as most photographic lightmeters.

You get what you pay for! There are some good online charts for determining exposure without a meter.