huehnerhose
Good morning!
I’m toying with the idea of getting an exposure meter. I use Praktica bodies, one with an exposure meter (MTL3) and one without (L). Up until now, I’ve never really trusted the MTL3’s light meter and have always just used it as a rough guide – which has actually worked out quite well for me. That’s because I usually only used 100 ISO film (before I discovered Impex, before I had a darkroom) from Ilford (FP4+). With those, my rough-and-ready exposure estimates actually always turned out pretty well.
However, as I’ve been experimenting with 400, 200 and 1600 films, I’m realising more and more that I can’t rely on rough estimates :)
I still have a Nikon body; I used to expose the 3200 Delta in it, relying on the meter, and about a third of the pictures are hopelessly underexposed.
Hence my question: is it worth buying a handheld light meter? If so, which one, and what should I look out for? As I often play around with older cameras (Reflekta II, Balda – from my grandparents) and, on the other hand, don’t really fancy having to memorise the characteristics of every built-in light meter, I’d really prefer a ‘standalone’ device.
Regards
Sebastian
Gast
Yes, a proper light meter is well worth the money.
The Profisix from Gossen, for example, delivers excellent results and can be bought second-hand via a well-known online auction site. An alternative would be the Lunalite.
The Lunasix, which is available at a significantly lower price, suffers – like many other devices – from the mercury batteries used at the time, which cannot be directly replaced by alternatives sold today. In that case, the light meter must either be modified, or you must resort to rather expensive adapters or equally very expensive special batteries (‘Weincell’).
Exposure meters without their own power supply are not recommended; the selenium cells built into them are, on the one hand, rather imprecise and, on the other, age over time.
However, a common feature of simple handheld exposure meters – and the Profisix is included in this category without any accessories – is that they calculate an average value over a specific measuring angle (usually 30°) and display this.
For more demanding tasks (dark subject against a white background), narrowing the measurement angle is advisable. For the Profisix, there is a rather bulky spot attachment that can measure angles down to 1°. A proper spot meter is of course more stylish, but these items cost a lot of money even second-hand. For the Lunasix, there is at least a 15°/7.5° attachment, which goes a fair way towards the job.
Problem: Once you’ve held a spot meter in your hand (recommendation: analogue, not digital), you really won’t want to measure with anything else.
So be careful!
Gast
Hi Sebastian
I’d never want to part with my light meter! I use a Gossen DigiSix. When I have time, I usually use the DigiSix alongside my Canon cameras, which have a built-in light meter. With pinhole cameras or in manual focus mode, I have no other choice.
I don’t want to give you any specific advice on which one to choose, as there’s a huge range available and everyone needs a different set of features. If I were buying an exposure meter now, though, I’d go for one with various attachments. So far, however, I’ve only used the light metering function and it works very well for me.
If you also use a flash, I’d recommend buying an exposure meter that takes the flash into account straight away.
Size was important to me, as it means I can keep the exposure meter in my trouser pocket at all times.
What’s more, you’ll be able to check your camera’s exposure meter in future and hopefully get an accurate reading, so you don’t end up with a poorly exposed Delta 3200 again.
Happy shooting
Andreas
Stagirit
I would recommend a Gossen light meter.
Either the Profisix or the Lunasix F; both run on 9-volt batteries.
One of the advantages of Gossen’s analogue models is that you can calibrate them yourself (this is described in detail in the user manual).
Both are available for around €75, and the spot attachment, costing €7.50 and €15, is quite cheap.
Until it was stolen from me, I used a Lunasix 3s; the batteries last for about 5 years, or about 3 years with the adapter, and it is very precise, particularly for long exposures.
Wolf_XL
...you can get decent readings with any light meter – as long as it says ‘Gossen’ on it... ;-) I’ve got four Gossen meters in use right now – two Lunasixe, one Lunalite and one Digiflash. I use the Lunasixe when the exposure times get longer. The Lunalite has the advantage that it runs on a standard 9V battery and that its disc makes it easy to factor in filter values, or to follow in St Anselm’s footsteps with its sun dial... ;-) The tele-converter fits both lightmeters, reducing the measuring angle to as little as 7.5°.
The Digiflash is my latest acquisition – I always take it with me when I’m out and about with one of my vintage cameras. I can also use it to take a flash exposure reading. And when I’m out and about with the GF, it’s extremely handy to have a thermometer and a timer to hand, in case I want to quickly take a Polaroid.
piu58
A good tip if you’re looking for something affordable: the Weimarlux CdS. Mine shows virtually no deviation from the standard reference. The mercury battery can be replaced with a standard LR 44; you just need a mechanical adapter (which you can make from the old cell). The 1.35V is not used as an internal reference.
Gast
Hi Sebastian,
Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all option below the ‘really expensive’ threshold.
I recently snapped up a Bewi Zoom Spot on eBay, which is actually a brilliant piece of kit (especially for the price). It covers almost all angles of measurement from 1 to 30 degrees.
Downsides: no light metering, no flash metering.
But that’s why you’d need to carry a Digiflash or a Profisix in your bag as well.
For me, the Bewi has the advantage of being far more compact than the Profispot or Profisix, and it displays the needle, albeit unscaled.
Still, think carefully about what you need first. In my view, absolutely essential:
Light and subject metering. Check the measuring range if you want to do a lot of night photography. For me, that was the Profisix.
Flash only as needed. The Digiflash is enough for me, and it’s just super-small, e.g. for the Tessina.
Spot only for zone metering. The Bewi does that now.
Colour temperature irrelevant, with a few exceptions.
If you’ve ticked ‘yes’ to everything anyway, it must be a Starlight (or the equivalent size from Sekonic or Minolta. Do they have colour temperature?). Unfortunately, that’s absolutely dear.
Regards
Martin
huehnerhose
Great! Thanks so much for all the replies.
I don’t really need to worry about colour temperature or flash. (As I very rarely shoot in colour and don’t have a ‘proper’ flash, nor am I planning to buy one.)
I was particularly interested in the spot metering aspect. I think it’s a good way to adjust/measure the contrasts. However, I suppose that takes a bit of time?
I think combining one of these standard film cameras with a spot attachment sounds flexible and practical to me.
I’ll have a look around :)
So, thanks again!
Regards
huehnerhose
P.S.: While browsing, I noticed there are lab attachments for the Profisix. Can I use it as a standard enlarger with those? (I don’t have one of those either)
ManfredAnzinger
Hello huehnerhose,
If you want to use it for spot metering, 15° is pretty much useless; the 5° attachment for the Variosix may only be of limited use. To do proper spot metering – for a zone system, for example – you should aim for 1°.
Regards, Manfred
cfb_de
Hello Sebastian,
Laboratory attachments for the Profisix? Can I use it as a standard enlarger?
Yes, but I don’t find the design all that impressive.
Best regards,
Franz
Gast
My recommendation: the Gossen Starlite. It’s pricey, but well worth the money. The €1 spot metering can be very useful for landscape photography, but the light metering is much better if the centre point is within walking distance :-)
Wolf_XL
...be careful with a pure spot meter – you really need to know exactly what you’re doing with it – otherwise you’re bound to get frustrated. Unless you’re following in St Anselm’s footsteps, a spot meter is rather suboptimal. I prefer to use the Gossen tele-adapter – that way I can see where I’m taking the reading without running the risk of exposing the whole negative in the ‘wrong zone’ straight away. In difficult lighting situations, the inexperienced photographer generally fares better with a general light reading than with a spot reading anyway.
huehnerhose
Thanks again to everyone. I’ve managed to get hold of a Lunasix with a telephoto lens and a laboratory attachment. The possible 20
arothaus
And I was just about to recommend a Gossen Polysix to you. You can set the measurement angle to either 10, 20 or 30 degrees. It’s not a spot meter, but you can take quite accurate spot readings. The great thing is that it has a viewfinder on the unit that shows me exactly what I’m measuring. I don’t think the Lunasix has that, does it?!? And it runs on standard AA batteries too. It’s just that the LED display takes a bit of getting used to.
Although if I can, I take a light reading anyway, so the ‘spot’ doesn’t really matter.
Anyway, have fun with the Lunasix!
Regards,
Andreas
Gast
The "teleconverter" for the Lunasix has a viewfinder with two concentric circles printed on it, one red and one green – these correspond to the metering circle currently selected using a slider. And on the analogue calculator, there are three markings for setting the determined exposure value – a yellow one (operation without attachment), a red one and a green one, depending on the selected measuring angle.
So even with the simple attachment for the Lunasix, you can see what you are measuring; you just have to take care when operating it to set the exposure value on the analogue scale to the correct mark, otherwise you will be off by one or even two stops.
Gast
Re: Gossen and accessories...
The Profispot attachment (which only fits the Profisix and, I believe, the Luna F as well – but only that model, not the 3, and not without an additional part) does offer 10/5/1-degree angles, but, as mentioned above, I find it very unwieldy.
As I said, when it comes to spotlights and affordable options, the only one I know is the Bewi.
Best regards
Martin
PeterVolkmar
As well as the Bewi, there’s also a Soligor available at a reasonable price. However, it only has one setting: continuous light. The Bewi, on the other hand, has the Quecki issue (I might still have a Bewi with Queckis if anyone’s looking for one). With Gossen, I’ve often heard that the attachments aren’t very sturdy.
Regards, Peter
cfb_de
Hi Peter,
With Gossen, I’ve often found that the attachments aren’t very sturdy.
My Profisix, including the microscope attachment (I don’t need it anymore – does anyone want it?), has now been in professional use for just over ten years without a single complaint and without any wobbling. It’s as sturdy as it was on day one.
It might be an isolated case, but I don’t think so.
Best regards,
Franz
Wolfgg
For those new to the zone system, the Variosix F with a 5° attachment is definitely worth recommending. It is slim, lightweight, runs on a 9V battery (including rechargeable) and supports all measurement modes except colour temperature. The 1° spot meters either require a rather large front lens or lack sufficient light sensitivity. And the 5° measuring angle prevents beginner’s mistakes such as Zone I ending up in a ‘deep black hole’ or Zone IX on a highlight that is actually much higher. You are forced to look for sufficiently large measuring zones that can also be interpreted by the naked eye. That’s the quickest way to learn.
And with the EV setting, you can measure the density curves straight away.
Wolfgang
