eddale Posted November 14, 2009 Share #1 Posted November 14, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Would love your advice on your favourite small spot meter. I'm a ninja with my Pentax spot meter but wondered if there was anything smaller that did the job. I'm looking forward to getting my MP and looking forward to it's all mechanical performance. Would love a small portable meter that I could use with it so I don't have to worry about the internal meter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 Hi eddale, Take a look here Favourite Spot Meter to use with your MP?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
redbaron Posted November 14, 2009 Share #2 Posted November 14, 2009 What's to worry about? They work fine. I've got at least 3 meters, but never use any of them. A woftam, if you ask me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted November 14, 2009 Share #3 Posted November 14, 2009 The smallest spot meter I know of, though I've never handled one, is the Metered Light Pocket Spot. A web search will find some reviews. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunghang Posted November 14, 2009 Share #4 Posted November 14, 2009 I am also currious. If the internal meter of the MP was not needed, one could have saved a lot of money and bought a nice M2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddale Posted November 14, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted November 14, 2009 I was more thinking about total redundancy and I also do a lot of zone system blalck and white. I was just interested to see if there was something smaller than the pentax. The metered light is perfect but sadly it doesn't look like it's still in production. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer Posted November 14, 2009 Share #6 Posted November 14, 2009 What's to worry about? They work fine. I've got at least 3 meters, but never use any of them. A woftam, if you ask me. I sold mine as it did not improve my negatives and therefore wasn't used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Z. Goriup Posted November 14, 2009 Share #7 Posted November 14, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) This is an indirect answer to you question about spot meters, but I have been using a technique which sort of equals using a spot-meter and works extremely well under almost all circumstances, without having to carry a spot-meter. I bought a Kodak 8-1/2" x 11", 18% grey card and cut it into several approx., 3"x3" squares, one of which I always carry in my shirt pocket and a couple of which are in my Billingham for reserve (if I am carrying it). I meter off the card for virually every shot using my M6's on-board meter ( which is as good as any hand-held meter available)and have found my percenatge of "keepers" has increased dramatically. It literally takes a second, you don't need to focus, just hold at a distance which insures that the entire sensing area of your MP meter reads the card and set the exposure. I usually preset aperture and just set shutter speed. I do a lot of motorsports and general photography, i.e. not very static subjects. One proviso: You must meter with the card exposed to the very same light as is falling on your subject.....easily accomplished. This works extremely reliably for me, (admittedly because I don't do much "street" photography with unpredictable and inconsistent light), but it has become second nature and I hardly ever miss perfect exposure. The same technique works well with digital for both exposure and WB. To answer you question directly, I own and use a Seconic L-558R spotmeter ( a vestige of my medium format Hasselblad CM 501 days) and am very happy with it. A Nikon +1.0 diopter lens ( same power I have on my M6 ) fits perfectly and makes the meter easy to use. It's a fairly large & heavy meter but a very good one. I use it primarily for landscapoe work with Leica on a tripod utilizing the zone system. JZG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Z. Goriup Posted November 14, 2009 Share #8 Posted November 14, 2009 Just noticed that there is a thread on the customer forum about using polarizers with an M, which reminded me that I forgot to mention just how easy it is to meter off the card using the above technique.......no calculations or estimated compensating. View scene through polarizer, rotate to desired position and lock over lens, set the exposure off the card with polarizer in place, click = perfect shot every time. JZG Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AgXlove Posted November 14, 2009 Share #9 Posted November 14, 2009 I have a Sekonic L-508 which I really like. I tend to use the spot and ambient metering functions about 50/50. The spot metering agrees with the meter in my MP, while the spot and ambient metering will be usually +/- 1/2 a stop of each other, depending on type of light (indoor, sunlight, open shade, window light) being metered. This difference is typical of hand meters that have both reflected and ambient metering functions and is usually only an issue for E6 film. The L-508 is out of production, so you'll probably have to go to ebay to locate one (which will make the price more agreeable compared to Sekonic's current production meters). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alun Posted November 16, 2009 Share #10 Posted November 16, 2009 I use a Sekonic 308, a little digital reflected/incident meter but not a spot meter. For all occasions when the light is behind me, I use the in-camera meter of the M7/M6; for all occasions when shooting into the light I use an incident reading from behind. I find this gets fooled a lot less than I used to when using the in-camera meter to meter *into* the light and then fail to open up a stop or two to compensate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted November 16, 2009 Share #11 Posted November 16, 2009 Pentax digi spot meter is what I use if I need a spot which is not often. Usually I measure something I want represented a mid grey. Sometimes I open up a stop and a hald if I metered sunlight snow. Reverse if I have to meter a shadow. A grey card works because it is the same as an incident meter reading. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddale Posted November 17, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted November 17, 2009 Thanks heaps for the suggestions gentleman! Much appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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