ejg1890 Posted October 8, 2022 Share #1 Posted October 8, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) This appears to be the best location to ask the question as new cameras have meters. I have several older Leica's along with several MF folding camera that do not have metering capabilities. I currently use an iPhone app for metering but want to consider something better and more efficient. I have looked at several Sekonic light meters, read reviews and watched YouTube videos however, they all focus on meeting with a flash primarily in studio. I do not use a flash and am more interested in metering for urban, rural and landscape settings, this may include high contrast or higher dynamic range scenes. The research focuses on ambient light however, lighting where I and the camera are located may be different than the scene trying to photograph. A simple example is night photography; I may be in a darker area but the scene to photograph includes some sort of light source as well as shadows. Not of that is picked up if I am just measuring ambient light where I or the camera is located. What suggestions do people have to meter these higher contrast/dynamic range scenes? What tools are used for metering? Again these may not be far away but 15-40 feet away. This is with film so looking at the back screen is not an option. Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 8, 2022 Posted October 8, 2022 Hi ejg1890, Take a look here Light Meters with Spot Metering Capabilities. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Chuck Albertson Posted October 8, 2022 Share #2 Posted October 8, 2022 I use a Sekonic L-408 for both reflected and incident light readings. The reflected-light reading is via a port that slides open, and it's a 5-degree spot reading. Remember to close the port if you suddenly switch to incident metering. You'll probably have to find one used, as I don't think Sekonic manufactures them anymore. Solid, one-piece design and it runs on a single, easy to find AA batt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted October 8, 2022 Share #3 Posted October 8, 2022 Indeed, my last meter bought second hand so many years ago is this nice if not so "friendly" for dark area use, no illuminated display, I mean Sekonic L408 ( you have a review in this link ). Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! My former spot 1° only meter is Minolta Spotmeter F, strange also no lighted LCD display, but in the finder illuminated on demand F or IL ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! My former spot 1° only meter is Minolta Spotmeter F, strange also no lighted LCD display, but in the finder illuminated on demand F or IL ... ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/339668-light-meters-with-spot-metering-capabilities/?do=findComment&comment=4527888'>More sharing options...
logan2z Posted October 8, 2022 Share #4 Posted October 8, 2022 I use a Sekonic 308 and almost exclusively use it in incident mode. Even if I'm not standing in the same light as the subject, I can often find a similar spot close to me that is in the same light and I meter there. If my subject is in shade and I'm in sunlight, I shade the bulb with my hand to simulate the subject's lighting condition. Works pretty well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted October 8, 2022 Share #5 Posted October 8, 2022 For outdoor photography, of all my light-meters, I find the Weston with Invercone the most reliable with slide film. Used as suggested by Sangamo, a reading towards the light source, another towards the camera and adjusting to half way in between. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/339668-light-meters-with-spot-metering-capabilities/?do=findComment&comment=4528082'>More sharing options...
Erato Posted October 8, 2022 Share #6 Posted October 8, 2022 (edited) http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Gossen_Starlite Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Gossen Starlite & Starlite I/II Edited October 8, 2022 by Erato Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Gossen Starlite & Starlite I/II ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/339668-light-meters-with-spot-metering-capabilities/?do=findComment&comment=4528120'>More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted October 9, 2022 Share #7 Posted October 9, 2022 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I would look for a Pentax Spotmeter V. I had one and regret selling it some years ago. One degree spot. Nowadays I use a phone app that takes a photo and uses that to give me a scene reading. I find it useful in unusual lighting (because you can see what the effect of that exposure would be on the final image), if not as useful as a spotmeter. Edited October 9, 2022 by LocalHero1953 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham (G4FUJ) Posted October 9, 2022 Share #8 Posted October 9, 2022 Seconded on the Pentax Spotmeter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted October 9, 2022 Share #9 Posted October 9, 2022 (edited) Pentax Spotmeter I used Digital Spotmeter for many years, very effective Spot meter with intuitive IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) scale Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! in dark area, needing a lamp to read the rich scale, even if the EV in finder is LED read a small review here former Spotmeter V is bigger, I never use one Spotmeter V Edited October 9, 2022 by a.noctilux Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! in dark area, needing a lamp to read the rich scale, even if the EV in finder is LED read a small review here former Spotmeter V is bigger, I never use one Spotmeter V ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/339668-light-meters-with-spot-metering-capabilities/?do=findComment&comment=4528403'>More sharing options...
StephenH Posted October 9, 2022 Share #10 Posted October 9, 2022 You might want to look for a good old M5--especially if you have M lenses. While the prices are going up, they are still a bargain due to their undeserved pariah status. If the meter is working, the central metered area is clearly shown in the viewfinder and it varies with the lens in use. I find mine to be very accurate and with the readily available battery adapter one can use silver 1.5 volt silver cells in place of the lower voltage mercury batteries. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atournas Posted October 9, 2022 Share #11 Posted October 9, 2022 (edited) An expensive hand-held lightmeter is useless without the photographer's interpretation of the light conditions of the scene. (An in-camera lightmeter is even more dubious, because in-camera metering units are less sophisticated.) The best all-round "lightmeter" is your understanding of the light in connection with what you are trying to capture. You cannot approach landscape, urban/street scenes, and night shots the same way. Spot metering is not a panacea. Edited October 9, 2022 by atournas Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted October 9, 2022 Share #12 Posted October 9, 2022 8 minutes ago, atournas said: The best all-round "lightmeter" is your understanding of the light in connection with what you are trying to capture. You cannot approach landscape, urban/street scenes, and night shots the same way. Spot metering is not a panacea. Spot on. Spot metering is not a panacea, of course. Understanding the lighting is even hard to learn. In my case, I don't use one Spot Meter anymore, having "learned" with them for many years. Understanding the lighting can be learned without Spot Meter when I found Exposure Mat and b&w film is so tolerant ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejg1890 Posted October 9, 2022 Author Share #13 Posted October 9, 2022 46 minutes ago, atournas said: An expensive hand-held lightmeter is useless without the photographer's interpretation of the light conditions of the scene. (An in-camera lightmeter is even more dubious, because in-camera metering units are less sophisticated.) The best all-round "lightmeter" is your understanding of the light in connection with what you are trying to capture. You cannot approach landscape, urban/street scenes, and night shots the same way. Spot metering is not a panacea. Agree with the comments. An example was earlier in the week late afternoon it was not a wide open landscape but contrasty with heavily shaded area on the left with bright sky in the upper middle. The phone app provided a reading but I knew it was not realistic as little detail would have been picked up in the shadows. The idea is to complete spot meeting for the shadows and then for the highlighted areas and decide something in-between. I know with film you meter for the shadows and would lean more in that direction. But as stated must in camera meters and phone apps will meter based on the complete scene. I am looking for something to meter different parts of a scene then have more of an educated estimate based on those readings. If there are other tools out there that can provide that information It would be nice to know. Thanks for all the feedback. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted October 9, 2022 Share #14 Posted October 9, 2022 On 10/8/2022 at 4:52 PM, ejg1890 said: Again these may not be far away but 15-40 feet away. This is with film so looking at the back screen is not an option. Thanks. Walk up to your subject and take a meter reading, then walk back again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Albertson Posted October 10, 2022 Share #15 Posted October 10, 2022 21 hours ago, 250swb said: Walk up to your subject and take a meter reading, then walk back again. ...unless you're standing on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.noctilux Posted October 12, 2022 Share #16 Posted October 12, 2022 (edited) While I think of my Spotmeter F that I don't use a single time for decades. Yesterday, I put one AA battery in it. A bit big in my hand, everything works fine. Strange that the illuminated digit in viewfinder is not LED. Strange also that the external display can not be illuminated. Only two memories, weird at our time, but this never bothered me when I used it. H, S, A functions were revolutionary at time. H = hight light S = shadow A = average of two readings Edited October 12, 2022 by a.noctilux Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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