Ambient light meter advise please

[kenneth]

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I am taking delivery of an M6 on Wednesday and I would appreciate your recommendation on light meters. I have used Weston Masters in the past but someone suggested Sekonic . I only wish to use a meter for very low light conditions- film only not digital

[giordano]

Hi Kenneth,

 

The M6's built in meter will take you a long way. The manual says that with ISO 100 film it works down to EV-1. Mine throws in the towel at about 1/30 second at f/1.4 at ISO 1600, which is enough for most available light situations.

 

IMHO the best supplement would be a good spotmeter. This would let you expose precisely for the most important elements in the picture - not easy in many available light situations where light sources in the frame can baffle an averaging meter like the M6's.

 

If you find the M6 meter isn't sensitive enough, Gossen seem to make the most sensitive meters. The Lunasix and Lunapro had a very good reputation though I always preferred the Westons for general use; current models are the Digipro and Starlite; the latter is an all-singing all-dancing model with 1deg and 5 deg spot metering too.

 

Hope this helps,

 

John

[kenneth]

Hi Kenneth,

 

The M6's built in meter will take you a long way. The manual says that with ISO 100 film it works down to EV-1. Mine throws in the towel at about 1/30 second at f/1.4 at ISO 1600, which is enough for most available light situations.

 

IMHO the best supplement would be a good spotmeter. This would let you expose precisely for the most important elements in the picture - not easy in many available light situations where light sources in the frame can baffle an averaging meter like the M6's.

 

If you find the M6 meter isn't sensitive enough, Gossen seem to make the most sensitive meters. The Lunasix and Lunapro had a very good reputation though I always preferred the Westons for general use; current models are the Digipro and Starlite; the latter is an all-singing all-dancing model with 1deg and 5 deg spot metering too.

 

Hope this helps,

 

John

Thank you John

I have read good reports about the Gossen Lunasix 3s and I note the Lunasix 3 is well priced as a used item but would require a battery converter which I see is about £20. Like you I have always used Westons in the past. John, if I go down the spot metering route which manufacturer should I look at?

[leicamr]

Gossen Mastersix, brilliant! I think it is the digital version of the Lunasix. I used one for wedding photography for many years when shooting film. It is so quick to use and very accurate. In recent years I purchased a brand new one as a spare / backup, but I don't think I will ever use it. I may consider selling it, boxed with instructions.

 

Regards

 

Mark

[jlancasterd]

Having found that using the internal meter in my M8 with a CV 12mm lens led to inaccurate exposure, I invested in a Gossen Sixtomat digital and can thoroughly recommend it. It is light, relatively cheap, simple to use and accurate. It also works especially well in incident light mode. Robert White Robert White - Specialist Camera and Photographic Suppliers of Nikon, Canon, Leica, Hasselblad, Mamiya, Zeiss Ikon, Voigtlander, Quantum etc. are the UK agents.

 

One final point - the digital readout is very easy to read, with good large numerals for those of us whose eyes are losing 'near-focus capablity'...

[kenneth]

Gossen Mastersix, brilliant! I think it is the digital version of the Lunasix. I used one for wedding photography for many years when shooting film. It is so quick to use and very accurate. In recent years I purchased a brand new one as a spare / backup, but I don't think I will ever use it. I may consider selling it, boxed with instructions.

 

Regards

 

Mark

 

Thank you Mark but The Lunasix 3 or 3s should be quite adequate. Also I avoid anything with digital in the title on principal. I am an analogue man at heart

[bill]

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Thank you Mark but The Lunasix 3 or 3s should be quite adequate. Also I avoid anything with digital in the title on principal. I am an analogue man at heart

 

Do you not want accuracy, Kenneth?

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[earleygallery]

Also I avoid anything with digital in the title on principal. I am an analogue man at heart

 

How do you square this with using a pc?

 

FWIW I use a Minolta Autometer, mine has the incident light reading dome, but you can buy spotmeter attachments for it as well as others, all s/h now - check out e bay. But it is a digital meter (necessary if you want good low light performance).

[kenneth]

How do you square this with using a pc?

 

FWIW I use a Minolta Autometer, mine has the incident light reading dome, but you can buy spotmeter attachments for it as well as others, all s/h now - check out e bay. But it is a digital meter (necessary if you want good low light performance).

 

Simple I use Mac

[kenneth]

Do you not want accuracy, Kenneth?

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

Why is it that people believe that the only way to get accuracy nowadays is with digital technology? I choose not to subscribe to the majority of digital technology, Mac accepted, and I do not find I loose out in any part of my life where accuracy is concerned. Having worked, before retirement in marketing for 30 years I know first hand how much hype there is in the supposed advantages of buying into new technologies. We now have a society that demands instant gratification who are not prepared to wait for anything and when something becomes uncool it is dumped in favour of the latest without any consideration for the environment.

 

Pursue that route if you like but please have the common courtesy to understand that we do not all share your point of view

[bill]

I use a IID, Kenneth. Please have the "common courtesy" not to make assumptions as to my point of view.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[kenneth]

I use a IID, Kenneth. Please have the "common courtesy" not to make assumptions as to my point of view.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

I am afraid the jury is still out on that- and if you are unable to offer anything more constructive on the subject then I suggest there is little point in continuing in this vein

[NZDavid]

I have Sekonic 308b. It has a digital readout but that makes it is accurate and very quick and easy to read. That's important for me. I would find converting EV too fiddly. There are only two main numbers on display: shutter speed and f stop. The Sekonic is both a reflected and incident meter. Incident is definitely very useful, but takes practice. Only thing to beware of is nudging some of the buttons by mistake, but they are easy to reset.

[kenneth]

Thank you David, I quite like the look of the Sekonic L-398A Studio Deluxe III and it is available in the UK for £70.00. I quite like the fact that it is self powered which means that I do not have a reliance on batteries. Sekonic seem quite a good make and I think initially I might look around for something second hand. I did see a Lunasix 3 for £50 which also seemed good value

[giordano]

John, if I go down the spot metering route which manufacturer should I look at?

 

Lots of people (especially large-format types) use the Pentax spotmeters. Current production of course has digital readout (with an analog sensor:)) but I think there's someone refurbishing the older analog models.

[bill]

I am afraid the jury is still out on that- and if you are unable to offer anything more constructive on the subject then I suggest there is little point in continuing in this vein

 

*Sigh*

 

Very well. Let's take one more run at this.

 

Serious suggestion: Sekonic 308B. Robust, compact, accurate, clear to read, easy to operate one handed. Of course you won't countenance it because it uses batteries and has a digital readout.

 

Now tell me, why on Earth buy an M6? Do you intend to leave the batteries out? Surely from your "philosophy" a meterless M and reliance on Sunny-16 would make you happier?

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[rob_x2004]

I opted for spending a couple of grand in MP service and repair. You saying I shoudl have bought an M2 and a meter?

[rob_x2004]

I will probably get a 308s, just my scots heritage showing through I dont want to spend a quid. But when the mp comes back the 6.2 is gettting a trip to replace the DUMB ARSE dead circuitry that runs the light meter. Jesus someone quote Leica quality at me again and I will spew.

[gwelland]

If you want something basic and small then the Gossen Digisix works well. Sure it's got a digital EV read out but you set/read the settings manually.

 

Personally I still use a Sekonic 508 or Minolta Flash IV with my 'real' cameras although both are kind of bulky for M work. The Sekonic less so. Both are spot & reflective.

 

In the past I've also found a cheap and cheerful Polaris meter has worked well for ambient work.

 

I wouldn't bother with a Pentax spot meter for RF work unless you're very picky. I used to use a zone VI calibrated one of these for LF work and it was great but hardly small.

 

As an alternative, you could always just go to cameraquest.com and pick up a traditional camera top meter from CV. Wouldn't one of these look nice on top of your camera?

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[rob_x2004]

Bill take a deep breath. Take your tailors advice. And be frivolous and buy a nice Italian silk tie rather than hemp things that the english so favour.