Light Meter

[Matt Workman]

Hi,

 

On the few film shoots I've been on I've borrowed my friends Sekonic Cine-Light meter. It worked fine, but I'm not in NYC anymore and I am going to buy my own light meter.

 

What meters do you guys have? What would you recommend?

 

I don't mind spending a good amount of money for a good one. I figure I will have this meter for a long time.

 

Thanks.

 

(I did a search for threads with light meters but nothing that recently really helped. One thread about the 558 and the 558-cine)

[David Mullen ASC]

I got a Minolta incident meter when I started film school in 1988 and that served me for the next seventeen years. I added a Minolta spot meter about five years after I got the incident meter. Last year I finally got a second incident meter, a Spectra Pro IV-A, and now the Minolta is my back-up.

 

I'm not sure it's that critical which meter you get as long as it works. You have to decide if you want a combo spot-incident meter. I looked into that one, the Sekonic, and it was too expensive for me, but that was because I already have a spot meter.

[Rik Andino]

Hi,

 

On the few film shoots I've been on I've borrowed my friends Sekonic Cine-Light meter. It worked fine, but I'm not in NYC anymore and I am going to buy my own light meter.

 

What meters do you guys have? What would you recommend?

 

It doesn't matter what we use...what matter is which one is the best for you.

 

The Sekonic Dual Meters are very popular and they're very good I'd had one for 6 years now...

 

If you're accustomed to using them and like the use and feel of the Sekonic Dual Meters...

Then I suggest you should go with that.

If you're not too keen on the Sekonic meters then test out a few others before buying.

 

Meters are just like cars they all pretty much do the same thing...

You just gotta find the one that you like to handle.

 

 

Good Luck

Edited August 13, 2006 by Rik Andino

[Guest Aaron_Farrugia]

i recently purchased the dual 558cine and its great got pleanty of neat functions and has served me well on both motion and stills photography

[Olex Kalynychenko]

Hi,

 

On the few film shoots I've been on I've borrowed my friends Sekonic Cine-Light meter. It worked fine, but I'm not in NYC anymore and I am going to buy my own light meter.

 

What meters do you guys have? What would you recommend?

I use many years of Sekonic L-408, digital, photo-cine scales, ambiet, reflection and flash meter, precision 0.1 stop.

Ambiet 180 degree and 90 degree, reflection 5 degree.

cine speeds : 8, 12, 16, 24, 25, 32, 64, 128 fps.

speed of film 3...8000 ISO at 1/3,

and more additional possiblities.

 

This light meter must have low price now, because, this is not TOP model, but, very good for use.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

I quote myself from another thread:

 

Really, nothing beats the trusted L-398. No batteries, built like a tank and very accurate. It's also retro-cool and shows that you know what you're doing.

 

I personally use a Gossen Digiflash exclusively. It's the smallest and lightest lightmeter ever made (40gr). I got sick of misplacing the big meters I was using. Or I sat on them because I forgot I put them on the seat to the dolly or some silly thing like that. This tiny one I can have around my neck or in a breast pocket all day long without even noticing it. Really recommend it.

 

As for spotmeters - well, you know how I feel about them. I've probably needed a spotmeter reading about 3 times in my career - that's it. And on all those occasions the gaffer had one. :D

 

Pointless to own.

[Guest shutter bug]

its old but sexy, the cinemeter to use. makes things nice and simple

[Brian Dzyak]

I have a dual Sekonic but I often fall back to the trusty Spectra. Sometimes it's easier to see the needle move than to watch tumbling numbers.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

Funny how the Spectra is revered by many. Whenever I've seen one they've had questionable build, often feeling cheap and not fitting together very well. The glue-on stickers and general low rent early-80's-look makes them feel like some Chinese knock-off to me. And why does the dome have to be the size of half a tennis ball?

 

But tons of people swear by them, so what am I missing?

[Brian Dzyak]

Funny how the Spectra is revered by many. Whenever I've seen one they've had questionable build, often feeling cheap and not fitting together very well. The glue-on stickers and general low rent early-80's-look makes them feel like some Chinese knock-off to me. And why does the dome have to be the size of half a tennis ball?

 

But tons of people swear by them, so what am I missing?

 

As I mentioned, I prefer seeing the needle move over looking at digital numbers on an LCD screen. When I do greenscreen work, I can run the meter across the area and watch the needle as it moves (or hopefully doesn't!) . Perhaps it's my aversion to numbers anyway, but seeing an actual physical "movement" of light value measurement registers in my head better than the, perhaps more precise, numbers on a digital meter. That said, I still will pull out the Sekonic if I want to know exactly how far my key is off from the background. It all comes down to preferences I suppose.

[Tim Carroll]

Been using a Sekonic L-308 from back in my days as a photojournalist and it works fine for cinematography. But this past week, much to my dismay, the on/off button started to go south. I now have to hold it down for a good long time for the meter to turn on or off. Disappointing as I've had it now for almost fifteen years.

 

Also have a Minolta Spotmeter F, which I bought at about the same time. A few years after I got it the little interior light gave up the ghost, but otherwise it has worked like a champ.

 

Both have cine scales, and neither was too expensive.

 

-Tim

[Matthias Saunders]

i use a spectra pro. it serves me well

[Max Lundberg]

Really, nothing beats the trusted L-398. No batteries, built like a tank and very accurate. It's also retro-cool and shows that you know what you're doing.

I have one of these, cost me something like $20. I just love it. A light meter is so simple device, that I haven't figured a good enough reason to buy a new digital meter, if some "antique" meter will give me exactly the same reading. Although it may not be the fastest and the easiest meter to use.

[Delorme Jean-Marie]

the main diference is the size of the white bowle, if you want to meter the lite with the same shade as the one on the face of the actor, it's easyer to see it on a big spectra.

i own a minolta incident V

[Rafa]

I have used the Spectra, the sekonic 398, minolta spotmeter and pentax Spotmeter. all of them are great. That's why right now I just use the Sekonic 558 dual meter. the only reason is because I preffer to carry just one thing on my belt. My back up is the 398, never let me down and my lab says I'm more consistent with that one.

In the set I'm spending less and less time behind the lightmeter and more and more talking to the director about the movie. That's the way I like to work.

[Dan Horstman]

I use a Sekonic L-508-Cine. It is great. It will store readings and allow you to average them, you can adjust the shutter angle, frame rate and setup for 2 ASA numbers so you can have one mag loaded with one stock and a second loaded with another. You can also set it up to compensate for your 85 filter, 85N3, 85N6, 85N9, and ND filters. Does both incident and spot (which I use a ton)

 

I used a Spectra and Sekonic studio meter (both analogue with needles and high slides etc) in college and I will never go back to those after using the L-508.

[Dan Goulder]

I would definitely recommend using a light meter, since a heavy one is difficult to lug around.

[Chris Keth]

As for spotmeters - well, you know how I feel about them. I've probably needed a spotmeter reading about 3 times in my career - that's it. And on all those occasions the gaffer had one. :D

 

Pointless to own.

 

 

In stark contrast, I find myself using my spotmeter quite a bit more than my incident meter. I think it comes from exposing still film that way for quite a while.