Ciné lightmeter recommendations?

[Ed Sieb]

I need a new lightmeter. What would you recommend as a useful and practical lightmeter for most film-making applications? Again, I'm on a budget.

[Brian Drysdale]

The Sekonic Studio will do most things and you can get slides for direct reading of f stops and you don't need batteries.

 

http://www.sekonic.co.uk/Products/L-398A/Information.htm

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Def look at the Sekonics. I have 2, the one Brian suggests and the 758 "cine;" which is my main meter (the 398A acting as my backup).

[Ed Sieb]

Def look at the Sekonics. I have 2, the one Brian suggests and the 758 "cine;" which is my main meter (the 398A acting as my backup).

I just a bid in on a classic Spectra P-251 on eBay!

I am seriously considering the Sekonic 358A and the Spectra Pro IVA and looking longingly at the 758C. My problem with the 758C is that it's way more meter than I'll ever need and it's a bit out of my budget.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

It's more than you need now ;)

 

The 358 is a great place to start. It was my 2nd meter after my dad gave me his old Minolta (which was also a great meter!)

[Ed Sieb]

It's more than you need now ;)

The 358 is a great place to start. It was my 2nd meter after my dad gave me his old Minolta (which was also a great meter!)

As I'm only an amateur cinematographer (though I would say a serious, even expert amateur - I have been doing amateur cinematography for over 40 years!), I'm not a pro, and don't believe I will be doing any pro work, any time soon! ;)

I'm a happily retired RF and communications engineer, and cinematography is one of my many avocations. I took film-making and cinematography in college and university, and then continued in engineering (went back to school). My plan was to be a broadcast engineer in television, which I succeeded in doing.

 

But... ya never know! :P

[Dan Salzmann]

I use a Sekonic 508C which uses one AA battery that lasts a long time. Don't like having to depend on those occasionally difficult to find lithium batteries.

It is very handy having the dual ASA and variable shutter angle options since in the "heat of the battle" doing those calculations very quickly is very useful.

The dual ASA is nice when using fast film stocks with heavy ND in bright sunlight since setting the meter to the uncorrected ASA can give you off the map readings.

My backup meter is my Pentax digital spotmeter.

[Jean Maxim Desjardins]

I'm a student cinematographer, I use the Sekonic 398 as second light-meter. It's a great tool that will never let you down and I enjoy working with it. But I bought a Spectra-Cine Professional IV recently and it's seriously precise. It is also one of the few (I think) that still give you the illuminance reading in footcandle and lux. It also measures the average and/or contrast ratio in f-stops or footcandles. The good thing is that you can add a spot-meter accessory to it (don't know how good it is though). I can't say that I highly recommend it compared to others because I lack the experience, but a 40 years experienced DOP gave me the advise.

 

Hope you like your new one!