andrew parrish Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Hi Everybody, I am learning how to use a light meter, and old one I have doesn't take batteries and is inaccurate. Can anyone recommend one that I can get used for under $150? I shoot mostly arty skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing with the odd wedding and family event thrown in. I use mostly available light, with a couple of reflectors at most. Thanks for looking AP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Not taking batteries isn't the reason that the meter is inaccurate, if it's a quality model like a Sekonic it might be worth getting the meter re-calibated. It might just need to be re-zeroed, which is something that analogue require from time to time. You might get a used Minolta for $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted September 15, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted September 15, 2011 I really enjoy my Sekonic Studio Deluxe II. It's always in my bag as a backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 Not taking batteries isn't the reason that the meter is inaccurate, if it's a quality model like a Sekonic it might be worth getting the meter re-calibated. It might just need to be re-zeroed, which is something that analogue require from time to time. You might get a used Minolta for $150. Thanks for your response Brian. I have had to re-think my problem. My meter is called a weston master II. I think that it is old, but of pretty good quality- solid metal case, and very heavy. It is analog, with a sliding scale. the first is from 0 to 1600. The second is from 0 to 50. The dial measures in 1/3 of a stop-I think that it has the potential to be very accurate. I down-loaded the manual, and rezeroed it. Maybe I did it wrong. I guess this started with my belief that the Selenium photo cells in non-battery powered meters get tired, and fail. Is this wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 (edited) Thanks for your response Brian. I have had to re-think my problem. My meter is called a weston master II. That is an old meter http://www.westonmeter.org.uk/westontwo.htm . My first meter was a new Weston EuroMaster, I remember the smell of the leather case when you used it. I came across this: http://ian-partridge.com/westonrepair.html Seems he replaces the Selenium cell on the Westons, he might be worth checking out, although he only mentions replacing as far back as the master III. If you're doing a lot of incident light metering the Sekonic that Adrian nentions is a handy meter. Unfortunately, the Weston's Invercone does tend to drop of the meter. In the end, I suspect you should be able to get a used Weston for less than repairing your current one. Edited September 16, 2011 by Brian Drysdale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Varga Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Minolta 4-F. Had it for years since I started and never failed me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 [Thanks for the cool sight Brian. My meter looks just like the Grey one, and it is in near mint condition. For the past couple of days I have been playing with it, testing it against my dslr, and zeroing it. The funny thing is that it seems to be getting more accurate. When I started,It was under a full stop at 400 foot candles, and didn't seem too sensitive at low light. Today I did it again for a fourth time, and it was 1/3 under at approximately 60 Fc. The meter was in the pocket of a flea market special, and was not stored well. Is it possible that using it is loosing up old lube? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kemalettin Sert Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Gossen Luna Pro ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Is it possible that using it is loosing up old lube? Could be... Try using it for a while and see if it fully settles down. You need to test it against a mid grey card, although perhaps I'd check it against another meter rather than with a DSLR. Seems damp can be an issue. http://pub20.bravenet.com/faq/show.php?usernum=1678719246&catid=3359 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 (edited) I have been using it outside, in overcast skies, and I think now I should be testing it in a studio, with the grey card you mentioned. I found another sight that said that the emulsion dial, if the meter is old enough is not in ASA, but in a Weston scale used before modern ASA, and would be 1/3rd out. Thanks again for the insights. AP Edited September 19, 2011 by andrew parrish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Burke Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I second the Minolta Auto 4F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Looks like a lot of people like the Minolta. I am going to hunt one down and play with it. Thanks, AP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryn Williams Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 I really enjoy my Sekonic Studio Deluxe II. It's always in my bag as a backup. We teach students using a Studio Deluxe... They can be a bit fragile ("You can stupid-proof it, but you can't student-proof it!"), but even then we've been using several of the same meters since before I got here 7 years ago... It is relatively easy to use, without a ton of math... Yes you do have to do a small (really small) bit of calculating, but that's what you give up in price... There is a slight learning curve with it, and it is absoultely not automatic anything... The Studio Deluxe is an analog meter through and through... I love em... -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted September 23, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted September 23, 2011 That's one of the reasons I like it so much for beginners, Daryn. It makes them stop and think for a moment. My one big concern (and I'm making my first foray into teaching a small class this year) is that all these quick and easy methods have a tendency to put students on an auto-pilot mode just doing what the gear tells them to do, as opposed to thinking about what the gears telling them and making a choice. ok rant over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 For a really cheap option - I gather it's not too bad on the accuracy front. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JWUT6O?&tag=din0a-20?&tag=din0a-20 However, you'll need to get your tables out to convert lux into exposure settings. No worse than lighting to foot candles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryn Williams Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 That's one of the reasons I like it so much for beginners, Daryn. It makes them stop and think for a moment. My one big concern (and I'm making my first foray into teaching a small class this year) is that all these quick and easy methods have a tendency to put students on an auto-pilot mode just doing what the gear tells them to do, as opposed to thinking about what the gears telling them and making a choice. ok rant over. Oh I'm a BIG believer in making sure students understand the "Why" of the things they do... I also make sure that students understand that putting something on "Auto" means that they are giving artistic control over to some engineer who decided what "Auto" should be... That is part of the reason why we still shoot film: Super 8, Regular 16 and Super 16... There really is no auto for film, and students are forced to manipulate their tools... Heck we still made students cut mag track on Steenbecks until 3 years ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted September 27, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted September 27, 2011 Lucky Kids. Last Steennbeck I saw @ a university out here was sitting in a basement, still working, in a sad hallway, forgotten and dusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 The Minolta sounds like A great meter, but I have to say, I like the thinking behind the studio deluxe. I just bought an h8 rex4 to try and expand on my understanding of cinematography, and learn how to slow down and look. As a side note, how do people feel about Pentax Spotmeter III? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 As a side note, how do people feel about Pentax Spotmeter III? I've got one, it works fine. The IRE scale is handy for a zone style of exposure readings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 I've got one, it works fine. The IRE scale is handy for a zone style of exposure readings. Thanks for the reply. I was in a camera store, and saw it for 45 bucks in mint condition. They thought the mercury battery issue would make it basically worthless. I showed them the hearing aid trick ( wein cells are not too common here), tested it with a grey card, and now have a seemingly good new tool. The IRE scale looks interesting. I assume that they are only good for Video, because the marks don't seem to match the "straight line portion" of 100d reversal ( I'm just learning this so please bear with me it this is really stupid) The curve on the Kodak page looks like the film will handle 5 stops under, and 3 stops over before you get density issues. The IRE scale looks like 4 up 4 down. Does this mean the IRE scale is only good for video? Am I out to to lunch. The Wiki page on IRE isn't to detailed Thanks for reading, AP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted October 3, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted October 3, 2011 I really enjoy my Sekonic Studio Deluxe II. It's always in my bag as a backup. This is exactly what I was going to say. It's a nice meter in it's own right. You'll never need another meter unless you just want a digital one or a spot meter. Also, an analog meter shows you the relationship of all of the elements of exposure in a way that a digital "I'll do the work for you" meter won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 ( I'm just learning this so please bear with me it this is really stupid) The curve on the Kodak page looks like the film will handle 5 stops under, and 3 stops over before you get density issues. The IRE scale looks like 4 up 4 down. Does this mean the IRE scale is only good for video? Am I out to to lunch. The Wiki page on IRE isn't to detailed I've used it when shooting neg film for TV, so it works fine for that. The spot reading from a white card set to the IRE highlight end matched my incident meter's exposure reading. You need to test it if you're going to use it for other mediums that have a larger dynamic range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew parrish Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Thanks Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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