Light meter advice

[Guest]

Could anyone suggest a good light meter. I'm looking to get one for use with my Canon 1014xls, and my budget would be between £20 to £30.

[FearDoiche]

Most folk recommend the Sekonic L-398. You can find them on ebay fairly regularly, and sometimes in your price range.

[audadvnc]

I use my Sekonic L-398 regularly. It's cheap, relatively accurate and needs no batteries. Just keep in mind that the light reaching the film plane may not be the same exposure as what the light meter says. Run a test roll, and bracket +/- a stop or so, and see what exposure matches your expectations.
Also, the light meter in a camera is a reflected (spot) meter, as opposed to the L-398 incident meter, so the exposure readings may not match. Sometimes you'd be better off using the in-camera meter.

[sonickel]

Avoid the Weston Masters and the like on Ebay. They're within your price range, and can often look pretty minty. But the photocell on the back is usually broken (unfixable) rendering the meter useless.

I made that mistake and now have another ornament on the mantlepiece. :oops:

From what I've heard, the Lunasix 3 is a pretty good meter, Sekonics are also reliable.

[monobath]

Avoid the Weston Masters and the like on Ebay. They're within your price range, and can often look pretty minty. But the photocell on the back is usually broken (unfixable) rendering the meter useless.

I made that mistake and now have another ornament on the mantlepiece. :oops:

Actually, Quality LIght Metric repairs the old Weston meters. They can fix or replace any broken part, and they can even replace the selenium photo cell in them. My last contact notes say they are located at 7095 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. Their phone number is 323-467-2265. I have not used them personally, but they are very well regarded by those who have used them. I suspect they are not cheap, though.

Somewhere I squirreled away a link to a site where you can buy a brand new selenium cell for a very decent low price that is perfect for the Weston meters. Swapping in a new one yourself is possible, although I understand it is a delicate operation. I can try to find that site again if you think you'd be interested in trying to repair your Weston mantlepiece ornament yourself.

[sonickel]

The link would be excellent, thanks. Now I hope I haven't thrown the Weston Master out! :oops:

[monobath]

Here you go. It is the Megatron company in the UK that I was thinking of. They have several types and a lot of sizes of photo cells. I think you will want a Type B cell, but I'm not sure.

You might have to take your Weston apart to see how big the selenium cell is, and to figure out whether you'll need a replacement with or without leads.

[Steve P.]

Hello.

The light meter question is asked and answered here occasionally; you might find bundles of advice by searching the forum.

I don’t know what will be in your price range. Buying a “cheap” meter can be a false economy. If it’s accurate, that’s one thing, but using a meter that leads you to disappointing results is very, very frustrating.

I have the Gossen Profisix SBC, similar to or as mentioned above, and like it. It’s a very easy and intuitive thing to use. Used, several years ago, it was EUR60.