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best light meter for the money
I need a good low priced light meter and i dont know which one to get! Help I am trying to stay under $200 and i dont mind used if I can find a good one... It just has to do ambient and flash measurement Apr 17 08 10:31 am Link You can find plenty of them on the used market. Minolta and Sekonic are very good, and some of the older ones will be in your price range. There are several others as well. I'd suggest you look on eBay and buy from a reputable dealer (lots of positive feedback and a very high satisfaction percentage). Just watch out for bargain prices with licentious shipping fees... Apr 17 08 11:11 am Link spend a coupla extra bucks and get the Sekonic 358, you wont regret it Apr 17 08 11:15 am Link the sekonic 308 is just fine. Apr 17 08 11:16 am Link Buy a name-brand light meter---with the least amount of features you require, treat it with care, and it will provide years of service. Don't throw a meter around---it will go out of calibration. I'd love a new ight meter, but my old Sekonic test calibrates right on mark, and keeps on working. You should be able to work within your budget.... Apr 17 08 11:34 am Link Ken Doo Photo wrote: I agree with this, just buy a simple one and you should be fine. Apr 17 08 11:58 am Link I love my Sekonic 358 Apr 17 08 12:01 pm Link I use the Sekonic L-358 and love it. One of the best features is the optional wireless transmitter which works flawlessly with my Pocketwizards and Alien Bees strobes. Apr 17 08 01:52 pm Link brother7 wrote: I have the same model with the PW module and love it. In fact, I've never heard anyone complain about problems with it. Apr 17 08 02:18 pm Link Light Meters * Recommendations for an economical Light Meter * can you recommend a light meter ? * Need Light Meter Recommendations * Light meters * Light Meter. * Light Meter (See the Lighting, Flash, Ring, & Battery Strobe Reference thread for more references.) Apr 17 08 02:21 pm Link Sekonic L358 - Love it. What I don't use now, I'll grow in to. $239 at Adorama right now B&H also Apr 17 08 02:24 pm Link another vote for 358. Apr 17 08 02:25 pm Link Ken Doo Photo wrote: I do that all the time =/ . Apr 17 08 02:28 pm Link Minolta Autometer iv check ebay for many of them. Cannot be beat for the price. I have not used mine in years and still know if I did it woudl be as reliable as the day I bought it. Stephen Eastwood http://www.StephenEastwood.com Apr 17 08 03:27 pm Link Minolta autometer iv Apr 17 08 03:32 pm Link yeah i was looking at teh minolta IV on ebay. It's what i used in college! havent used a meter since... the price on them keeps being driven up to stupid levels tho and I cant go beyond my budget! Apr 17 08 03:44 pm Link yeah i was looking at teh minolta IV on ebay. It's what i used in college! havent used a meter since... the price on them keeps being driven up to stupid levels tho and I cant go beyond my budget! Apr 17 08 03:51 pm Link My first meter was a used minolta autometer III that I bought from keh.com. I got an "ugly" one for cheap and used it for quite a while. Eventually, the buttons started to fall off and I bought the more expensive Sekonic. The "III" is very basic and not very sexy, but it's functional. Like others have said, if you can squeeze out the extra cash for the Sekonic, you'll have a meter that will last you for a very long time. Apr 17 08 03:56 pm Link Chip Willis wrote: http://www.adorama.com/SKL358.html Apr 17 08 03:57 pm Link Another vote for the 358. Seeing a trend? Apr 17 08 05:02 pm Link Imagenes wrote: And another. Apr 17 08 05:02 pm Link rp_photo wrote: Picked my 358 up two days ago, love it already Apr 17 08 05:05 pm Link Carl Evans wrote: Amen Apr 17 08 07:49 pm Link StephenEastwood wrote: word. mine is one of the most reliable pieces of equipment i have EVER bought. Apr 17 08 08:48 pm Link thanks everyone!! Apr 18 08 09:40 am Link brother7 wrote: I agree! It is a great light meter for the money! Apr 18 08 09:51 am Link I have had two Sekonic L-328 and they worked flawlessly. Very accurate. The first was stolen with my camera bag during a burglary. The L-358 is its replacement in Sekonics line-up. So I would say go with the L-358. I have also owned a Polaris Flash meter before. It cost me about $160 when I bought it That was because I forgot to pack my Sekonic for a trip to the States. It was back home in the Bahamas. I sold it to another local photographer for $80 when they were getting into studio lighting. Malodave Apr 18 08 09:52 am Link tami-foto wrote: My Sekonic got splashed with seawater yesterday. Takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin'! Apr 18 08 10:04 am Link Another vote for the L-358. I got mine some 4 months ago and I totally love it. Apr 18 08 10:05 am Link Minolta. I have the IV F. Amazingly dependable, accurate, and meters flash, too. Apr 22 08 08:53 am Link Definitely the Sekonic L-358 ... when you get ready, for another $50 you can add the Pocket Wizard II remote trigger, and for $100 or so, you can add the spot meter.... It's about $239 or so now at Adorama I ALMOST bought a Shepherd Polaris for $179, but after seeing so many youtube videos on the Sekonic, decided to spend the extra $50-$80 there.... I have no regrets... Apr 22 08 09:03 am Link Jim Wrigley Photography wrote: This Would Be My Choice...... The L 358 Apr 22 08 09:07 am Link I'm still using a Sekonic L508...but the L308s is a great meter. Apr 22 08 09:07 am Link tami-foto wrote: this one is flash only the sekonic 358 is aprox $250 and does both flash and ambient light and a combination of flash and ambient Apr 22 08 09:15 am Link blugraphics wrote: If you want to stay well within your budget, then consider the following: Apr 22 08 11:29 am Link Here's another vote for Sekonic - I've been using them for years - and my next meter will be one as well. Apr 22 08 11:32 am Link the sekonic 358 is definately the way to go Apr 22 08 11:34 am Link StephenEastwood wrote: I have my old Autometer IV and I swear by it - not at it. Apr 22 08 11:43 am Link I'm still using my analogue Gossen Luna Pro F. Still dead nuts on accurate. I haven't needed to calibrate it for near on 10 years now. It's analogue so it's much easier and MUCH faster to use than a digital meter. Easier to do foot candle readings too. Something to be said for the superiority of German engineering. I bought it used 25 years ago and works perfectly. Uses a standard 9 volt battery too. My field meter is a Pentax/Zone VI analogue spot meter. I use a Wallace Expo disk to take incident readings with it. It's not as stable as the Gossen. I have to re-calibrate it more often and the batteries are not standard. A used Luna Pro F will run you over $300.00 in perfect condition. They simply last forever. Apr 22 08 11:53 am Link |
