Light meter advice

laurenornot · August 26, 2011

Having just purchased a pristine Yashica Mat 124G, I am wary of its internal light meter and would like to get a standalone.

I've never had one before, so I have no idea where to start. I've checked out B&H and Adorama's used departments for inspiration, but I don't know how to differentiate between them all, other than what condition they're in!

Can anyone help me out with some suggestions, or at least what I should be looking for? Thanks in advance!

...and for eye candy, here's my new plaything

schmoo · August 26, 2011

Hey lauren congrats on the purchase!! It looks like a beauty and they take amazing pics.

When I recently got a vintage TLR with a sketchy light meter I thought about buying a dedicated Sekonic or something that everyone uses. But I downloaded a Light Meter app for my iPhone, paid $.99 for it and it works perfectly. A friend even compared it against his $300 light meter and it was spot-on.

So I would of course suggest giving that a go with a roll or two and see if you need anything more than that.

Art Scott · August 26, 2011

Lightmeters can be kinda overwhelming for someone not familir wit htehm and also because the cost per frame for film.....I personally like to switch from reflected to metering to incident (that is using a white diffusion cover over the senor of the meter)...i use incident the most as it is also the type of meter needed to measure flash....about the only time I am using reflected is when spot metering and then it is usually dark and I am metering where light from city lights are hitting.....i prefer a "multi" type meter...like a Sekonic L558 which has been replaced by the L758 DR and 758C both of which are over $650...so I would recommend the Sekonic L358 for ~~$250 new at BH...might find a lot less expensive used at Ebay or Adorama, or KEH...or a photo forum ...... Sekonic for me has been very reliable as they have been around for many many years thru out the film era......I even use it when shooting digital...and also CONGRATS ON ACQUIRING A FANTASTIC TLR.......I I actually wore out 1 of those shooting weddings ...fantastically balanced, superb sharp contrasty lenses...they are also great for shooting promo /cd-record cover shots...since the format of vinyl albums and also Cd's are square......I really loved the ones I owned..........

Edit: With incident reading...it is taken from the subject..so if it is a white object the incident reading will keep you from blowing out high lights....i...some photog seem to have a hard time shooting non Caucasian people....I have never had a prob when using an incident meter......I do not know what you shoot...but the TLR or any square format camera for that matter is best suited for portrait and wedding work......if it is landscape and such, unless printing square prints, then you should think about possibly getting a 645 format camera...which will also raise the print count from 12 to 15 or a 6x7 camera (pentax 67, print count goes down from 12 - 9... I think), large 35mm shaped camera great resolution, contrast and all including interchangeable lenses......645 has interchangeable lenses also but is more boxed shaped, again I owned and used the Pentax 645 a lot......almost a pocket camera......same film and everything...you may be able to find on ebay or KEH or other camera store selling used gear.....

Good Luck and Happy shooting with a fantastic camera...do you need a leather case for it??

hamster · August 26, 2011

I have this camera and the light meter in it works perfectly. If you are wary of it because of the difference in batteries, why not give it a shot? I am happy with the internal meters in mine (I have two.)

Adding a link to some of my shots - these were not altered after scanning (except for the bw) and I metered with the camera each time. The first 10 pics are from the Mat. Film type is listed in the captions.
http://cherie1h.smugmug.com/Other/Film/6595465_QBGpSD#420166636_Zds9X

laurenornot · August 27, 2011

schmoo wrote: »

So I would of course suggest giving that a go with a roll or two and see if you need anything more than that.

Thanks! I'll definitely test out the built-in meter with a roll before I spend any money on a meter, but I'm preparing for it based on what I've read. What's the name of the iPhone app? Sounds great!

Art Scott wrote: »

Good Luck and Happy shooting with a fantastic camera...do you need a leather case for it??

Thank you for the advice

I mainly shoot portraiture, so I'm really excited. Are you selling a leather case for it? I might be interested!

hamster wrote: »

Adding a link to some of my shots - these were not altered after scanning (except for the bw) and I metered with the camera each time. The first 10 pics are from the Mat. Film type is listed in the captions.
http://cherie1h.smugmug.com/Other/Film/6595465_QBGpSD#420166636_Zds9X

Beautiful work, thanks for sharing!

thegridrunner · August 27, 2011

Here are five lightmeters for the iphone. I would be hesitant to use them for critical work, but in a pinch, they will probably get you in the ball park.
http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/hardware/quick-tip-a-look-at-5-iphone-lightmeter-apps/
Recently, I picked up a sekonic L758 Cine for HDslr filmmaking and flash photography. It works extremely well, very quick. But it is a bit pricey.

ziggy53 · August 31, 2011

For a very nice budget incident (built-in-dome)/reflective/flash plus zone-system and cinematography analog meter, I can recommend the Gossen Luna-Pro F meter.

The analog dial also calculates compatible f-stop and shutter-speed combinations at a single glance. EV scale for Hasselblad users. (EV scale also easily compensates for filter factors.)

Null meter reading is both fast and accurate. Both continuous and stored readings are supported.

Uses common 9v battery and the battery lasts a long time with normal use.

1/3rd stop accuracy is typical.

Light meter advice

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