Light Meters for Contax 645

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abbyk
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p.1 #1 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Looking to purchase a light meter for my contax 645. What is a good price and which one is best to
Purchase?

Nov 06, 2012 at 03:40 AM

BrianO
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p.1 #2 · Light Meters for Contax 645

The Contax 645 has a built-in meter, doesn't it? (A rarity for in-body meters, I believe it's a flash meter.)

Nov 06, 2012 at 08:22 AM

abbyk
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p.1 #3 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Have just been told to get a handheld light meter.

Nov 06, 2012 at 12:19 PM

campyone
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p.1 #4 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Depends on the purpose for which you want the meter. If you just want to use it to meter different areas of the scene (e.g. shadows, midtones, highlights) and determine an appropriate exposure for one of those areas my favorite meter for that purpose was the Pentax digital spot meter. It's a very simple meter that is excellent for that purpose. If you want something more elaborate or versatile you might look into one of the Sekonic models, they seem to be popular. It's tempting to buy a meter that will do a lot of different things. But if you don't use those different things you end up with a meter that's more complicated to use than you'd like.

Nov 06, 2012 at 12:35 PM

JohnBrose
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p.1 #5 · Light Meters for Contax 645

I would recommend one of the Sekonic models that has the spot meter built in and it also does incident readings. Most handle flash and ambient readings.

Nov 06, 2012 at 01:16 PM

Micky Bill
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p.1 #6 · Light Meters for Contax 645

It would help to know what you are shooting with the Contax , for studio work I'd recommend a meter that reads incident light, for other purposes like zone system applications a spot meter is needed.
I own about 4 or 5 meters.

Nov 06, 2012 at 03:12 PM

abbyk
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p.1 #7 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Wantin to shoot outdoors and indoors but not a studio setting. Mostly just to shoot pictures if my twins.

Nov 06, 2012 at 03:44 PM

RustyBug
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p.1 #8 · Light Meters for Contax 645

"Horses for courses" ... as others have mentioned.

Who told you that and why/what context did they make that suggestion. That could give us a clue at recommendation / strategy.

Personally, I've got a Sekonic L-608 (out of production) that I picked up used on the FM boards that I love and will serve me for anything I run across. Prior to that, I only had an incident meter (using my camera's spot meter for reflective readings) that served me well for decades @ ambient applications ... so it really depends on your perspective / strategy / needs / approach.

If you're in it for the "long haul" ... like any great tool, a good one pays for itself over time ... and only gets better as you get more familiar with it ... and good light meters tend to hold their value really well (past initial "new" depreciation).

If you've never used one before ... you might consider renting one (very cheap) for a week to get a feel for them. If you're close to a rental house that you can personally visit, they can be valuable in helping you to understand how to use the gear. I find that rental people are better at helping you understand / achieve solutions than retail salesman who tend to "push products" rather than find solutions. From that experience, it'll be more clear what direction you might want to "invest" in.

HTH

Saw your last post after I wrote above ...

Sounds like you just need a simple incident meter, to help when a camera's reflective meter can get fooled for "proper" exposure.

Nov 06, 2012 at 03:56 PM

Tareq
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p.1 #9 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Sekonic L-758DR

Nov 06, 2012 at 07:28 PM

Micky Bill
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p.1 #10 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Tareq wrote:
Sekonic L-758DR

Why?

Nov 07, 2012 at 02:10 AM

BrianO
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p.1 #11 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Tareq wrote: Sekonic L-758DR

Micky Bill wrote: Why?

Look at his posts in other threads; someone asks for an "inexpensive studio flash" and he says "Profoto, Bronocolor [sic]." Same thing here.

Not that there's anything wrong with an L-758DR; I have one myself. For most people, though, it's overkill.

My suggestion for the OP would be a Sekonic L-308 if buying new, or a Minolta Flashmeter IV, V, or VI if buying used.

Nov 07, 2012 at 05:04 AM

Tareq
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p.1 #12 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Micky Bill wrote:
Tareq wrote:
Sekonic L-758DR

Why?

Just to waste money,

Well, it is great light meter, has all the features someone can dream of, even i can use it for my film shooting as i need a 1 degree spot metering, so buy once and never look back, the only issue was the battery, but i solved this problem when i bought those rechargeable batteries compatible for this light meter, same battery can be used in my digital hasselblad spare battery pack.

Nov 07, 2012 at 05:09 AM

Tareq
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p.1 #13 · Light Meters for Contax 645

I agree that L-308 is a great choice, just it may need a 1 degree accessory for more accurate reading maybe if necessary, also i recommend L-358 too, not much expensive over that L-308, almost half price of L-758DR.

Nov 07, 2012 at 05:17 AM

cordellwillis
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p.1 #14 · Light Meters for Contax 645

It's unfortunate that some people choose to not help others on forums by suggesting products that are mostly expensive and useless to them. This is like suggesting a 2 seater sports car for a family of six....because you never know if you really want to drive fast some day

Put it in perspective for the OP's situation. I say as Brian says (buy used) Minolta Flashmeter IV, V, or VI. You will get a lot of use out of these as they are. If you find that you don't really need a meter you haven't spent much money.

Nov 07, 2012 at 03:05 PM

RustyBug
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p.1 #15 · Light Meters for Contax 645

The L-608 ... has 1 degree spot variable to 4 degrees, incident, flash, combined, memory, pocket wizard module option, etc. Not necessarily what the OP needs for his intended purpose, but a bargain compared to the L-758DR I'm sure, and "bang for the buck" is one of my better finds.

Not sure what more the L-758DR might have ... but I can't think of anything more that I'd want / need.

But, hey ... I'm a fan of "last year's Cadillac" ... If it was "world class" last year, what makes it any less so this year just because something else has come out with more bells & whistles or prettier paint? It isn't like light has changed much over the years.

That being said, some would consider a used Minolta Flashmeter to be like a used Rolls Royce.

Nov 07, 2012 at 03:26 PM

PeterBerressem
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p.1 #16 · Light Meters for Contax 645

Seemingly being from the UAE makes for a loose wallet ... :-)

Nov 07, 2012 at 04:56 PM

ktan7
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p.1 #17 · Light Meters for Contax 645

I would recommend the sekonic L-358. That is what I use!

Apr 26, 2013 at 01:36 AM

rico
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p.1 #18 · Light Meters for Contax 645

In addition to a meter for ambient light, The Contax 645 (like its cousin RTS III) has an inbuilt spot flashmeter.

Apr 26, 2013 at 06:10 AM

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