I've been enjoying the newly acquired KEKS mark II meter using it on a few of my film bodies. I still have the meter from RFLX which works well but the button batteries don't seem to like colder weather. At least with KEKS, it is rechargeable via USB-C. Tomorrow, I should receive the VC meter (used from Cameraquest). I've heard good things regarding the accuracy of the VC meter and I'm liking having multiple meters, one for each body. That way, I set the ISO on the meter which reminds me of what's in the camera (I know there are other ways to remember the film in camera!).
I've tested the Reveni and found it to be lightweight and accurate.
However, I personally prefer the Droomo light meter. I find it to be just as accurate, and they offer a version made of brass painted black that matches my BP cameras.
Time for a weekly Reveni Cube Meter MK2 battery drain update. It's been three weeks since I charged it and the meter is showing 70%. I'm going to let it go until the "Dead Bat" flashes on.
I have three reveni spot meter, works wonderfully. Only problem is I've been sunny 16 metering in my head for the last two years and haven't actually used it much.
I have the Reflx, Keks v2 and the Voigtlander meters. Right now, my preferences in order are:
1) Voigtlander
2) Keks
3) Reflx
I've come to like the Voigtlander dials, it's quick and easy. Changing ISO is very straight forward and I don't have to remember the right button combination to change ISO. Dialing in exposure is very fast and straight forward as well, especially for an Aperture priority shooter that I am.
The KEKS v2 is also quite good and I like that it has a rechargeable battery. My only 'critique' is that the text display is so small for my aging eyes, especially reading the ISO value.
The Reflx is quite small and works great. However, the batteries seem to take a big hit in cold weather losing power very quickly only to regain it when back indoors.
madNbad wrote:
I had mounted them on the camera for a while but mostly carried them on a lanyard. This left the accessory shoe available for finders and has the advantage of not needing to move it from one camera to another.
I'm going to try this as well -- my only complaint with the Reveni is that it's so tall that if I mount it on the cold shoe my camera no longer fits in the small bag I like to use, so I'll try wearing it around my neck; that'll also allow me to tuck it in my coat if the weather's dodgy. What lanyard are you using?
rji2goleez wrote:
I have the Reflx, Keks v2 and the Voigtlander meters. Right now, my preferences in order are:
1) Voigtlander
2) Keks
3) Reflx
I've come to like the Voigtlander dials, it's quick and easy. Changing ISO is very straight forward and I don't have to remember the right button combination to change ISO. Dialing in exposure is very fast and straight forward as well, especially for an Aperture priority shooter that I am.
The KEKS v2 is also quite good and I like that it has a rechargeable battery. My only 'critique' is that the text display is so small for my aging eyes, especially reading the ISO value.
The Reflx is quite small and works great. However, the batteries seem to take a big hit in cold weather losing power very quickly only to regain it when back indoors....Show more →
I'll give the Voigtlander a try. Thanks for suggesting it.
It appears larger, but having mechanical dials makes sense for use with a mechanical body.
bjhurley wrote:
I'm going to try this as well -- my only complaint with the Reveni is that it's so tall that if I mount it on the cold shoe my camera no longer fits in the small bag I like to use, so I'll try wearing it around my neck; that'll also allow me to tuck it in my coat if the weather's dodgy. What lanyard are you using?
I bought a bag of cheap cell phone lanyards off of Amazon. Matt actually designed the meter with a spot for the loop to pass through but you need tweezers to pull it. I find it easier to keep it in a pocket also for holding the meter closer to a subject for a more accurate reading.
I charged mine on March first to see if one charge will last for a month. Of course my Sekonic 308 is on its second year with the same AA battery.
p.3 #10 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
Reveni Light Meter MK2 update. On March first, I charged the little cube to 100% and then put it away just to see how much battery drain there would be. I did check it throughout the month and there was a 20% drop in the first two weeks but then it stabilized. When I checked it on Friday the 29th, it was at 70%. Today, April 1st it’s at 60%.
Overall, the performance is much improved over the LR44 version. It would be even better if there was a physical on/off switch. I’m happy with the fact that it changes quickly and holds it long enough for several week of use before needing to be recharged.
As I have said, this may not be the meter for everyone but for me, it’s much more convenient than a phone app and a good companion to the Kodak Retina.
p.3 #11 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
I'm experiencing similar battery life.
The only little improvement I could suggest is a visual indication of exposure compensation. The Hedeco meter is great for this: it has a little scale on the bottom of the display that shows you whether you've enabled exposure compensation, and if so by how much. On the Reveni meter, exposure compensation is a few button presses deep in the menu, and if I put a filter on my lens and boost exposure compensation to account for it there's no indication on the main screen. I took a few photos that will be 1 stop overexposed because I forgot to reset exposure compensation when I removed a filter. There's not much room on the screen to show whether compensation is enabled, but maybe a tiny plus or minus sign in the bottom right corner could be feasible; I might suggest that to Matt.
Speaking of the Hedeco meter, I've had mine for nearly a year now and the battery is still at 70 percent, and that's after a lot of shooting in the past year. I find the Reveni much easier to read outdoors, so I've switched to the Reveni for the most part.
p.3 #12 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
bjhurley wrote:
I'm experiencing similar battery life.
The only little improvement I could suggest is a visual indication of exposure compensation. .
In fact I heard back from Matt and this is already implemented, I just didn't notice it! The tail of the little arrow at top becomes split when exposure compensation is enabled, and is solid when it is not. So I'll just pay attention to that (and read the manual before I suggest implementing features that are already implemented).
p.3 #13 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
bjhurley wrote:
In fact I heard back from Matt and this is already implemented, I just didn't notice it! The tail of the little arrow at top becomes split when exposure compensation is enabled, and is solid when it is not. So I'll just pay attention to that (and read the manual before I suggest implementing features that are already implemented).
p.3 #14 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
A Reveni cube meter update. About a month ago, I put the Reveni away while waiting for a Retina IIa to come back from being serviced. The Kodak isn’t done yet but I got the Reveni out just to see how much charge was left. It was at 100% on the first week of July when I put it away. Today, after six weeks it showed 70%. It’s a major improvement over the original LR44 design and recharges in about five minutes. An on/off switch would be a bonus but I’m happy with the upgrade.
p.3 #15 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
Mine went a bit haywire during a shoot last Tuesday; I had it mounted on the camera in my bag and it must have accidentally pressed some magic combination of buttons while I was traveling, as it wouldn't turn off and it kept taking new readings every few seconds even though I wasn't pressing any buttons. I didn't trust the readings so I used a lightmeter on my phone. The Reveni meter stayed on for about an hour (the auto-off setting was set for 10 seconds, which is how I usually have it) and when I got home it was off. I assumed the battery must have been exhausted at that point so I recharged it and now everything's back to normal. Weird!
p.3 #16 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
bjhurley wrote:
Mine went a bit haywire during a shoot last Tuesday; I had it mounted on the camera in my bag and it must have accidentally pressed some magic combination of buttons while I was traveling, as it wouldn't turn off and it kept taking new readings every few seconds even though I wasn't pressing any buttons. I didn't trust the readings so I used a lightmeter on my phone. The Reveni meter stayed on for about an hour (the auto-off setting was set for 10 seconds, which is how I usually have it) and when I got home it was off. I assumed the battery must have been exhausted at that point so I recharged it and now everything's back to normal. Weird!...Show more →
I had the same experience this afternoon. Fortunately, I was home and when it did't turn off after ten minutes, I plugged it in and after it reached full charge, everything worked.
I just checked to see if there was a firmware update but nothing at this time.
p.3 #17 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
Heard from Matt Bechberger. If you push the on button twice, the meter enters continuous mode and will take readings until it's pushed twice to exit. Guess it's time to read the manual.
p.3 #18 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
I took the Reveni Cube MK2 to use with my Retina IIa for a trip to Paris and Amsterdam. Overall, most of the results were good. I have owned a cube since shortly after the Kickstarter days and understand it's limitations. I bought eight rolls of TMax 100 at a shop in Paris to avoid the airport CT scanners as much as possible. The weather turned gray and cloudy after the first day, so the light was even but flat. The Reveni is good in situations when you can restrict the amount of light hitting the edges of its wide angle of acceptance. In short, it's terrible with back or side light.
My trick has been to get the meter as close as possible to the subject and take a reading. There are times when it's both impractical or impossible to do so. I tried metering off the palm of my hand or picking a neutral point to aim the sensor at but still had mixed results.
The Reveni is convenient, reliable and easy to read. The change to USB-C charging offers plenty of power and a fairly long period between charges. Still, I missed the incident reading with my Sekonic and look at some images that would have benefited from incident instead of reflected readings.
I won't abandon the Reveni but will probably add a Gossen DigiSix for those times when a small meter with incident capabilities is the right tool.
p.3 #19 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
I can't say I've had any exposure issues with my Reveni cube MK2, but I do wish the battery life was better. Even with the longer battery life of MK2 I find myself having to recharge frequently. In contrast, my Hedeco Lime II, which I bought in early 2023, still shows 70% battery remaining after a year and a half of use. But as I've mentioned before that meter is frustrating because it's impossible to read in brighter conditions.
Like you I prefer having an incident meter available, and while I do have a small Sekonic analog meter I ended up springing for the Reveni incident meter, which also has a reflective metering mode and is faster/easier to read than my Sekonic. I had bad luck with the Reveni incident meter the first time I used one (all my shots were underexposed by 1 or 2 stops, consistently, and I couldn't get it to match the readings of my other meters), but figured I'd give it another go with a new one (I sent the other one back last year). It doesn't mount to the camera; instead it has a little strap so you can attach it to two fingers and keep it on your hand while shooting.
p.3 #20 · Experiences with Reveni labs light meter
I have really enjoyed mine. I have the same issue where when it is attached to the hotshot it makes the Texas Leica even bigger and a little too tall for my messenger bag. Plus I am constantly worried it will snap off in the hotshot. I have a bunch of neck lanyards so I am going to try neck carrying as suggested above.
