light meter for strobist work

anyone still use light meters? lately ive been wanting to get back into doing work on lights more in my spare time for fun and wondering if anyone has light meter suggestions. only requirements are try to keep suggestions at $200 or less if possible and it obviously needs to work with flashes. I would love if it offers the ability where you can push a button on the meter and it waits for a flash but if i have to get one that requires being sync'd to a trigger via pc sync cable im ok with that but would prefer to avoid the extra step if possible. my only experience working with light meters is the Sekonic L-398A that i own (its an old school non battery operated incident meter). im ready to upgrade to digital to take advantage of light meter to aid in precise exposure for working on lights as a light meter is way faster than guessing exposure and tweaking via the LCD on the camera which i get lucky at but i dont want to push my luck haha

I've got the Sekonic L-358 and love it. It's now discontinued, but they pop up in the classifieds section here fairly often for around $200 - that's where I got mine.

Sekonic L358 if you can find one, the L308 is a decent second choice. The l358 has the flash percentage ratio reading which makes it nice for replicating a fill flash look outside.

I bought (used, ~ $200) a discontinued Gossen Digipro F a couple of years ago. As you described, press the button on the meter and then fire the flash. I use a spare, in-hand trigger.

There is a bias adjustment for calibration to your taste. For outdoor fill, it shows the relationship between flash and ambient in f stops. Uses a single AA alkaline.

Meter in action. Display indicates an aperture of 8.0 + .9 which is almost f/11.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/onmy​Cw

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/onmh​1L

having a feature where it shows relationship between flash and ambient is pretty cool and would eliminate having to remember exposure and figure it out in my head. most of my work im doing that the light meter would be used for is just stuff for fun goofing around but i definitely want something to make shooting easier because figuring it out in your head and guessing exposure isnt the fun part of working with lights. looks like my fall back will be the L308 if i dont come across a nicer one for the right price. im not in a big hurry so ill patiently keep my eyes open.

my next purchase is a colormunki so i can calibrate my new dell u2713hm because whats the point of having a nice monitor if its not calibrated. especially when i do pick up a reasonably amount of corporatey photography/video here and there and want to make sure i continue to deliver quality content to my clients when i do work for money

greatly appreciate the suggestions yall ill look more in to gossen as well although im more familiar with sekonic

Another vote for the L358, I have one for years and the flash percentage is a godsend. I didn't realise it was discontinued. See if you can pickup a second hand one.

Mick F wrote in post #17313368
Another vote for the L358, I have one for years and the flash percentage is a godsend. I didn't realise it was discontinued. See if you can pickup a second hand one.

What.... i didnt know it was discontinued either. If you can find one, get it. I would be lost without it.

Yeah, the L-358 was dropped around the time they released the L-478D. Personally, I'm not a fan of the touchscreen.

oldvultureface wrote in post #17313191
Same shot using E-TTL.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/onmh​1L https://flic.kr/p/onmh​1Lhttps://www.flickr.com​/people/30404829@N03/
Flickr

Given the circumstances of this test shot, it is no surprise. Your ETTL reflected light meter in the camera is being biased by the adjacent white wall into underexposing. All metering tries to achieve the 'midtone' average expected of scenes. So your white wall is being exposed by ETTL to make it grey! Your handheld meter, being incident, has no idea of the scene content and so it merely expresses the exposure which results in 'correct exposure' and which records the wall as white like it is.

There are are better meters, but for basic flash work I use a Sekonic 308s ( $200 on Amazon). I trigger the flash wirelessly with my Elinchrom Skyport. It also accepts a flash cord.

I use a Minolta IVF. You can find them on eBay for ~$75 if you watch for them.

Another 358 user, here. Thumbs up.
My only real quibble with it is that it uses a not-as-easily-obtainable battery, so if you don't use it for a while, take the battery out so it doesn't drain. Other than that, love it.

BrandonSi wrote in post #17316994
I use a Minolta IVF. You can find them on eBay for ~$75 if you watch for them.

I've been looking to get a meter. I've bid on a couple Sekonic L358, however wasn't willing to spend over $250 for a used discontinued model. I have noticed a few Minolta IVF, they are also bringing around $200.

So which would be the better meter given they are selling for around the same amount?

Ok, well I've also noticed that B&H has the 478 listed for $319, plus you get a free Xrite Colorchecker Passport, which I would like to get as well. So I'm thinking that it would be more cost effective to just buy the 478. Figuring that the 378 is selling for $225 on ebay, then add the cost of a colorchecker- $99, for a total of $324. One reason I don't buy much from Fleabay anymore. A used discontinued model that would cost more than a new, updated model. Oh well...

It just goes to show that sometimes manufacturers make improvements that sometimes aren't. While the 478 is newer, none of the reviews I read make it seem like its a better option than the 358. I'm amazed that sekonic hasn't made a course correction and introduced an L358 Mk II, the bones of the old meter with just enough cosmetic changes to justify the upgrade.

Ok, point well taken. I've bid on a 378, and hope that it doesn't go too high. I don't need all the extra bells-n-whistles on the 478.