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PX 13 battery availability issue for the Gossen Luna Pro and Luna Six hand held light meter. This video shows how to update Gossen Luna Pro meters to accept. On-line camera manual library. If you find this manual useful, how about a donation of $3 to: M. Butkus, 29 Lake Ave., High Bridge, NJ and send your e-mail address so I can thank you. Most other places would charge you $7.50 for a electronic copy or $18.00 for a hard to read Xerox copy. This will help me to continue to host this site. DESCRIPTION: Gossen Sixtino 2 Light Meter Handheld - Vintage Comes with: Case & Manual Condition: Tested Fine Very Good Condition - Body has some wear - Refer to photos - NOTE: We will NOT sell to bidders with an eBay rating lower than 10 Exception can be made for bidders within Australia Australian Residents - Please note this Auction.
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Thispage shows some of the smallest light meters. There areothers, but these were the smallest I owned, plus some bigger ones forcomparison. It might help you to decidewhich one to buy. Here they are:
Usually quite cheap, £20 ish - make sure the diffuser slide is with it. The Gossen 'Sixtino' is small and accurate, comes in a Panzer Tank-proof case, and used a sliding venetian blind looking thing to change from reflected to incident light readings. Still cheap at £40ish. The Gossen 'Pilot' is similar. CDS (Electronic) Meters.
From leftto right, by row |
Polaroid#625, #635, Gossen Sixtomat, Metraphot MF (Leica), 3x Bewi Automat |
Gossen Polysix,Sixti, Sixtino, Metraphot MF+Booster, Kodalux L, Bewi Piccolo, PiccoloII |
GossenSixon, Sixti, Réalt, Soligor uf, Metraphot 2, Bewi Electro |
GossenSixticolor, Wein Flash Meter 500B, Gossen Sixtomat f, my reference |
Justrecently I came across the tiniest light meter ever built, so it's noton the comparison photo. It's not built for an ordinary accessory shoe,it's for the Tessina camera accessory holder. Nevertheless I want toshow it, just to let you know what was possible.
Thesize is 26.5mm x 22.2mm x 9.8mm, weight 19.5g. The dented wheel coupleswith the aperture wheel of the Tessina and gives you the shutter speedto set. It makes the Tessina a semi-automatic camera. Most of thesemeters are dead. I was lucky to get a working one in a bundle with thecamera.
And another tiny recent purchase:
A Minox Meter, built by Gossen. It's 55 x 30 x 18 mm and it weighs53gr. It has a viewer to aim precisely. Meter next to a Minox A. Thereare more pictures here (link will open in a new window).
Let's now begin with thetiny ordinary ones. They are all mountable on yourcamera's accessory shoe:
The smallest and lightest of all, it's the Bewi Piccolos. Thisis the basic version with a very limited scale.
Bewi Piccolo II,better version with a wider scale. These Bewis are a bit fragile due toageing glues.
TheMetraphot 2was the tiniest meter before the Bewi Piccolo was launched.This model is known to be fragile as well and has a limited DIN/ISOscale (6 to 160).
ThisKodalux (made by Gossen) is the tiniest 'full grown' lightmeter. 'L'stands for linear (modern) time scale. It's the small version, there isa bigger Kodalux L, a twin of the Sixti. It even comes with a built-indiffuser.
The next 3 models are size-wise ex aequo in my opinion, but differentbuild formats, only slightly bigger than the first ones.
Theseare 2 versions of the BewiAutomat. The Automat is magic, you push thebutton, the scales swirl, and if you release the button they stop andindicate the convenient choice of speed/aperture combinations. This isvery handy. These 2 are working, but it's known that there are a lot ofdead ones around.
TheGossen Sixtiis a small an sturdy meter with 2 ranges. It's easy tomatch the needle and easy to read. It has the old time scale. You canslide the mount to make it fit your camera. A very nice meter for oldercameras. One has a built-in diffuser.
TheMetraphot MFhas 2 ranges plus a third extended range if the booster ismounted. It's the most sophisticated tiny meter. As its also calledLeica Meter (it was bult to fit the Leicas), it's sought after andquite expensive, but it's fun to use.
Thenext 2 are special Polaroidmeters originally made for the older rollfilm Polaroids, which used the EV (Light value) system. Thissystem was promoted by Anselm Adams, who was a councelor for Polaroidin those days. The system was adopted by other firms for some time likefor the Zeiss Super Ikonta IV (which nearly all have a dead built-inmeter) or the russian Iskra. So they might be handy forother EVcameras (but most of the standard meters indicate EV values as well).
ThePolaroid #625meter was built by Gossen in Germany. It's relativelysmall, sturdy and has a good range. It comes with a choice of mounts.
A Polaroid #635meter, built in Japan. It has a smaller range. Seems to be uncommon.
That'sit for the small shoe mount light meter section. If you want to buyone, keep in mind that they are about 50 years old and check, whetherthey really work. Often the needle in a dead meter still moves when youmove or shake the meter. Amateur sellers just see it move and sell itas working. The scales in a dead Bewi Automat still swirl, they justalwaysstop at the same point, no regard whether there is light or not. A goodselenium meter is fine in most circumstances. No hassle with batteries.Only in very low light they might fail. Don't forget to check whetheryour camera's time scale is a modern (linear) or an old one.
Here are some hand heldlight meters.
The Gossen Sixtinois a very small, sturdy hand held light meter. It has a good range, themodern time scale and a built-in diffuser. I have several of these andI use them a lot.
The Gossen Sixonis a very small, simple hand held meter. It has the old time scale,range is o.k., low light capacity is limited. It has a built-indiffuser and a red/blue filter estimating device. This one lacks itsnameplate. The filter estimating device indicates blue light on thephoto. It's incredibly simple, but it works.
This Gossen Sixtomatis a professional meter from the 1950's, often called x3 version. Ithas a very wide range, both time scales, a built-in diffuser and a red/blue filterestimating device on the back side. It's bigger than the Sixtino, butstill pocketable.
The next 2 are CDS meters,so these need a battery.
![Gossen Gossen](http://35mm-compact.com/manuels/gossen-sixtar/sixtar-1.jpg)
PX 13 battery availability issue for the Gossen Luna Pro and Luna Six hand held light meter. This video shows how to update Gossen Luna Pro meters to accept. On-line camera manual library. If you find this manual useful, how about a donation of $3 to: M. Butkus, 29 Lake Ave., High Bridge, NJ and send your e-mail address so I can thank you. Most other places would charge you $7.50 for a electronic copy or $18.00 for a hard to read Xerox copy. This will help me to continue to host this site. DESCRIPTION: Gossen Sixtino 2 Light Meter Handheld - Vintage Comes with: Case & Manual Condition: Tested Fine Very Good Condition - Body has some wear - Refer to photos - NOTE: We will NOT sell to bidders with an eBay rating lower than 10 Exception can be made for bidders within Australia Australian Residents - Please note this Auction.
Thispage shows some of the smallest light meters. There areothers, but these were the smallest I owned, plus some bigger ones forcomparison. It might help you to decidewhich one to buy. Here they are:
Usually quite cheap, £20 ish - make sure the diffuser slide is with it. The Gossen 'Sixtino' is small and accurate, comes in a Panzer Tank-proof case, and used a sliding venetian blind looking thing to change from reflected to incident light readings. Still cheap at £40ish. The Gossen 'Pilot' is similar. CDS (Electronic) Meters.
From leftto right, by row |
Polaroid#625, #635, Gossen Sixtomat, Metraphot MF (Leica), 3x Bewi Automat |
Gossen Polysix,Sixti, Sixtino, Metraphot MF+Booster, Kodalux L, Bewi Piccolo, PiccoloII |
GossenSixon, Sixti, Réalt, Soligor uf, Metraphot 2, Bewi Electro |
GossenSixticolor, Wein Flash Meter 500B, Gossen Sixtomat f, my reference |
Justrecently I came across the tiniest light meter ever built, so it's noton the comparison photo. It's not built for an ordinary accessory shoe,it's for the Tessina camera accessory holder. Nevertheless I want toshow it, just to let you know what was possible.
Thesize is 26.5mm x 22.2mm x 9.8mm, weight 19.5g. The dented wheel coupleswith the aperture wheel of the Tessina and gives you the shutter speedto set. It makes the Tessina a semi-automatic camera. Most of thesemeters are dead. I was lucky to get a working one in a bundle with thecamera.
And another tiny recent purchase:
A Minox Meter, built by Gossen. It's 55 x 30 x 18 mm and it weighs53gr. It has a viewer to aim precisely. Meter next to a Minox A. Thereare more pictures here (link will open in a new window).
Let's now begin with thetiny ordinary ones. They are all mountable on yourcamera's accessory shoe:
The smallest and lightest of all, it's the Bewi Piccolos. Thisis the basic version with a very limited scale.
Bewi Piccolo II,better version with a wider scale. These Bewis are a bit fragile due toageing glues.
TheMetraphot 2was the tiniest meter before the Bewi Piccolo was launched.This model is known to be fragile as well and has a limited DIN/ISOscale (6 to 160).
ThisKodalux (made by Gossen) is the tiniest 'full grown' lightmeter. 'L'stands for linear (modern) time scale. It's the small version, there isa bigger Kodalux L, a twin of the Sixti. It even comes with a built-indiffuser.
The next 3 models are size-wise ex aequo in my opinion, but differentbuild formats, only slightly bigger than the first ones.
Theseare 2 versions of the BewiAutomat. The Automat is magic, you push thebutton, the scales swirl, and if you release the button they stop andindicate the convenient choice of speed/aperture combinations. This isvery handy. These 2 are working, but it's known that there are a lot ofdead ones around.
TheGossen Sixtiis a small an sturdy meter with 2 ranges. It's easy tomatch the needle and easy to read. It has the old time scale. You canslide the mount to make it fit your camera. A very nice meter for oldercameras. One has a built-in diffuser.
TheMetraphot MFhas 2 ranges plus a third extended range if the booster ismounted. It's the most sophisticated tiny meter. As its also calledLeica Meter (it was bult to fit the Leicas), it's sought after andquite expensive, but it's fun to use.
Thenext 2 are special Polaroidmeters originally made for the older rollfilm Polaroids, which used the EV (Light value) system. Thissystem was promoted by Anselm Adams, who was a councelor for Polaroidin those days. The system was adopted by other firms for some time likefor the Zeiss Super Ikonta IV (which nearly all have a dead built-inmeter) or the russian Iskra. So they might be handy forother EVcameras (but most of the standard meters indicate EV values as well).
ThePolaroid #625meter was built by Gossen in Germany. It's relativelysmall, sturdy and has a good range. It comes with a choice of mounts.
A Polaroid #635meter, built in Japan. It has a smaller range. Seems to be uncommon.
That'sit for the small shoe mount light meter section. If you want to buyone, keep in mind that they are about 50 years old and check, whetherthey really work. Often the needle in a dead meter still moves when youmove or shake the meter. Amateur sellers just see it move and sell itas working. The scales in a dead Bewi Automat still swirl, they justalwaysstop at the same point, no regard whether there is light or not. A goodselenium meter is fine in most circumstances. No hassle with batteries.Only in very low light they might fail. Don't forget to check whetheryour camera's time scale is a modern (linear) or an old one.
Here are some hand heldlight meters.
The Gossen Sixtinois a very small, sturdy hand held light meter. It has a good range, themodern time scale and a built-in diffuser. I have several of these andI use them a lot.
The Gossen Sixonis a very small, simple hand held meter. It has the old time scale,range is o.k., low light capacity is limited. It has a built-indiffuser and a red/blue filter estimating device. This one lacks itsnameplate. The filter estimating device indicates blue light on thephoto. It's incredibly simple, but it works.
This Gossen Sixtomatis a professional meter from the 1950's, often called x3 version. Ithas a very wide range, both time scales, a built-in diffuser and a red/blue filterestimating device on the back side. It's bigger than the Sixtino, butstill pocketable.
The next 2 are CDS meters,so these need a battery.
Gossen Sixtino 2 Manual
The Soligor UFis a very small, very flat light meter, very easy to use, 2 ranges, soit covers all basic needs. It takes nearly no room in your pocket. Ilove it for its simplicity.
This is my Sixtomat flash,my professional meter and my reference. I bought this one in the 90's,an identical model is still on the market, and there are several brandeditions. For me it's a perfect professional meter, easy to use,several modes, including flash. All you need, so to say. It's not smalland quite expensive, so I don't carry it around in the streets. Thisone has suffered a lot and it still works perfectly.
That's it for the meters. Below the 'back' button there are somemiscellania, which came with camera lots, just for fun.
Let us begin with the oldest meter of all, the Gossen Ombrux.
The Gossen Ombruxwas launched in 1933 by Paul Gossen and was the first selenium meterfor photography. It has 2 ranges, low light capacity is verygood, and it was calibrated to 15 DIN (25 ASA) and F9. Thiswas a kind of revolution for photographers. The meter alreadyintegrated the DIN system, published in early 1934, a first officialstandard. The ASA standard followed in 1943. The meter has a big lensin front of the cell and has several tables printed on metal sheets tocalculate time/aperture for different DIN values. The meter wasfollowed in 1936 by the Ombrux 2, which had integrated dials tocalculate. My meter still works perfectly!
The Réalt luxeis a professinal French meter from the 50s. It comes withdifferent scales, insertable under the needle for easierreadingand a built-in diffusor. Although I have a manual, it seems a bitcomplicated to explore all its capacities. Its quite big. Still workingfine.
The Bewi Electro Superis, despite its name, a selenium meter from the 30s. As the scale isattached to a rubber band for easy reading, nearly 100%are non-working, as this one.
The Polysix electronicis an early CDS meter. It has a prism device to show you what you'reaiming at, the metering is done by turning the scale until both LED arelit. It has 2 ranges, low-light capacity is quite good. It's big, easyto use and sturdy.
The Gossen Sixticoloris light colour measuring device. You have to hold the matte screenside towards the light source, the needle will indicate the colour ofit and guide you which filter to use. There are settings for differenttype of films, like 'daylight' and 'tungsten'.
The Wein WP500Bis an early flash metering device. It's extremely simple to use. Put iton, place it next to the camera and flash. The needle will indicate thereading for 50 ISO, the little dial helps to convert for other ISOvalues. It's big and sturdy.