Reveni Labs spot meter review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.พ. 2021
- A review of the new Reveni Labs spot meter used for photography.
Instagram: / toddkorol
This is a new light meter that Reveni Labs wants to do a kick starter from, they sent me a pre-production model to test out and use. I used the meter for a week and did a review.
I have no business affiliation with Reveni Labs, nor do I get any sort of a kick back if you buy a light meter.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
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This meter is out now and it is really very nice. It is unbelievable how much functionality Matt got into this meter. I especially love his inclusion of Nick Carver's Precision Metering Mode. Hard to miss exposure with Nick's method and Matt's meter pairs really well with it. Matt also supports this meter extremely well. Love this meter as I loved Matt''s other meter. Good product, good support and definitely worth getting.
Yes thanks. I found for the price and what you get it’s really a powerful little tool. Thanks for watching.
Looks like a really cool little meter and I appreciate your honesty at the end, those are some great suggestions
Wow, great shots! Exposures spot on.
Thanks for this. Ordered mine halfway through this review.
Nice review Todd...the meter looks very interesting...the size and weight is a killer (must have) factor! Cheers.
Love the shots taken in this video. I really like the one of the road with all the gritty texture.
Many thanks!!
Hi Todd, Many thanks for your video. So very well explained. I think this little meter is what I was looking for so many years.
Using it with old mechanical cameras makes so much sense.
Of course I have a Sekonic as well but having this small one would be much more easier, they should add an incident metering feature for being perfect.
Great review. Thank you.
Well done, much appreciated.
Also first vid I saw on your channel and the production value is off the chart. Your composition are always good and you know what you're talking about!
Much appreciated!
Great review Todd! Happy to see someone who really knows what they're doing try it out, much easier for me to understand than reading the web page. This might replace (well, augment..) my pentax analog spot meter.
Thanks. Those Pentax are great meters!!
So happy I found your channel, I love your videos
Thanks man. Just made my day!👍
@@toddkorolphoto well you made mine! Just got my first 4x5 yesterday and your videos are making me very comfortable with that decision
@@xxxxxxxxx6xxxxxxx great to hear!!
Well, I was already sold on this meter, but this gave me all the more reason to get one!
Thanks for this video, Todd!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching.
That’s another 300g out of my travel bag !! . As always, a great informative video. Thanks for sharing.
It seems silly, but when you start hiking gear into the backcountry as I often do, ever gram starts to count.
Great Channel!! You are a wonderful reviewer!
Many thanks!!
Very interesting, thank you!✌🏻
woah I was really expecting a price around 80.- but still a cool product!
Good Review. Many Thanks. I have been using a combination of Smart Phone meter, Sekonic and Voigtlander cold shoe meter for my film cameras. I hope the pricing is reaasonable enough to make it a viable long term product.
I think it should be.
Hi Todd, Thanks for the video. I recently purchased this meter, but was a little hesitant, since my right eye has very weak sight and left eye has become my dominant eye. I was concerned tht the left eye would take over and I would have trouble getting my rt eye to see the image and "overlay" it into the image with the screen to see where I am metering. With some practice it works for me and I am quite happy with his meter. I use Nick Carvers PMM, and the meter will adjust the exposure for the zone/ or tone I set it at. Great results!
Oh that's great news, it's a sweet little meter that can have it's place in one's camera bag. Thanks for watching. Cheers
Hi Todd, thanks for the review! I’m very interested in this cute little meter👌🏼
Do you still use it in your workflow? Honest?
Thanks again for all your other vids as well! Very interesting and entertaining to view. Great great shots man👌🏼
It’s a cool little unit. I have a lot of gear, 4 light meters, and honestly it’s has its place. When I travel and take a very small light system where I don’t have a lot of room I do take it and use it. It works well and is easy to get the hang of it. For the price it’s great. When I have more room and can take more gear I use the Sekonic meter. Thanks for watching.
Thanks, Todd.
I'm going to back this when it hits Kickstarter.
Were you able to pick which target circle you wanted? And I'm guessing finding Zone III or even Zone IV for exposures was simple?
There is actually a link to the place holder for the kickstarter page. Well the meter gives you an 18% average, so it's in zone V, you then decide where you want to place that zone, zone III or 4 by your exposure.
@@toddkorolphoto Ah ok. I remember seeing the Kickstarter reminder or save the date on their Instagram feed.
I guess what I should've asked is how easy was it to pick Zone III or IV with it? But it sounds like it's easy enough if all you're doing is aiming where you look.
Thanks again!
it uses the bindon aiming concept which is very clever
It is very clever and works really well. Still using mine.
Good day Todd, very interesting review about the meter. I was just wondering how well you think it would work with a lens such as a Graphex Optar 135 f/4.7 that does not use the "modern" f-stop settings; but rather setting such as 1/10th, 1/400th, etc. Would it still be able to give me the right metering? Thanks
Yes it would be very close. You would just have to make some judgments with the shutter speed, and f stops. So if the meter reading said 1/15 @ f/11 and you had only 1/10 of a shutter speed, that set the lens to f/11 + 1/3 so it would even out.
I think I would miss the zone scale I pasted on my Pentax analog spotmeter. It helps me visualize where the tones sit for the whole image. Like the size and weight though.
That zone scale is a great idea!
Yea, I really like it. I found the idea when I researched the zone system. Wrote about it here on my blog. remorseblog.blogspot.com/2018/07/spot-metering.html
Hmm, a non-reflex spot meter that can be used in Shutter or Aperture priority mode, along with a 1- or 5-degree spot. There's an EV number display that shows light/dark values and averages them.
Thank you very much for your reviews and explanations that I greatly appreciate! What I'd be interested in is your perspective on the Sekonic L-398a (which I see displayed on your desk at 1:08). The Asahi-Pentax spotmeter or Sekonic L-758 I've been using with my LF camera turn out a bit large and cumbersome to carry along with my everyday-set up, a Leica M2 + Summicron 50dr. My choice comes down the Reveni spot meter vs. the L-398a. Points to consider would be intuitive use, joy of use, durability, sustainability.
Well the L-398a is a great meter as well. You obviously can't do spot metering with it, but it's small light and very accurate. As with any meter, you really just have to assess where you are metering and make a judgment. But I really like that meter.
@@toddkorolphoto Thank you very much! I agree; considering this, also a meter that isn't capable of spot metering can be a helpful tool as long as you use it in a thoughtful way.
there is a new meter mode: zone system now where you select one zone and another one, let's say zone 3 and then zone 8
Hello Todd, fantastic video, enjoyed it very much, you are good. Ps the music is great, what title is the piece. Canada
Thanks, all music credits are right at the end you can read them there.
I would appreciate an optical viewfinder, interesting idea though.
May have difficulty with Small display ?
Form factor looks Good 👍
Hi Stuart, Matt from Reveni Labs here. The display is small but you view it from about 3" away and through a magnifying lens, the result is the display fills most of your eye's field of view. The display appears at the infinity point for your vision (if you need reading glasses for close up, you won't need them here) and there is sufficient room to wear glasses if you are nearsighted.
@@mattbechberger3298 how does one make sure they are metering exactly the spot they want though? With an optical meter, of course you just place the dot on the spot you like, but this meter doesn't have optics, so is there a possibility than the meter's axis would be misaligned with respect to one's sightline, resulting in metering the wrong spot? Basically, if I am metering for a tree trunk, can I be sure that I am metering for the tree trunk and not the grass next to it?
Nice & Thanks :)
Thanks for the review. I was looking to place an order for one, and didn't really know how it worked. I'm half blind in one eye...I guess I'll be looking for a Pentax or Sekonic :-(
Sorry to hear that yes that would be a problem then. Pentax and Sekonic would obviously be a better choice. Good luck.
How does the pmm works ? I dont understand it
I'd like to get one myself. It would be cool if they incorporate Ansel Adams' zone system somehow.
You can. His zone system is based on the decisions you make by taking these meter readings. Get his book The Negative, it will show you how. Cheers😉
Todd is it weird keeping both eyes open and looking into it ? do your eyeglasses affect anything with it ?
Glasses are fine. At first it seems strange, but it only takes your eyes a moment to adjust and you see the circle in your other eye, it works very well actually.
Nice review. How easy is to use it with glasses? I often have hard time with viewfinders.
I have the same problem as you could probably guess, but I found it easy with glasses since you are not trying to get your eye in there, all you are doing it looking at the target with one eye, and your other eye looks at the scene. So I had no issues with my glasses.
@@toddkorolphoto That's great!
Focus on the display might be difficult for me with no adjustment ?
@@stuartbaines2843That's valid question. Although I don't think the glass infront of the display is magnifying.
@@lubowrc Matt from Reveni Labs here. The lens in front of the screen is magnifying and also corrects so that you can view the screen while your eyes are focused at the distant subject. The screen is small but your eye is only 3" away, making it appear very large, filling most of your field of view in that eye.
how you feel this works for distant landscapes, 1-2 kms away. Mountains, mines, cityscapes? Is it must have for the outdoorsman?
I haven't tried it at that distance, but I have used it in the city and it works very well. You just have to be really aware of where and what you are metering off of. For the price, it's a great little meter.
One concern about the averaging function is that film holds onto highlights a lot better than it does shadows, and in a high contrast scene, if the meter proposes a strictly median setting based on your brightest and darkest points, the negative might end up losing detail through underexposure. Compare, say, three stops of shadow detail with seven stops of highlight detail, and the median point would suggest an EV two stops too dark. Although, of course, knowing this, the photographer could simply account for it, or choose not to use the meter in that mode for that scene. This is probably also how many of the older auto-exposure systems work anyway (strict averaging between brightest and darkest areas of the frame), in the film cameras that actually have them, so this new product is at least no worse.
Yes I see your point. The positive for me it a device like this makes people much more aware of metering. And it would also get someone who is just beginning to use a spot meter and starting to meter in general a lot closer to the correct exposure. But for those starting out, as I said in my video, you have to also think about what any meter tells you think if that sounds right. This, or any meter will certainly put you on the right track, which is what I like. But you do make a good point for what photographers should also look out for. Thanks.
Thank you for the video. Did the meter work accurately even in dusk / night shoot? How long do batteries last?
Meter worked at dusk, a night I don't think there is enough light, I guess depending on what you are trying to shoot. Batteries are small LR44, I would image they would last awhile, I haven't had the meter long enough to tell.
@@toddkorolphoto thanks for reply.
@@markorantanen Hi Marko, the EV range is 2-20 at ISO 100
@@mattbechberger3298 is it the same as the smaller one ?
@@7evive the shoe-mount meter can go to EV 0.5 at ISO 100
The concept of viewing the scene with one eye and the meter readout with the other eye, letting the brain put the two images together, sounds similar to the idea behind the Voigtlander Kontur auxiliary viewfinder, which worked exactly the same way to superimpose framelines on the field of view. Of that concept, as Rudolf Kingslake wrote, "there is some risk... that the eyes may wander laterally in an independent fashion, which would cause the mask to travel across the scene and thus render its correct position very uncertain." You made no mention of this, so presumably either it didn't happen to you or you weren't aware of it... but it still seems as if it could happen, especially given the very accurate aiming that would be needed for a 1-degree meter field. Thoughts?
Did not happen to me. When I meter I only do it for a few seconds, it doesn’t stay up for minutes where perhaps this could be an issue. You also have to take this for what it is, it’s a very clever design that is inexpensive, and gives some photographers the benefits of having a spot meter. If that is something you are worried about and absolutely need total 100 % accuracy then perhaps a $600 Sekonic is the way to go. My point of this review was that really both have their place, and this will have a specific place in my bag.
Hi J.L., Matt from Reveni Labs here. I think the difference between the Kontur and the Reveni Labs Spot Meter is that when aiming the spot meter, you fixate on the target reticle. With the Kontur, your eye wanders about the scene. I think this is the key difference in why the technique works here for high accuracy; without the reticle you would be unable to aim with accuracy.
@@mattbechberger3298 Thanks, that sounds plausible, and of course it would be easy for users to test themselves for "wandering eye" by metering a small bright area in a dark field or vice-versa, and seeing if changes in the readout correspond to the reticle position.
What i do not understand is how do you align the 1° spot with a small part of the scene when the meter has no optical system where you can see the scene?
Can diopters be adjusted on the eyepiece if reading glasses are required? And where can i purchase this meter? Is it launched already?
Sorry i did not understood the whole content because english is not my first language.
I think what you do is to hold the meter to one eye, but keep BOTH eyes open. You relax both eyes so that the eye not looking into the meter is looking exactly at the target spot point. Your other eye that is looking into the meter will see the meter display with its targeting spot and your brain will overlap the targeting spot with the scene that your other eye is viewing. You will them simply move the meter so that the targeting spot exactly overlaps with the point in the scene you wish to take a reading from, kind of like a parallax method. I think the viewing lens inside the meter effectively places the display (including the targeting spot) in the far distance, so it will appear sharp and in focus when 'overlaid' with the scene by your brain. It will probably give you a better view than a traditional spot meter. It may not work so well if you are trying to take readings of very close up objects, as your "viewing eye" will be near focused, but you "metering eye" will be far focused (by the lens in the meter). But, 99% of the time I don't think that will be a problem. I'm going to get one because I don't want to spen big money on an ancient Sekonic or Pentax meter.
@@zx7-rr486 Thank you, yes i think i will give it a try in late Summer when it is launched. My Minolta Spotmeter quits working sometimes and a repair is probably not possible or too expensive…
@@SD_Alias Yes.. also I don't think you will need a diopter correction, you would just wear your prescription glasses as normal. If you wear reading glasses, again you won't need a diopter correction without your glasses because the lens in the meter places the display in the far distance.
wondering where this video was shot. looks very familiar.
East of Strathmore, Alberta.
@@toddkorolphoto wow ok! i think it reminds me of around pincher creeek.
Hi Todd, great frames.. may I ask which film you were shooting and which developer you used?
I was using Ilford HP5+ and Kodak D76 @ 1:1.
All those reviews say how easy this device is, but it isn't. It's as hard or easy as any other meter, if you don't know what you're doing... It's not a miracle meter, it's just small and it doesn't magnify, so it's hard to measure a small area. But what no one is talking about: battery life!
13:45 did you experience battery drain issues in the cold weather?
Not really, but then I always put the meter under my jacket in the cold weather as well., I think you'd have to be out in some really cold weather to see battery drain.
@@toddkorolphoto Thanks, I've read reports of issues 60F/15C and under. I'm trying to tease out how common the issue is before I take the plunge because I have a particular project in mind.
@@CertainExposures got it. Yeah I always use it and then tuck it in and keep warm. I live in Canada so I know the effects of cold and batteries, always try to keep my stuff warm. 🥶
Well that's a cool meter - but not for someone with a lazy eye!
why? just use the other eye thats not lazy. you know, cover your lazy eye with the meter and then you will be looking through your regular eye. no problem.
@@orion7741 Usually the lazy eye would have poor vision, so you wouldn't be able to read the numbers inside the meter or make sure the aiming dot is on point.
Hi again. I'm wondering how accurate we're able the meter a scan with a tenth of f-stops but who cares about correct shutter speed of cameras and lenses?
There's another video now online, LFF Mat, but man, he's using a 100 year old lens with a quite old shutter...
And last not least who knows if f-stop values are really correct?
I know all starts with being correct metered but there's a lot of things after this.
I've made a home built shutter tester and tested all my large format lenses with this. All of the shutter speeds above 1/100 are not correct, 1/500 is in reality only 1/270 ....
Yes often the case with older lenses, the top speeds are actually slower. But, you also have to remember, it's film and it also has latitude.
When comparing with your Sekonic, which procedure did you follow? Did you start metering with the Reveni or the opposite? The opposite would create a bias in such test IMHO.
Never really thought about bias, and I actually mixed it up sometimes using one before the other. And, please don't think this was scientific in anyway. But, the results you see in the images are from the exposure from the Reveni meter.
@@toddkorolphoto thanks for the reply. I am sure Matt did something that works fairly well; he’s the best. I am wondering if the concept truly can replace a Sekonic without having to scan a spot area until you find your extreme values due to the lack of optical system.
@@toulcaz31 Good question, but even metering with my Sekonic, I always ask myself, does that seem like the right exposure, and if it doesn't, then I always double check or check other areas. I think this is a very usable alternative to a very expensive meter, as perfectly accurate? Maybe not every time, but for the price, very handy and hard to beat. I would have no issues taking this out on it's own. But with this and shooting film, my advice is to Slow Down, think about the exposure and where you are metering.
I don’t see the kick starter for this I only see an older kick starter for another model
It's starting Saturday.
@@toddkorolphoto thank you for sharing
Would have thought a lithium coin cell might have been better than alkaline in the cold. Then again, it would be small enough to to fit in your pocket to keep batteries warm.
Bigger buttons please. twice the size.
I don't understand how this is supposed to work. It's too easy to tilt the meter slightly off-axis and mess up your whole metering because you're aren't actually metering what you're looking at.
It actually works very well. If you are pointing the meter straight your other eye will see where the spot meter is. And, when you are metering, if using this meter or any other meter, you need to always ask yourself, does this seem like a proper reading. Once you get the hang of it it's very accurate.
Shame about the ergonomics of it. But loving everything else about it, if it's reasonably priced. Spot meters have gone too long being super-expensive. About time it was more accessible to people
HONE IN? Jesus H. Christ!
I really hope its not going to be a "kickstarter"...... I could never in good consience support somebody that has a completed product totally finished and then makes a kickstarter campaign for it! thats not how it is supposed to work. that is just greed to me. If they have a finished product (which they do because they sent you one), then they DO NOT need money to make it, its already made.
Well it's not a finished product, this was just a prototype. He is still making some changes to it. And this is a guy who is just making stuff for the analog world and for photography, I don't think it's greed and I don't think he is going to get rich off of making a small light meter that has a limited audience. I think he is doing it more for his love of photography.
Hi Orion, the Kickstarter helps me figure out how many to build as it takes about 3-4 months from ordering parts to shipping completed meters. If I order for 100 but 1000 people want them, 900 people would have to wait extra time. Alternatively if I build 1000 and only 100 people want them, now I have a big problem. Kickstarter solves the problem of buyer interest and helps keep costs down by maximizing parts quantities for the lowest prices.