RH Designs Analyser Pro

I'm looking forward to using this bit of kit although the learning curve looks quite steep. I've been reading the instructions and it looks a very capable machine. It has a built in timer and exposure spot meter.

But the really interesting part is the greyscale which, through adjacent LEDs, gives an indication of what any metered tone will look like in the finished print.

Spot readings of the darkest shadow and lightest highlight in which you want to retain detail provide an exposure time. They also show what grade of paper the negative needs. If a further spot reading is taken of any tone, it will indicate on the greyscale how that tone will reproduce. If, for instance, you want a skin tone to fall on zone six and the meter indicates it will come out as zone five, it will calculate how much extra exposure will be needed to make the correction.

There's a built-in profile for Ilford Multigrade RC IV and seven others can be stored for different types or makes of paper.

From what I can see, the key to using it accurately is to carry out the quite lengthy and involved calibration process. If that's done, I think the Analyser Pro will just about do away with the need for test strips.