using a light meter

im new to this so i hope i get it right. i am in need of help with my light meter, i have a gossen digipro f . when i take a light reading the f stop number sometimes has a small number that appears with the large number. for instance it will read f 8.0 and then it will read f8.0 5 the 5 will be smaller than the other numbers and is to the right of them,i don't know what that is for can anyone help me out with that. thanks

Hi Patsy. I don't have your meter, but if the small number is DIRECTLY to the right of the "f" number, it is almost certainly a partial f-stop reading. In other words, to use your example, the little 5 next to the f8.0 is .5, or 1/2, so the light reading is half-way between f8.0 and f11.

One way to check this is to take multiple readings, each time moving the meter's position slightly closer to or further away from a continuous light source. That smaller number should increase or decrease depending on which direction your are moving it...

Hi Steve,thanks so much for you help. i understand it now. have a great day