I have a densitometer but I tend to go about finding EIs backwards. I'll usually shoot a few rolls of a film I'm unfamiliar with and tweak my EI and development times until I get something I'm happy with and then confirm it with a Zone I and Zone VIII exposure on the densitometer.(posted 8165 days ago)That way I feel at least I'm shooting stuff rather than gray targets to get to my EI.
I also shoot a Zone I and Zone VIII target at the begining of a roll every now and than just to confirm my EI and times.