Light meter help

Looking to buy my first light meter I'm looking at the Sekonic L 358 or the Sekonic l-478d about a hundred bucks difference between them.

 

Going to be shooting strobes speed lights in the studio outside portraits a little bit of everything landscape is it worth the $100 upgrade to get the 478 everything I've read about the 358 it sounds pretty solid like a pretty good meter that's been around a long time.

 

I can't find out if it does Ambia and Flash calculations like percentages the L 358 on talking about.

 

I just purchased the Kenko 1100 and I played around with with it for a couple days it's a very simple light meter I don't like the screen I find the screens kind of small and not lit very well.

 

On the 1100 there is no light button to push to illuminate the screen so if you're shooting in very low-light it's next to impossible to even read the screen where the Sekonic L 358 looks like cuz I've seen photos of it where the screen is lit up blue and has a button I guess you could push that will light up the screen to help you see it so just looking for some feedback from different people the own these.

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The Sekonic 358 is a good meter but takes an expensive lithium battery so you might want to consider another model. My Sekonic L 718 is an older model which has served me well for almost 20 years. It works for a long time on 2 AA batteries, has an easy to find button to light up the screen if you need it and has always been extremely accurate. I've seen these for under $100 used from reputable suppliers and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one. We also use these at the community college where I teach and they stand up well to regular student use and abuse. It won't do some of the fancier calculations that the 358 would do, but I think you'll find that those may not be as valuable as you might think. It is a gated meter, which means that if you're metering ambient light and flash that it will measure both at the shutter speed that you have selected from a full second to 1/500. If you can find one, there is even an accessory 5 degree spot attachment for more selective reflected light readings.

Think the OP is over-estimating the usefulness of a backlit LCD. The Sekonic 308 is worth a look as a highly capable incident/flash meter. Never an issue reading it in low light. Runs on single AA battery. Deadly accurate. Usually available used thanks to strong sales.

Thanks for your input on the different light meters 358 I didn't know it took an expensive battery that's kind of not good.

 

I just have to make sure that I have a light meter that has a button you can push that lights up the screen the current one that I have when you get in very low-light you can't even read it I definitely need one that has a little light that will turn on and illuminate the screen.

 

I will take a look at your guys suggestions.

I wouldn't worry about the price of the CR123a battery used in the L358. It lasts a long time and can be found easily.

Thank you and that's what I was thinking I don't know how I mean what's a $20 for the battery I'm very interested in that L 358 flash it looks like a really good flash it's been around for a long time a lot of people use it I'm going to look at it today and see what I think of it thank you for your reply.

 

I just checked it it's $12 not a big deal probably last a long time the battery that is.

What good are percentage readings? You can't set a percentage exposure on your camera.

 

Sit down and think exactly what's going to be useful to you, and buy a meter that fits into your workflow; not one that demands a change in your thinking. Or with confusing options that will just waste your time trying to use them.

 

1/10th stop readouts? Pure BS! No exposure needs to be, or can be, that accurate. Averaging multiple readings? Again, total BS! All you need is a simple single reading accurate to the nearest 1/3rd stop, and preferably with a flat diffuser option to take ratio readings - in stops - without turning every other light off.

What good are percentage readings? You can't set a percentage exposure on your camera.

 

Sit down and think exactly what's going to be useful to you, and buy a meter that fits into your workflow; not one that demands a change in your thinking. Or with confusing options that will just waste your time trying to use them.

 

1/10th stop readouts? Pure BS! No exposure needs to be, or can be, that accurate. Averaging multiple readings? Again, total BS! All you need is a simple single reading accurate to the nearest 1/3rd stop, and preferably with a flat diffuser option to take ratio readings - in stops - without turning every other light off.

 

If you use film then all those features are useful but with digital it's much easier not to use the meter at all. I love the meters and I still use them but I don't use them for exposure.

Rodeo Joe I'm not looking for 1/10 stop readings. One third stop readings are plenty for me and I don't want to take average readings.

 

The meter that I have I know it will just tell you the percentage of ambient light versus Flash.

 

I'm going with the Sekonic L 358 I've heard nothing but good things about it good reviews talk to several people that own them I've never heard a bad thing about it.

My Mamiya RB67 camera aperture lenses clicks in half stops. So a meter with half and one-stop readings is better than one that only gives 1/3 stop readings.

Usually you can adjust the light meter to read in third or half stops.

"I love the meters and I still use them but I don't use them for exposure."

 

- Wha...!?

 

"The meter that I have I know it will just tell you the percentage of ambient light versus Flash."

 

- But we don't work in percentages, we work in stops. Percentages are linear; photographic exposures are logarithmic. E.G. +1 stop is a 200% change in light, and 2 stops is 400%. Small percentage changes are meaningless and photographically insignificant.

Edited February 26, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

Yes it will tell you in stops. And it's easy to figure out the percentage I guess I was reading that roughly you want 25% fill flash 75% ambient light for good looking photos somewhere around there.

 

Anyways I'm getting the L 358 off of eBay I look forward to using it.

"I love the meters and I still use them but I don't use them for exposure."

 

- Wha...!?

 

"The meter that I have I know it will just tell you the percentage of ambient light versus Flash."

 

- But we don't work in percentages, we work in stops. Percentages are linear; photographic exposures are logarithmic. E.G. +1 stop is a 200% change in light, and 2 stops is 400%. Small percentage changes are meaningless and photographically insignificant.

 

I use the meters to measure light and I wish I can afford real light meters instead of exposure meters

Ah, right!

Sekonic make a Luxmeter version of the L398 with two flat diffusers and a range slide. However, it still doesn't cope with bright daylight and only reads up to 100 kLux. Mine cost me £10 UK or something silly like that. I'd estimate its accuracy/linearity at +/- 2% FSD. No better.

 

I also picked up a used digital silicon cell luxmeter that reads up to 199 kLux. It's plastic and cheap-looking, but beats the Sekonic for accuracy and range. I can't remember exactly, but I wouldn't have paid much for it. You just have to keep your eyes peeled for a bargain.

My Sekonic L 358 will be arriving tomorrow I'll let you know what I think of it but from all the reviews I've read it's pretty solid meter we'll see.

I received my Sekonic L 358 in the mail today I have played with it all night and I am severely disappointed in this light meter and will be returning it to B&H Photo tomorrow morning.

 

Here's what I don't like the backlight The Illuminating Light that when they like it slow at the screen is supposed to light up it's a joke it does nothing it's just stupid you can't even read it.

 

All the buttons on it have the function printed underneath it problem is they're printed the same color as the body basically is there's no separation you basically can't even hardly read what they say unless you turn it and flip it and get just the right light.

 

Those are my two main grapes about I think the buttons are laid out well it seems to work very well but you basically can't read it in low light very well and the print underneath the buttons is to me basically unreadable almost it's a deal-breaker for me.

 

Tomorrow morning it goes back to B&H Photo I almost bought the Sekonic l-478dr which is basically has a 2.7 in LCD screen it's kind of like a mobile phone screen I like the look of the very large screen and it looks like a mobile phone basically you scroll it's all finger touch I should have bought that in the beginning.

 

You may think I'm picky I'm crazy I am rather picky, I don't see is a good as I used to and I need a good readable screen in low light and this current meter is not the answer to that.

 

I'll update you when I get my Sekonic l-478dr I think I will be keeping that one from cuz I've actually physically seen it and held it and I love the screen on it it's more money but I should have bought it in the first place.

So I received my Sekonic l-478dr today and a I like it it's got a 2.7 inch LCD screen the numbers are big bright it's easy to read. I do find the scrolling of the screen is not very fluid it's not like your cell phone that you just flip it and it goes everywhere it's a little non fluid kind of but it seems like a pretty solid meter it doesn't seem that well-built but it's got a lot of functions on it.

 

I actually still have the L 358 here I'm actually looking at both of them and comparing them side-by-side basically I paid about the same price for both meters so I'm going to play around with him for a few days and see what I like and don't like and go from there.

My old Shepherd FM-1000 flashmeter has only one function - measure light.

 

It has just 3 well-spaced buttons that are hard to confuse and has a self-luminous LED display that can be read in total darkness. It takes a cheap and easily found PP3 battery and can sync with the flash by P-C cable, radio trigger or by open flash.

 

The readings are accurate and it's never let me down.

Well thanks for everybody's input and after playing around with both meters for a day I actually decided to keep the one that I didn't like the most in the beginning and that's the Sekonic L 358.

 

After playing around with it I actually prefer it over the 478dr.

 

I think it's a good meter it'll do everything I want I'm happy.