Seconic 358 questions

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I just got my new Seconic 358 and I have a few questions:</p>

<p>- Am I correct in assuming that the second cover of the light sensor, the so called Lumigrid, is used to measure reflected light? If so, is there a way to see where your meter is pointing, other than by ... eyeballing the top of the meter?</p>

<p>- At the rear of the top area of the meter, just behind the Lumishpere, there is a small rubber cover. What is that for? What is under the cover?</p>

<p>- In the"Auto-reset cordless flash measuring mode", am I correct in assuming that the meter measures only the light emitted by the flash(es) or is it still measuring the combination of flash and ambient light?</p>

<p>- Finally, where do you people store the Lumigrid, when not in use (or the Lumisphere when the Lumigrid is on the meter). Why doesn't Seconic include a little pocket in their meter case to store that little accessory?</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to read this (and hopefully answer).</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi John. Nice meter - you two will become great friends.<br /><br />The reflective metering widget they provide is fairly wide angle (around 40 degrees, if memory serves me), so precise pointing isn't even an issue. You can purchase a narrow spot attachment, if you really want to be picky about reflective spot metering, and that's a look-through contraption. I've never felt a single need for the reflective attachment - I can use a camera's spot metering for that sort of thing. For me, the handheld meter is all about incident metering.<br /><br />That small rubber insert on the rear of the metering head covers up part of the manufacturerd assembly. "No user serviceable parts inside," as they say. Don't worry about that part - it's not intended to be removed (no matter how tempting!).<br /><br />When you're using the unit as a flash meter, it is indeed still measuring the ambient light. You can play with that by cranking up the ambient light and causing the flash to be very mellow - you'll see that it matters. In many situations, the flash is so many stops brighter than the ambient that it doesn't matter. But a great virtue of that sort of metering is that it <em>will</em> tell you how the whole exposure is coming together.<br /><br />I think they skipped the pocket for the grid attachment because so few people actually carry the thing. I know I don't. I do, though, have a couple of Pelican Micro cases that I use for filters and other delicate items. Those cases are essentially indestructible, and my reflective metering attachment lives in one along side a couple of spare meter batteries and some lens cleaning supplies and whatnot.</p>

<p>Have you got a hold of the manual? I would read it cover to cover for about 2 weeks off and on and reread in 2 months etc. Then things will become clearer to you.</p>