Sekonic L508 dead

<p>I have had a Sekonic L508 from new - probably 6 or 7 years. I never treated it roughly, never got it damp, always kept it in a case in a camera bag. Just recently it showed the E5 fault code mid reading. I sent it to the official Sekonic British repair facility who replied in a handwritten scrappy note 'Owing to a recent announcement by Sekonic parts are not available.' So that's it - hundreds of pounds out and no way to service. I'll have to replace it - but it won't be with a Sekonic! So who's spotmeter doesn't break?</p>

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<p>So whose spotmeter doesn't break?</p>

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<p>Everything breaks.</p>

<p>Entropy is the nature of the universe.</p>

<p>Try buying another one used on eBay. Maybe you'll get another 6 or 7 years out of it. Someone right now has one with a damaged dial for a BIN of under $100. I doubt you could have had a repair any cheaper.</p>

<p>very wise JDM. Thanks for empathy. What's a BIN?</p>

<p>BIN = "Buy It Now", i.e. obviates bidding if accomplished.</p>

<p>Even though I suspect irony here, you're welcome. ;)</p>

<p>No irony, though wryful smile may be directed at myself. I can't find the item you're referring to even when I add the US into my search. Maybe someone Bought It Now. t`here's a scruffy one near me in England. Maybe I will buy that for the innards.</p>

<p>Damn. Whose not who's. Why do keyboards induce this?</p>

<p>I suspect that the 501 was discontinued a little more than 6/7 years ago as there have been several incarnations since and I bought my first in 1999. I recently sold both my 508 meters on eBay in UK, and still got a decent price for them. In a dozen years with usage split between the two I had one breakdown. Since I probably meter ten times for every exposure- not to mention for a number of shots I decided not to take, I reckon that these two meters clocked up well over a half million actuations between them. I think thats pretty good, especially in the context that I thn sold them for maybe a third of what I paid new. So I reckon Sekonic did OK for me, and if there isn't a way of getting parts ( even though I think the succeeding 601 will share some components) for a product they discontinued at least several years ago then I guess I understand. Frankly on most domestic powered items I think that most people regard any repair as being potentially uneconomic outside warranty, and if so then you can't expect manufacturers to keep up a repair facility that few people are going to use. </p>

<p>So, sorry you meter broke, but for myself, in the unlikely event that I go back to external metering, I'd likely buy a Sekonic.</p>

<p>Call Quality Metric, I think that is the name. That company seems to be the favorite for photographers who want repairs on any meter including older ones. If anybody has info on Quality Metric, post it.</p>

<p>Actually, I got a mysterious email that suggests that somebody else did get it.</p>

<p>It was a random, drive-by thank you note, and I don't get a lot of those :|</p>

<p>So sorry for your loss. The only other brand that has never failed me, besides Sekonic, is Honeywell Spotmatic (still have it, but why buy one now?), and my Gossens. (I'm a meter freak).</p>

<p>Yes I have a Lunasix - built like a tank. Never thought of Gossen for a spotmeter. </p>

<p>I think there's a spot attachment for Luna Six though it's not a super-narrow spot like 1-degree, I think it's switchable between 7.5 and 15 degrees.</p>

<p>The Gossen attachment is "spot" on enough for me.<br>

I think that my Gossen Luna Pro sbc is the finest meter I've ever used. But I've not had a Sekonic incident meter, only the older reflected light ones.</p><div></div>

<p>I don't think I have the Silicon Blue Cell. I have a European Lunasix 3, which has a grey body, took mercury batteries (got the converter) and had goodness knows what kind of light sensitive cell. CDs I expect. It isn't specified on the meter. 9A00121 is the number, in case anyone is an expert. Anyway, mooching around info on line, I'm by no means certain the spot attachment will work with my Luna Pro. Nice idea, though.</p>

<p>Tom, yours might be like <a href="http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/gossen%20spot.html">this one</a> (shows attachment)? <a href="http://www.myphotoweb.com/Gossen/">Gossen's naming </a>is very confusing since they use different names in different markets and tend to reuse the same wordlets ("six", "luna", etc.) in many models.</p>

<p>The Lunasix 3 appears to have little green and red markings on the lower (yellow) part of the dial for compensation when using the 7.5 and 15-degree spot attachement.</p>

The LunaSix 3 is indeed a CdS meter, and will (!) take the "Tele" (as the variable angle attachment is called everywhere except the U.S.) attachment. To keep it in style, the early grey plastic version would be preferable over the later black ones.<br>There's also a true spot attachment for the ProfiSix (as the LunaPro SBC is properly called - the exception again being the U.S. - the importer, Bogen, is to blame for the confusion caused by renaming all that stuff) and MasterSix, called "Spot", which is a fair deal bigger than the "Tele" attachment and offers a 1 degree spot. It plugs into the meter, instead of merely being attached to the front of it.<br>Gossen's Big Spot meter is the SpotMaster (and SpotMaster 2). One of the finest spotmeters ever made. But with a huge appetite for (9V) batteries.<br>Later, a bit after Sekonic presented theirs, came the Gossen do-it-all meters. Never used one of those.

<p>Thanks for advice all. I bought a second hand but perfect Pentax Digital Spotmeter as a replacement. I thought the Pentax was more likely to be repairable if it went wrong in the long run. I was unimpressed by Sekonic's attitude.<br>

I've tried the spot and it works fine. But it seems to read a stop under my Lunasix on a grey card. Now I know a 1 deg spot and a relatively simple reflective meter is comparing apples and oranges, but I wonder what might account for the discrepancy. I'm not bothered by the discrepancy by the way - my experience is that you get used to a meter and accomodate it, as long as its quirks are consistent.</p>