Sekonic 558 Dualmaster for use with Hasselblad 501c

[ken_tuvman]

<p>Dear fellow Medium Format enthusiasts,<br>

In reading various threads, I saw the need to own a quality light meter. I purchased a Sekonic L558 Dualmaster. My camera is a Hasselblad 501c</p>

<p>I think I've got a grasp on how to use it but am unclear in several areas.</p>

 

<ol>

<li>I plan to mostly use it for landscape photography. In this scenario, I understand it needs to be set in the Reflective Spot mode. I also understand I should be using the Eyepiece with Diopter adjustment to obtain my light readings.</li>

</ol>

<p> For outdoor shooting, I should have the meter set in Ambient mode. I understand I can get light readings in (3) modes: Exposure or Aperture Priority or EV. <br>

First question: will one mode offer any advantage over the other or is just a matter or preference as to what mode to use?<br>

Second Question: Using light meter in Incident Mode<br>

2. In what scenarios do I use the Lumisphere? I understand it should only be retracted if shooting flat objects. I also understand the Lumisphere, when extended should point towards my face. But then why did Sekonic make the Lumisphere so it can rotate? I think the Lumisphere should be used when I want to get the light off my subject up close - like Portrait photography.</p>

<p>Am I on the right track here? Just trying to figure this out so I don't have to waste a bunch of film & the expensive processing that goes with it.</p>

<p>Thanks as always,<br>

Ken Tuvman<br>

Minneapolis, MN</p>

[stratvio]

<p>There's no real "should"... just what's more convenient or appropriate for the situation. For landscape photography you often may be using reflective mode, using the spot to evaluate parts of the scene and deciding on an exposure to set areas in the zones you'd like. On the other hand, if the landscape is in sun, and you're also in sun, then you have the same amount of light hitting you as your subject, and you could use the incident reading where you are to make an exposure decision. The rotating head is especially useful for things like flash exposure... you can have the head pointed at the flashes, and the display pointed at you, as may be convenient depending on the situation. As far as aperture/shutter/ev modes, that's really just preference... I prefer to use aperture priority myself, as I find the varying shutter speeds easier to think about... e.g. if I meter a scene at f/16, and one area reads 1/45 s, another reads 1/90, and another reads 1/180, it's really easy for me to think about how many stops of dynamic range there is, compared to fixing at ~1/90 and reading off f/11, f/16, or f/22.</p>

[ken_tuvman]

<p>Thank You, Eric<br>

With My Nikon D50 I prefer A mode because I tend to think in terms of depth of field. I understand the shutter speed becomes a priority for speed or say slowing down a waterfall.<br>

Still not clear about which way to point the lumisphere - what I thought the tech support person at Sekonic told me was the lumisphere dome should be pointed towards me because that will measure the light the camera lens "sees." Do I understand correctly?<br>

Could you explain again how you would use when using a flash? Sounds like you said lumisphere should be pointed "out" in the same way a flash unit opposes the display window on say a Nikon flash unit.<br>

Can I use the light meter for night photography(w/out flash)? Let's say I wanted to shoot a mountain range or silhouette with a full moon - could I get a light reading that way?</p>

<p> </p>

[mark_farrell]

<p>This YouTube video may help with how to use the meter in incident mode with flash.<br>

<p>These videos may be of interest also....<br>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p>Since the Hasselblad shutter sets using EV, you might find it easier to set the meter to EV reading. Then you can adjust the shutter to get the shutter speed & aperture combo that you want to use.</p>

[ken_tuvman]

<p>Thanks for the comments and the video link. </p>

[leicaglow]

<p>I almost never use reflective metering (i.e., I almost always use incident readings), unless I'm doing zone system photography, or using the spot meter to check out where a value falls, and trying to see how much detail will be in a highlight or shadow area.</p>

[leighb]

<p>Exposure Value (EV) was a European fad that never really caught on here in the US. The idea is that all combinationa of shutter speed and f/stop that have the same EV number will yield the same exposure. </p>

<p>On the older Hasselblad lenses the shutter speed and aperture rings are locked together by default. You'll find the numeric EV scale on the bottom of the lens, in red, with a red triangle index adjacent. </p>

<p>To set EV, push the silver interlock lever next to the triangle toward the camera body. Rotate the ring with the red numbers to the desired position and release the interlock. Now you can move the dials to any position within range and get the same exposure.</p>

<p>Many exposure meters were produced that read out directly in EV rather than speed and aperture. It's easier to design such a meter.</p>

<p>Some people prefer this method of setting exposure, since there's only one number to worry about rather than two. It's a personal preference thing.</p>

<p>BTW, the Sekonic L-558 is a very nice meter. I have one.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[russ_britt3]

<p>I always use the EV setting, I hardly ever use the meter in the reflective mode. But saying this its a tool, there is a use for every setting.</p>

[ken_tuvman]

<p>Leigh - <br>

Thanks for your response.<br>

Since you mentioned you have the L-558, would you mind sharing with us how you use it? Looked at some of your pictures and they are really well exposed. Looks like you're using a medium format camera.<br>

<br />Are you using the 558 primarily incident mode or sometimes reflective?<br>

Is using the sight glass only for reflective mode readings?<br>

How do you differentiate when to use incident or reflective?<br>

How do you use the lumisphere?<br>

Do you get better results using slide or print film?</p>

[leighb]

<p>Hi Ken,</p>

<p>I think most of your questions about operation of the L-558 will be answered in the manual, downloadable from the Sekonic website here http://english.sekonic.co.jp/pdf/english/L-558/L-558_E.pdf It's a 3MB PDF.</p>

<p>All of my images posted here were taken with a 39Mp Hasselblad CFV-39 back on a 555ELD body. Most of them have been cropped and had dust removed, but not otherwise manipulated.</p>

<p>I almost always use incident metering. Reflective comes into play if there are subject details at either end of the range that need to be preserved. Then I meter these specifically and adjust the exposure as needed.</p>

<p>I've been using a Minolta IIIF incident/flash meter and a Minolta spotmeter for years. All of the exposures on photos posted here were done with those meters. They both work very well, but I end up carrying two meters around. I recently got the L-558 so I could reduce the device count by one.</p>

<p>All of my recernt work has been digital, so color by definition. My work over the previous decades has been a combination of print (exclusively fine-art B&W) and Kodachrome slides. Two totally different worlds, like comparing a NASCAR race with a hockey game.</p>

<p>I shoot a whole range of equipment, from miniature (Tessina half-fame 35mm and Kodak Bantam 828) through 35mm, Hasselblad MF, and 4x5 view camera. Each system has its unique characteristics. I seldom find myself vacillating between system selections for a given project.</p>

<p>HTH</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

[frank.schifano]

<p>I have the Sekonic L-508, a predecessor to your L-558. The two are very similar and built to the same design characteristics. I believe the L-558 has the ability to remotely trigger a radio slave equipped flash which L-508 lacks, but the metering system is essentially the same. Let me try to answer the questions for you. </p>

<p><em>Are you using the 558 primarily incident mode or sometimes reflective?</em><br>

I use it primarily in incident mode. Ninety nine times out of a hundred it gives me spot on exposures that way. Of course, I'm careful to note that I'm standing in the same light as my subject. If I'm not, most times I can easily extrapolate how much more or less exposure I'll need. Takes a little bit of practice and observation, but you catch on pretty quickly.<br>

<br /><em>Is using the sight glass only for reflective mode readings?</em><br>

<em> </em>Yes, the sight glass is used only for reflected mode spot readings. The spot covers a 1 degree angle of view. Only what is inside the black circle is measured, though the meter can be affected by flare. It's a good idea to shade the lens to prevent flare from influencing the reading under some circumstances. It's never a bad idea to shade the lens anyway.<br>

<br /><em> How do you differentiate when to use incident or reflective?</em><br>

<em> </em>If I'm contemplating a scene with a very high brightness range, I'll use the spot meter to tell me just how much dynamic range I have in the scene. This lets me know two things. Will the dynamic range fit the film, and what I'll need to do fit as much as possible onto the film<br /><em> </em><br>

<em>How do you use the lumisphere?</em><br>

Easy. Raise the Lumisphere, hold it at the subject position (or in the same light as the subject) and point the Lumishphere directly at the camera lens. Take the reading. Done.</p>

<p><em>Do you get better results using slide or print film?</em><br>

I prefer print film. Most of the time I shoot B&W and I process the film myself. Color print film makes a better print more easily than one made from a color slide. Of course, if you plan to have a slide show with a real projector, then you have no choice but to use slide film.<em><br /></em></p>

[ken_tuvman]

<p>Dear Frank,</p>

<p>Thanks! Your answers "nailed it" for me. I almost completely understand what's going on and how better to use the meter. I'll continue experimenting. <br>

Out of curiosity, how easy is it to process B&W film? In the "old" days when I used a developer tank to develop my 35mm B&W film the chemicals were really nasty and I can imagine now disposing of them must be a big hassle - like trying to safely dispose of paint. <br>

Once you have processed your negatives how do you go about printing them?</p>

<p>Thanks, Frank!</p>

 

[frank.schifano]

<p>Well, you know how easy it is to process film, and the chemicals are not that nasty at all. How do I dispose of them? I'm on a municipal sewer system so I just dump 'em down the toilet. No problem. The waste treatment plant handles the rest. The amounts that you're using as a hobbyist doesn't amount to anything compared to what else goes down there. Trust me, the chemicals you use to clean house are far more toxic than anything you'll use in the darkroom.</p>

<p>I print my negatives the old fashioned way, in a darkroom on real light sensitive photographic paper.</p>

[ken_tuvman]

<p>Neat! Maybe when my life slows down some, I can invest in a darkroom again! It was great fun!</p>

[sfcole]

<p>Ken,<br>

The lumisphere doesn't have to be pointed at the camera if the subject is in sunlight. Just point the meter at the SUN.<br>

You might ask local camera stores if they collect fixer. I take mine over occasionally in a milk jug.<br>

Scott</p>