Sekonic light meter L-508

[jenkins]

<p>Hi all just bought a Sekonic L-508 second hand and spent all day getting really hacked off.</p>

<p>The readings are so far off it's ridiculous and doesn't even seem to register the flash even if i put the meter in front of it, at one point it was saying under exposed. I paid $90 for it do i thought it might be a worth while purchase.</p>

<p>Is this what happens when a light meter is just plain duff? Even the ambient light readings are way off.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p> </p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>Make sure to put your flash in manual mode and not TTL.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Are you telling it the right ISO setting when you get ready to meter?</p>

[john_cooper9]

<p>This is a great meter. Mine was bought ($600) new in the late 90's. If using the incident mode make sure the right-hand switch is set to incident. If using it as a reflected spot meter make sure the switch is set to the blue symbol. The spot meter function is very narrow from 1 to 4 degrees, so be careful where you point it. Have you put in a new AA battery?</p>

 

[jenkins]

<p>Yep flash is in manual and I'm matching up the ISO and shutter speed. Yes John I have done all the things you mentioned also.</p>

<p>I am measuring the flash with the dome up, not recessed and most of the time I have had it set to the white dome up button John, not the blue one you mentioned - If I click it to the blue one it constantly says Exposure Under, no matter what I do.</p>

<p>I have been getting some decent exposures with it but with really slow shutter speeds.</p>

<p>F8 @ 8 seconds ISO 400. i can't get anywhere near sync speed, any ideas? I have two flashes set to half power and still can't get a faster shutter speed even if I boost the ISO. I am in a pretty low light room.</p>

<p>The online manual is horrible.</p>

<p> </p>

[jenkins]

<p>.</p>

[michaelmowery]

<p>I guess you bought it online as you were not able to test it before purchasing it? Do you even know how to work the meter? when you do available you have the mode set on the sun symbol? the flash set on the lighting bolt symbol? You have the spot meter turned off? The readings are in f stops not EV? averaging function is off? Is the exposure compensation set to 0?</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Just because the model is very good doesn't mean that a particular example doesn't have a fault. What does the seller say- were any representations made along the lines of "working order" , "Works well", or similar? It must be ten years or thereabouts since this model was replaced by the 608. I had Sekonic 508s , both well-used until I sold them on eBay last summer. I got around £100 (c. $160) each for them on eBay- but they were working and pretty accurate. </p>

[lauren_macintosh]

<p>Simon. did you put new batteries in it or just use the ones that came with it:</p>

[jenkins]

<p>David I know what pounds are I'm a Londoner out in the States ;-)</p>

<p>This was a sold as seen type of deal from a pawn shop which I visit every now and then, I have been outside this morning and it is pretty close to the camera for available light, but it's just not making any sense for the flash which is why I bought it in the first place. I changed the battery Lauren.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>I don't put the shutter speed on the meter when I meter flash. I put the shutter speed up high, to cut out the meter also reading ambient when I ask it to read flash.</p>

<p>Also, meters can have a difficult time reading very small bursts of flash, due to the duration of the flash.</p>

<p>There is a way on my Sekonic to compensate the meter readings. Get the manual and find out how.</p>

[jenkins]

<p>Problem solved Nadine the meter is reading the onboard flash that triggers the off camera one's hence the false readings, even though the on board is turned off it still does flash just before, this is what the meter is reading. </p>

<p>Yes you can compensate on mine too, you just press the two ISO buttons at the same time to adjust.</p>