Sekonic 558/758 workflow

[jo041326]

Hi,
I have just entered the world of large format. I bought a Sinar p with some accesories incl. Sekonic 758 D. I was never using a lightmeter so am a little confused with many functions, buttons and values on display. I want to ask you what is your workflow with this kind of meter? I take mostly landscape pictures, the rest architecture. Everything on B&W.

- First I measure dynamic range of the scene in EV.
- Then I measure EV value in shadows (zone III) a save it to memory.
- Next I measure the highlight value (zone VII) and save it.
- At the end I measure midtones (zone V) and save it.

I can then change shutter speed value with the jog dial to move the mark of measured zone III value on analogue scale to get it somewhere under 16 (because I want to use aperture 22-32).
I recall zone III value from memory and push ISO 2 button (set to 2 EV higher) to see the shutter speed (numeric value) and corresponding aperture (analogue scale). This step I could certainly skip and do it just in my head.

My problem is when I recal measured zone III value from memory and want to see shutter speed and aperture value both in digital display I should switch from EV mode either to Av or Tv mode. But when I want to do it, it jumps back to the last measured value (zone V).
I also think my workflow is quite complitated and I believe you have some easier way how to get the right exposure for the shadows.
Thank you

[Helen Bach]

I take two incident readings - one in full illumination and then one in shadow. My film speed will be set so that the shadow incident reading is likely to give the exposure that I'm going to use. By now I have a reasonable idea of the brightness range (incident readings to brightness range conversion using Minor White's simple method). Then I use the spot meter, which is still set to the shadow reading, to check how far away from the chosen reading any likely problem areas might be - shade or sunlit patches I can't do an incident reading for, bright reflections, trans-illuminated objects - that sort of thing. Then I make the adjustments in my head.

I guess that it's a simple two-incident-reading method with ad hoc spot checks if necessary. They often aren't.

Best,
Helen

[Mike Cockerham]

The easiest way I have found is to take a reading for shadow that I want detail in, then highlight area with detail. The difference in stops is my exposure range to determine devolpment times. Then set shadow reading to desired zone and expose.:D

[steve simmons]

There is an article on using one of these meters, or a similar one, in the Free Articles section of the View Camera web site. I use the meter much as Mike describes.

steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com

[BrianShaw]

There is an article on using one of these meters, or a similar one, in the Free Articles section of the View Camera web site. I use the meter much as Mike describes.

steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com

Which article Steve? I must be thinking a bit slow this AM and couldn't find the correct one.

Brian

[steve simmons]

Zoning with the Multi-Tasking Meter (Using the Sekonic L-608 Meter for the Zone System in Black and White) (PDF) June 2, 2004

www.viewcamera.com

in the Free Articles section.


steve simmons

[walter23]

Great, I just picked up a 558 and I'm just figuring out how to use it. I was picking an arbitrary spot reading that I would guess should fall in zone V and then using the delta-EV function to check where everything else would fall in plus or minus increments and adjusting exposure based on that.

Sounds like there might be better ways.

[dwhistance]

If you are exclusively B&W have you thought about using one of the BTZS programs for Palms available from the View Camera Store? Once you have calibrated your film(s)/paper(s) (or had them do it for you) they are very easy to use. They take two spot or incident readings, depending upon the workflow you choose, and also compensate for bellows extension, filter factors and potentially reciprocity.

David Whistance

[steve simmons]

There is a how-to BTZS article in the current (Jan/Feb 07) issue of View Camera. It is not an easy way to do things. This is a film speed and dev time procedure. I thought the question was about how to use the meter.

steve simmons

[BrianShaw]

Thanks Steve... I must have gone temporarilly blind :eek:

[C. D. Keth]

Can't you just do this all in your head? You know something is seriously wrong when a lightmeter can be described as having a "workflow."

[walter23]

Can't you just do this all in your head? You know something is seriously wrong when a lightmeter can be described as having a "workflow."

Yeah, for sure, but I bought this fancy light meter so that I could do fancy things with it ;)

In all seriousness, I got accustomed to the nice little digital display in my 35mm SLRs (you know, a scale from -3 to +3 with a moving "matchstick"), and finding a similarly useful method of using my light meter would be a nice convenience, and it looks like that is addressed here.