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Pawlowski6132
26-Oct-2009, 17:49
So, picked up the 1 degree finder today. It doesn't work the way I would expect and I don't know if it's my expectations or if the hardware is malfunctioning.

In short, regardless of ISO or aperture setting, I can't get a recommended shutter speed below 2s (3s, 1m, 20m, etc.) I get an E.u error. What gives??

Has anyone had similar experiences?

thanx much in advance,

Joe

jim kitchen
26-Oct-2009, 19:07
Dear Joe,

The symbol "E.u." indicates that your "Underexposure" range is exceeded... :)

If the meter panel reads "E.o" then this indicates your "Overexposure" range was exceeded.

These symbols should be explained within your meter's manual.

If you do not have one, you can find it here: http://www.sekonic.com/support/support_21.asp


jim k

Pawlowski6132
26-Oct-2009, 19:34
Dear Joe,

The symbol "E.u." indicates that your "Underexposure" range is exceeded... :)

If the meter panel reads "E.o" then this indicates your "Overexposure" range was exceeded.

These symbols should be explained within your meter's manual.

If you do not have one, you can find it here: http://www.sekonic.com/support/support_21.asp


jim k

Hi Jim, thanx very much for dropping a line. Fortunately, I did find that in the manual and it explained what the message was. I don't think I should be getting it though. When I hold the readout button down and scan from a light to dark area, I see the shutter speeds drop...down to 2s and then...E.u. The meter shutter speeds to up to 30m so...I've never seen a reading like 5m, 10m, etc. just, after 2s, BAM. Right to E.u.

Now, if I put the reflective grid on, I get those types of readings. It's just with the Spot. Is this just a limitation of this finder with this meter?

Gordon Moat
26-Oct-2009, 20:24
The 1º spot finder reduces the sensitivity of the meter. The 5º spot finder is a little better. I looked into these for night imaging exposure information, and found that the 5º would work better, though in the end I have not added either spot finder to my kit. Most of the time I use the fresnel piece instead of the dome, and it gives a better reading in very low light.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

jim kitchen
26-Oct-2009, 20:30
Dear Joe,

I have the 558, and my meter has a series of f-stop values along the bottom of the screen, where two dots reside above my current f-stop setting. I believe that the software within the meter is limited to the displayed range of f-stops that are shown along the bottom of the meter's screen, for whatever lighting condition you are within. The same should be true for your incident meter too, compared to your spot meter function.

So for example, if your light meter is set at ISO 250, and your meter reading registers f5.6 at 125, and you move the dial to 4 seconds, you should see a reading of f128. The moment you move the dial to read 8 seconds, you should see "E.o" indicating an over exposure limit for the meter. This tells me that the meter is "pegged" to read any value between the limits of the scale along the bottom of the screen. Once the boundaries are breached at either end of the meter's scale, you either get a "E.u" or an "E.o."

I think that will always happen...

jim k

Pawlowski6132
26-Oct-2009, 20:48
Jim, that's exactly what I thought. But then I put on the stock reflective lumisphere thingy (not the incident light dome, the other one), I was able to get readings off the analog chart down to 20m.

I beginning to get the the feeling that this spot finder attachment doesn't work that well with the meter. Have you used this yet?

thanx


Dear Joe,

I have the 558, and my meter has a series of f-stop values along the bottom of the screen, where two dots reside above my current f-stop setting. I believe that the software within the meter is limited to the displayed range of f-stops that are shown along the bottom of the meter's screen, for whatever lighting condition you are within. The same should be true for your incident meter too, compared to your spot meter function.

So for example, if your light meter is set at ISO 250, and your meter reading registers f5.6 at 125, and you move the dial to 4 seconds, you should see a reading of f128. The moment you move the dial to read 8 seconds, you should see "E.o" indicating an over exposure limit for the meter. This tells me that the meter is "pegged" to read any value between the limits of the scale along the bottom of the screen. Once the boundaries are breached at either end of the meter's scale, you either get a "E.u" or an "E.o."

I think that will always happen...

jim k

Pawlowski6132
26-Oct-2009, 21:12
The 1º spot finder reduces the sensitivity of the meter. The 5º spot finder is a little better. I looked into these for night imaging exposure information, and found that the 5º would work better, though in the end I have not added either spot finder to my kit. Most of the time I use the fresnel piece instead of the dome, and it gives a better reading in very low light.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

Aha! Just as a suspected. Shit.

So, would a dedicated spot meter (e.g. Pentax) be better in low light situations????

Is there a technical measurement that I can use to compare meters in this regards?

jim kitchen
26-Oct-2009, 21:51
Dear Joe,

I cannot answer that, since I do not own any other spot meter presently, and I do not have access to a Pentax, analog or digital spot meter.

You could experiment with the meter that you have to determine whether a correction is required, because the meter will allow you to calibrate against a known correct EV value. To change the meter's calibration, you must turn the meter off, and then you hold down the ISO 1 and ISO 2 buttons together, and tap the power button once. You will see an EV value of 0.0 when the meter turns on in this mode, and then you can turn the meter's jog wheel to adjust the meter's set EV to a value that you desire. Doing that requires value added testing to determine whether your meter requires adjustment or not, and whether your meter requires a recalibration. Testing might provide you with enough information to determine any EV correction while using the spot meter attachment.

I do believe Mr. Moat's statement is correct about this meter. I also notice a change in my meter while I am at higher elevations, so I change my spot metering habits to accommodate this inherent quirk with my meter. I am suspicious of my meter's sensitivity to incremental UV. My meter does not have the spot meter attachment, since I look through the meter's built-in spot meter viewer.

Many folks, that own a Pentax spot meter, certainly enjoy the results...

jim k

Gordon Moat
27-Oct-2009, 17:37
Aha! Just as a suspected. Shit.

So, would a dedicated spot meter (e.g. Pentax) be better in low light situations????

Is there a technical measurement that I can use to compare meters in this regards?

http://www.sekonic.com/products/Sekonic%20L-358%20FLASH%20MASTER_spec.asp

Check the EV sensitivity values. If you get the 5º or 10º spot accessory, then the minimum capability of EV2 does not change. Anyway, if you compare to other meters, then you might want to find something that reads EV1, which is very low light, though I think only some of the movie meters do that (big $$$$).

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)