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Thread: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

  1. #21
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    When I first bought a 758 I 'calibrated' DSLR to it with https://www.sekonic.com/united-state.../overview.aspx

    Absolute insanity, I used the Target, etc

    This is years before I joined here and started LF.

    Now I use it the way several have posted.

    And I always try to guess my exposure first then use the 758. Sometimes it agrees with me. Then I may shoot 2, first my guess then it's.

    May as well keep the expensive widget.

    On strobes it exactly matches my PCB Cyber Commander. The strobes are linear stop to stop , so i never need to check again with 758.
    Tin Can

  2. #22
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    The average button works best by taking a number of readings from different areas of the scene storing each one noting where your shadow and highlight fell. Then use the average button which will give you an average of all the readings taken. Will that reading work with your shadow and highlight area? Incidentally this is the same technique used in the Pentax 67II meter which received worldwide critical acclaim and testig the L758 side by side with my P67II led to identical exposure readings.

    After purchasing the L758DR new I worked with it alongside with my Pentax digital spotmeter for several weeks before selling the latter. I tested it in the field and at home where I would take a spot reading with each and compare the results which were identical once the 1/10 stop ability of the Sekonic was taken into account:

    In excellent condition. I purchased the meter new from B&H and never required servicing. Shows slight brassing where the holster grabs the gun but otherwise no scratches or dings. It was well cared for. Comes with front cap, instruction booklet, Zone VI leather holster, and 2 new A544 batteries. For the past couple of weeks the meter was used side-by-side with a new Sekonic L-758DR and except for the 1/10 stop capability of the Sekonic, both meters agreed perfectly. $200 + actual shipping from zip 94030. Paypal preferred but will accept MO and check in which case the meter will ship when payment clears.

    Thomas

  3. #23
    ic-racer's Avatar
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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    Quote Originally Posted by dkonigs View Post
    I have a Pentax Digital Spotmeter and a Sekonic L758, so I'm very much wondering about this. When I do side-by-side tests, there's a very obvious 2/3 stop difference between the readings on these two meters. Meanwhile, a modern digital camera tends to spot-meter a value in-between the two (or sometimes agrees with the Sekonic). Its making it hard for me to have any confidence in which reading is actually correct. (If I take a digital photo and look, the Pentax exposure is bright and the Sekonic is dark. Haven't compared /w film, because that's too hard for a quick side-by-side test.)
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  4. #24
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    Averaging results give average outcomes, or not. The result depends entirely upon the expertise of who is handling the meter.

  5. #25

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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    Quote Originally Posted by ic-racer View Post
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    Thanks for pointing out this section of the manual. For some reason, I never noticed it. Earlier this morning, I was exploring doing this via the camera profiles, but this approach is easier/better.

    What I think I want to do, is find a series of good reference setups and adjust this thing so it matches the reading of a "reference" meter. I just need to decide what to use as my reference. (Unlike these dedicated meters, all of my cameras with TTL meters actually seem to agree with each other with reasonable consistency. So maybe I'll just use a selection of those as my reference.)

  6. #26
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    Quote Originally Posted by dkonigs View Post
    What I think I want to do, is find a series of good reference setups and adjust this thing so it matches the reading of a "reference" meter.
    And what is a reference meter? Something from a Platonic ideal of forms? Forget about it!

    Test.

    Regardless of what one can read about meter behavior the manufacturer cannot possibly know or be responsible for individuals' practice in real life. Too many variables.

    Test.

  7. #27

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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    I have an L858 that was free to me from a research project we did in our office. I hate the damn thing. Too many menus and buttons and they touch screen isn't that great. Thank you for this thread, doing any semblance of a Zone system type metering is just tedious. Wish someone would make a new zone system type 1 degree spot that does that, and that alone. Bring back the Pentax.

  8. #28

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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan9940 View Post
    Ian,

    Here’s the way I meter with my Sekonic L558:

    1. Meter dark area where I want detail and store value.
    2. Meter light area where I want detail and store value.
    3. Hit AVE button, then I hold down the measure button and scan the scene watching the EV difference from the average.
    4. Adjust exposure accordingly.

    For example, if during the scanning I find another dark area that reads, say, -2.9 then I make a decision. If I want detail in that area, the average reading will cause that area to be in Zone II so I give a bit more exposure. Harder to explain than to do...

    And, as others have pointed out middle gray—18% reflectance—is not necessarily Zone V. Some meters use 18% for middle gray while others use 36%. I have to set the ISO on my Sekonic to half that of my calibrated Pentax Digital spot meter to get the same exposure readings.
    So Alan, if you scan around the scene and see -1.0 EV or +2.0EV, is that one zone lower and two higher, respectively? Roughly? That would make sense, I'm in my office playing with that right now.

  9. #29

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    Re: Sekonic L758 Spot Meter Question

    Quote Originally Posted by Laminarman View Post
    So Alan, if you scan around the scene and see -1.0 EV or +2.0EV, is that one zone lower and two higher, respectively? Roughly? That would make sense, I'm in my office playing with that right now.
    Yes. If shooting transparency film, you shouldn't be beyond +2 to -2.

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