Sekonic L-398

[Giuseppe Valentino]

I just bought a used light meter. The model is a Sekonic L-398. It seems fine, the guy was reliable but I'm fixed on a problem though. I'm thinking that is due my ignorance (i'm just starting filming with 16mm) but when I expose the meter on the light the needle doesn't change f/stop when I rotate the dial to choose the ASA. Means that between 50 ASA and 800 ASA the difference is one stop, even less. The light meter itself works without battery and maybe could be a solor cell problem, or maybe I just have to wait and learn.

I'm writing because if it's a technical problem I should get the item quickly replaced, so I would like to found out

Hope the description is clear.

 

Thanks a lot

Any help appreciated

 

Giuseppe

[Serge Teulon]

I just bought a used light meter. The model is a Sekonic L-398. It seems fine, the guy was reliable but I'm fixed on a problem though. I'm thinking that is due my ignorance (i'm just starting filming with 16mm) but when I expose the meter on the light the needle doesn't change f/stop when I rotate the dial to choose the ASA. Means that between 50 ASA and 800 ASA the difference is one stop, even less. The light meter itself works without battery and maybe could be a solor cell problem, or maybe I just have to wait and learn.

I'm writing because if it's a technical problem I should get the item quickly replaced, so I would like to found out

Hope the description is clear.

 

Thanks a lot

Any help appreciated

 

Giuseppe

 

 

I don't have experience with this meter.

If you have everything on your meter set up to practical achievable values my hunch is that something with the mechanism is not right and it is not a lack of knowledge on your part.

I would contact sekonic minolta and ask for their opinion. Otherwise someone else in here that has experience with this meter might be able to help.

 

Good Luck!

 

Cheers

S

[Jake Kerber]

With that meter, the needle is measuring the amount of light, in foot candles I believe. So, when you change the ASA or rotate the wheel for a different frame rate, etc., you

are not going to see the needle move, you are just changing variables that will give you different corresponding f-stops. What is nice about that is it helps one to see and learn the relationship between foot candles, asa, frame rate, shutter speed, and f-stop. Hope that helps.

 

-Kerber

D.P.

L.A.

[Serge Teulon]

With that meter, the needle is measuring the amount of light, in foot candles I believe. So, when you change the ASA or rotate the wheel for a different frame rate, etc., you

are not going to see the needle move, you are just changing variables that will give you different corresponding f-stops. What is nice about that is it helps one to see and learn the relationship between foot candles, asa, frame rate, shutter speed, and f-stop. Hope that helps.

 

-Kerber

D.P.

L.A.

 

 

Does that mean that it doesn't give you an F-stop reading?

 

S

[Giuseppe Valentino]

Allright, thanks for the quick reply. Of course will be better to have a practical example. The funny thing is that the needle is still very sensible and constant, so I thought about an eventual calculation to get the f/stop.

Anyone with some exerience with the L-398 Light meter?

 

Thanks a lot

 

Giuseppe

[Giuseppe Valentino]

Hallo everyone. I just found out on the web.

Well, if someone is interested, that's the link: http://www.rit.edu/~crbpph/meteruse.html

The description is expecially made for the L- 398. I'm really sorry, I was crying loud too soon, is stupidity of mine, not lack of knowledge.

Sorry for the topic pollution.

 

 

Cinematography.com is the ultimate help, I'm really thankful.

 

Giuseppe