Matthew Oaten Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi, I had a few exposure problems on a recent Super 8 shoot. So, I decided to invest in a light meter and not just rely on the built in meter on my beaulieu 4008. I'm poor, so I found a top condition used Sekonic Studio Deluxe on ebay for £50. Now, i have spent a while learning how to use the meter, studying the manual, taking incident readings, but after doing some experiments, my results are so far off from that of my camera I think there is a problem.... For example, in direct sunlight (through window), the light meter is reading appx 80 foot candles (facing the sun, next to the object to be shot, with the lumisphere on, and 'High' slide removed), so when set at ASA 100, (my beaulieu shoots at 1/65th at 18fps), I get a reading just under F2. Surely filming direct sunlight needs far less light than this? The reflective reading from my camera, set at 18fps, ASA100, no filters, is F5.6. Can anyone shed any light on this? It could well be that i'm making a stupid mistake somewhere, as i'm still learning about shooting on film... but as ever, any help is greatly received! Thank you, Matt Oaten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Louis Seguin Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi Matt, I think there is something wrong with your Sekonic. In direct sunlight, a typical reading would be 40 to 80 with the hi slide IN, which is more like f/8 to f/11. That's a 5 stop error. Try to take multiple readings in the same light and hold the meter body in different directions whilst keeping the lumisphere oriented the same way. Readings should not vary by more than 1/2 stop. If it moves as you rotate the meter, your movement is out-of-balance and readings will be unreliable. Very hard to fix. Another possibility is that something is hindering free movement of the needle. Another less likely possibility is that the photocell is kaput. Cheers, Jean-Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Oaten Posted November 12, 2009 Author Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi Matt, I think there is something wrong with your Sekonic. In direct sunlight, a typical reading would be 40 to 80 with the hi slide IN, which is more like f/8 to f/11. That's a 5 stop error. Try to take multiple readings in the same light and hold the meter body in different directions whilst keeping the lumisphere oriented the same way. Readings should not vary by more than 1/2 stop. If it moves as you rotate the meter, your movement is out-of-balance and readings will be unreliable. Very hard to fix. Another possibility is that something is hindering free movement of the needle. Another less likely possibility is that the photocell is kaput. Cheers, Jean-Louis Hi Jean-Louis Thanks for the quick response! That's what I thought.... I tried the multiple readings, but they seem to be ok. About 20cm from the fluorescent light in my office, a get just under 5 foot candles on the sekonic, which just seems too low, as do all it's readings. I wish I had another incident meter for comparison.... Maybe it is the photocell? I'm going to ask for a refund anyway, and get a brand new one. Another lesson learned I guess.... Thanks again, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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