Will Davies

Thanks for the responses so far! I thought about the Sekonic 478, although I’ve heard mixed things about the touch screen - how have you found it in your experience? The Spectra is a possibility - can it be calibrated easily? What kind of battery does it take?

Hello everyone, I've been involved in video production for a while now and am now keen to learn more in depth about lighting and getting more experience in the field. Reading about meters, I understand how helpful they are in determining contrast ratios and light levels on interiors and locations, and are especially beneficial when shooting film (I'm getting into shooting 35mm stills lately). My max budget is around £200-400. So far my eyes are on the Sekonic L308X for its footcandle/lux readings, easy-to-find battery and size. However, the things holding me back are: Lack of head rotation (not a good look on set?) Flat disc accessory might be easy to lose Lack of spot meter reading Ideally, I'd love to have a 758 Cine, but I find they're hard to come by on ebay (plus can get a bit pricey if in a bidding war). I could go for any of the high end photographic meters, but I'm unsure about the lack of footcandle/lux settings in a majority of them. Is this a problem if I need to perform/communicate something quickly? Would I be better off getting a cheaper lux meter separately? Ultimately I hope to buy something that's reliable for starters, but will come in handy years down the line. Thanks. 🙂