L-398A Studio Deluxe III & other cine meters

flavio filho · November 23, 2011

Hi all.

Am thinking to buy the Sekonic L-398A Studio Deluxe III meter to use mostly on 16mm cinematography....

Although seems controversial if it is actually a cine or still light meter... At Sekonic website it's said favorite with cinematographers the world over.

Am looking for one that I could afford and be great for the purpose. 16mm cinematography is what will be mainly used for.

So I wonder if I could get some advice, if this would do well or would be better buy another?

Thanks,

Flavio

Edited November 23, 2011 by flavio filho

Francesco Bonomo · November 23, 2011

Hi all.

Am thinking to buy the Sekonic L-398A Studio Deluxe III meter to use mostly on 16mm cinematography....

Although seems controversial if it is actually a cine or still light meter... At Sekonic website it's said favorite with cinematographers the world over.

Am looking for one that I could afford and be great for the purpose. 16mm cinematography is what will be mainly used for.

So I wonder if I could get some advice, if this would do well or would be better buy another?

Thanks,

Flavio

Flavio, it doesn't really matter if you use it for stills, 16mm, 35mm, 65mm or digital. It does what it supposed to, i.e. measures the amount of light. The 398A has its pros and cons, as pretty much every tool. It's relatively cheap and doesn't require batteries, but at the same time it's not immediate or precise as the digital ones, and it's not incredibly sensitive in low light, at least based on my experience. It's a great back-up meter for many people, though. There are other users on this forum who seem to love it, others don't. If you run a search about "studio deluxe", "398a" or "sekonic" in the whole forum you'll find many opinions.

Adrian Sierkowski · November 23, 2011

What Francesco said. I will add that I have that meter in my bag as a BU to my 758 Cine (a fine meter) simply because it doesn't need batteries. I also recommend it for most people as it's cheap. It isn't fast, of course, but it makes you really think about what you're doing.

Charles MacDonald · November 23, 2011

It is one of the lowest priced of the Pro meters. It does not need batteries, as it is based on a silicon solar cell.

The dial has a "cine" scale for convenience.

It is probably a good "first" meter, which will act as a good backup when you have to need to step up to a 1000 dollar meter.

John Holland · November 23, 2011

I have had so many meters over the years most packed up [ i did love my Spectra Combi but that went down the drain ]Had the Sekonic for 30 years still works spot on , so yes get one !