Light Meter Experiments

It has been a really, really long time since I used a fully analog light meter. I recently picked up a Sekonic L-398m:

No batteries. No real maintenance. It works like a slide rule for photographers. The light sensor (under the dome) generates a small current across its terminals. The current is measured and displayed in footcandles on the meter at the top. One then sets the rotary dial so that the pointer indicates the same number as on the meter. Once everything is set, the combination of aperture and shutter speed can be read on the rest of the dial. ISO is set by rotating the inner dial. The metal-looking thing in the very center is the button that activates the meter for a reading. Once the button is released, the meter maintains its last-read position to make reading the meter easier. If one wants to dial-in exposure compensation, the main dial can be rotated to point one of the + or – indicators at the footcandles indicated, instead of at the main pointer. It’s really easy to use, once one gets the hang of it. Additionally, if you don’t know your reciprocals yet, you’ll learn them really fast using one of these.

Reading the meter in its setting above, it shows 1/250s at f/1.4. But wait,  you don’t have a f/1.4 lens? The best you can do is f/4? OK, easy–1/30s, and you better start hoping that you have a tripod nearby, or a really steady shooting stance. In digital land, you can often just crank-up your ISO to compensate. In film land, unless you are shooting a camera with interchangeable film backs AND have a film back loaded with faster film, you’re out of luck.

While testing this meter, I did a few comparisons with the meter in the D90, which was the closest camera at-hand at the time. The indicated readings were pretty darn close, with pretty much just a 1/3 stop difference between them. Arguably, I actually like the meter’s exposure reading better than the camera’s!

First up, the L-398m reading: 1/30s at f/5.6:

Next up, the camera’s exposure reading: 1/15s at f/5.6:

I shot some more 120 film over the weekend, using the 398 as the exposure meter. I can’t wait to see how they turn-out!