jeepgirl writes:
> I have
> a spot meter i could take with me, but I don't know how to use it. It has no
> instruction manual. It is a sekonic digilite f model l-328.
I have one of these meters. I assume you have the L328VF spotmeter
attachment as this is normally an ambient light meter.
It's pretty easy to use. Here's a really quick guide:
When you first switch the meter on it will display a shutter speed but not an
aperture. If you have a specific shutter speed in mind you can set it now if
you want, using the up/down buttons on the side.
Set/change your film speed by holding down the (blue) ISO button while
using the up/down buttons to set the speed in 1/3 stop increments. The
setting will be retained until you next change it (it will even remember the
setting when you change the battery).
If you're not using flash make sure the orange switch is at its rightmost
position.
To meter, look through the viewfinder and point the circle at whatever you
want to meter, and press the round button on the side. The circle in the
viewfinder is the 5-degree circle which the meter "sees". Note that the
metering itself takes about a second, and if you move the meter too soon
after pressing the button the reading will be disturbed.
You'll now have an aperture reading on the display, as well as a 9-segment
semi-circular bargraph. Each segment on the bargraph is a 1/10th-stop
increment over the aperture displayed. So if the reading says F8, with 5
segments on the bargraph, it really means the half-stop between F/8 and
F/11 (which is actually F/9.5). I usually "round" to the nearest half-stop as
the settings in my cameras only allow full and half-stops.
When you have a reading you can press the up/down buttons to shift the
aperture/shutter combination.
You'll also notice a bargraph that runs along the bottom. This gives an
"aperture-at-a-glance" indication, rounded to the nearest half-stop.
If you like to meter in EV instead of shutter/aperture combinations, press
the "F/EV" button. This uses the bargraph in the same way as the aperture
but is a little less confusing as the bargraph simply gives you the digit after
the decimal point (eg "12" with 4 segments is 12.4).
When you have an EV reading, pressing the F/EV button again will give you
an appropriate aperture/shutter combination (which you can then shift). This
also works the other way around. I find the EV mode very handy for
evaluating contrast in a scene. Once I've picked my midtone I then re-meter
on something of that brightness (to get the appropriate EV reading back) and
switch back to "F" mode to get the shutter/aperture.
This meter also does flash metering. If the flash has a PC cord you can
hook it up to the meter and use it with the orange switch in the middle
position. If not, set the switch to the left and use the "test" button on the
flash to trigger the meter. And yes, flash metering does work with the spot
attachment (spot flash-metering!). When flash metering, a small lightning-
bolt icon appears. This icon blinks if the meter is waiting for the flash to
trigger (in cordless flash mode).
A few points to note:
1) When you switch the meter on it displays "BC" with a bargraph for a
second or so. This stands for "battery check", and the bargraph gives you a
good indication of how good the battery is (it doubles as a good "AA" battery
tester for sorting out that battery drawer). The battery lasts for months but
you should always carry a spare...
2) Make sure the orange switch is set in one of the three positions. I left it
halfway between two settings the other day and it wouldn't switch on even
with a fresh battery (I almost had a heart attack: these things aren't cheap to
replace).
3) The auto power-off kicks in after a few minutes. You have to switch the
meter off then back on again to wake it up.
4) There are two dots in the centre of the viewfinder. The upper is the true
centre, and the lower is the "close-up" centre which you use when you're
closer than a few metres away from your subject (to compensate for parallax
errors).
5) The shutter speed range is 1/8000 to 30 minutes. If you try and go above
1/8000 the meter will enter "cine" mode (a C will appear in the upper left of
the display). This is for movie cameras, and the shutter speeds displayed
are in frames per second. Unless you like making movies you'd be better off
avoiding this mode :)
6) See http://www.sekonic.com/Products/L-328.html for specifications.
7) The neck-strap is a stupid length and is not adjustable. I wish it was
longer so the meter could sit in my pocket, or shorter so it wouldn't swing
around and have a tendency to bash into my tripod leg (I'm glad the meter is
quite robust).
8) Any questions, feel free to ask. I was going to offer to photocopy my
manual but it looks like I didn't get one with it (I bought it secondhand).
> I was also
> wondering if i would be better off using my medium format camera in this area. I
> guess what I want to know is, Do i stand a chance if i just go out there and
> play?
I always take my medium format when I can. Even though the old Mamiya
lenses are a bit on the soft side I still enjoy using the camera. Almost
enough to justify the pain of carrying it, including all those times I bring it but
not use it.
Cheers,
- Dave
David A. Mann, B.E.
email [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.digistar.com/~dmann/
"Why is it that if an adult behaves like a child they lock him up,
while children are allowed to run free on the streets?" -- Garfield
This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, visit
http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions.
Don't forget to visit the PUG at http://pug.komkon.org
