SekonicSpeedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter (401-858)

If you use manual settings for photo or video work this is a must have item. Works well in low light and with flash configurations. Provides an accurate starting point eliminating guess works and is more reliable than most camera metering systems. Highly recommended.

Where to start here? Ok, I recently purchased some monolights with high speed sync ability, that I wanted to use with my D3. Outdoor usage, of course. I'm not big onto chimping over and over looking at the histogram to get a correct exposure. So I purchased a sekonic 208. Nice meter, for sure...easy to use. But it doesnt work with hss. Returned it. Did some research. The 858D is the only purpose built meter for hss. And it works, quite well, I might add. Accurate to a 1/10th of a stop. Has a 1 degree spot meter--fantastic. I know some people don't like the design, but I love it. Stop guessing and looking like a lower primate. Get this tool. It's worth every penny.

Awesome light meter!! I know enough about meters to use it, but the more I use it the more I learn about exactly what it can do, It can do a lot.

I find the Light Meter to be quite professional with many options that I may not even use. However, I do wish that the system was more user-friendly as the menus can be overwhelming. It would be great if the option to personalize and hide certain menu items was available.

The media could not be loaded. I’m a full time gaffer for film and music videos and this is a must have tool for anyone working in film or photography industries. I am much faster and more accurate when I light a scene now that I use this Sekonic Meter. Saves me time and it is much easier to recreate specific looks or match scenes from day to day. Mostly use the ambiance modes but for flash photography it is powerful as well. I highly recommend. I like the digital display and touch screen. It’s very clear to read and you can change the background colors which is nice.Don’t get a cheap meter this one is high quality.

In Reflected Light mode, exposure compensation gets stuck once you enter a value. I entered +2 and the status bar showed ADJ +2.0. I wanted to but could not reset it back to 0 ==> 0. The setting was stuck at +2.0 ==> 0. After that, all spot metering measurements showed the + sign. With horror, I found that the only way to get support from Sekonic was via email even they say email and phone on their website. There was no support phone number to be found. Unbelievable! As the last resort, I reset the meter back to factory settings and the compensation was back to +0 ==> 0. The + sign in spot metering screen now was gone. Sekonic support is just so ... undesirable!

The lightmeter I purchased was vandalized and had missing parts. It’s not a cheap instrument. Amazon is not responding to the responsibility they should have by shipping an incomplete item. They blame the seller and the seller blames Amazon. At the end of the day I’m the one with an instrument that doesn’t work. I demand a full refund and a shipment to my country once I buy it again.

The Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter is truly a great light meter. It is easy to use. Measures both flash and ambient light. The touch screen is easy to work with. I take mine out in the field to use spot metering to determine the range of EV and decide whether I need to capture just one image or multiple images to get all of the possible dynamic range.