Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter (401-858)

There are many good light meters on the market, both new and old, but I've always preferred Sekonic. After the L-series and the S-series, this is my third Sekonic light meter. The 428 from 1974, as well as the L- In 1997 or 1998, I purchased a 508 car. Despite their age and years of abuse, both of these meters are still operational, which should tell you everything you need to know about their durability. br>br>Now, I'm not going to be able to tell you everything that's great about the L-. 858 Because I don't use video, I don't use many of the features. And, while I do occasionally use PocketWizards, I haven't invested in the transmitter module. I might do it in the future, but I've been fine without one so far, so we'll see how it goes. Let's get right to the good stuff. br>br> Here are some of my favorite aspects of the L- 858:

- Down to a tenth of a stop of accuracy. In full electric vehicles, the world does not exist. You can make better exposure decisions with this additional information.
- The duration of the flash. See how long a flash burst lasts and learn more about how to set up for high-speed photography.
- Sensitivity is a term used to describe how sensitive someone is. The L- The 858 can detect incident light at a distance of -100 meters. 5 EV, which is three stops less than my L-series. 508, which is two stops lower than my L-. 428
- Companion software with the ability to set up profiles and firmware updates.
- Flash metering on a continuous basis. Do you need to do multiple flash bursts in a row on a single shot? This ensures that all bursts are taken into account when calculating exposure.
- A one-degree spot meter is a device that measures the distance between two points. A nice optical scope for isolating the reading area, as well as a display along the bottom to read values without having to take your gaze away from the main panel.
- The total percentage of light that is flash versus ambient is displayed.
- The ability to define filters and have them compensated for automatically.
- Averaging and delta EV are used to improve exposure memory.
- The ability to show EV or luminance data alongside other data. On the L- You could show EV or shutter/aperture on the 508, but not both at once like the L-series. 858 br>br>Once again, those are just the features that stand out to me as particularly appealing. I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm not aware of. Now, let's move on to the not-so-fun part of the story. It's all good. br>br>Things I dislike about the L- 858:

- The presentation is excellent. It's bright, but that doesn't always mean it's a good thing. You can adjust the brightness, but it takes a while because there are several menus to navigate through. When the light levels are low, the auto brightness feature dims the display, but it only works when you're actively reading (holding the button down). In bright sunlight, it suffers as well. In order to read the display in direct sunlight, you must find a way to shade it.

- The touchscreen, to be precise. Please return my buttons and dials to me! The touchscreen interface makes selecting F/T/ISO, and other settings, imprecise, and it's easy to overdo it. It's all too easy to stop short of going the extra mile. My finger movements are frequently not registered by it. When you use the virtual scroll wheels on your phone, they don't feel as if they're connected to your movements.

- If the meter hasn't been used in 24 hours, it will take several seconds to start up. Within those 24 hours, subsequent startup times are faster, but they are still slower than the L-series' instantaneous power on. 508

- The user interface is where it all starts. As a software engineer, I've learned to spot when an interface hasn't spent enough (or any) time in front of a user experience expert, and that's how this feels.
- The switch between incident and spot meters. It's a touchscreen button that lets you switch between two options, and it's available by default on the main screen. You can tell which mode you're in by looking at the image on the button. Changing modes, on the other hand, is overly difficult - You must then select the appropriate radio button after tapping the button. This should be a simple toggle switch. Spot mode is activated by tapping. Incident mode is activated by tapping. A separate screen and radio buttons are not required. This button is assigned by default to a custom function button, ensuring that the option is always visible on the main screen. That's all well and good, but why isn't it permanent? Why would you use one of your two custom function buttons on something that everyone uses? If you remove it from the custom buttons because you want to use them for something else, switching modes is as simple as tapping the Tools button, then tapping the Incident/Spot button, selecting the correct radio button, and tapping Close.
- By pressing a button on the meter's side, you can add readings to the memory. Clearing or recalling the memory, on the other hand, necessitates tapping the Tools button, scrolling down to the second page of options, tapping the Memory Clear (or Memory Recall) button, and then performing the desired operations on the screen. There are far too many steps to get to the core functionality once again.
- I'll skip a few more issues with the user interface in order to avoid sounding repetitive. br>br>- The only physical button on the meter, aside from the memory and trigger buttons on either side, is a nice, central Menu button beneath the touchscreen. This button is used for customizations that are rarely changed, such as customizing function buttons or selecting which modes to hide (for example, I hide the Cine modes because I don't use them). What a colossal squandering of land. This one button, which is rarely used, takes up about a third of the meter's main body, and what happens after you press it? In any case, everything you do in that menu necessitates the use of the touchscreen. So, what's the point of having it?

- br>br>Hey Sekonic, you want to make a useful, amazing light meter that I would consider almost perfect? Here's how:

- Remove the power button from the top and place the touch screen just below the "Sekonic" label.
- All of the main functions should be implemented as physical buttons. Simply remove all of the buttons (along with that lovely, lovely scroll wheel) from the L-shaped console. 758 and place them, along with the power button, in the nice big area you now have below the touchscreen.
- The touch screen can still be used for any additional functions not covered by the physical buttons. However, hire a UX expert to advise you on when to use a toggle button instead of a 2-step process. A three-fold effort is required to use the option menu.
- Fix the touchscreen issues; it must be more responsive, faster, and the user interface (UI) must be modernized, cleaner, and more professional. This is a $600 device, and it should appear as such.

- br>br>OK, I've said a lot, and a lot of it hasn't been very good. However, this remains the best and most functionally robust light meter I've ever used. It receives a good overall rating as a result of this. I'd buy this meter all over again if Sekonic heeds my advice and returns to physical controls for the most frequently used functions. That's how good it really is. It's just that in its current state, it's bulkier than it should be for the price.

Cedric Figueroa

| Aug 17, 2021

With this light meter, you can eliminate the guesswork from determining your exposure. I never realized how useful a light meter would be for me on one set, so I always relied on my camera and eye to get the exposure correct. Now that I have the s.

Ocean Walter

| May 05, 2021

Except for a brief period when I used a Spectra light meter, I've always preferred the Sekonic. This new tool has only improved the quality of the projects I work on. The spot meter function is one of my favorites. By the way, I use this with a variety of camera systems, including Arri Alexas, Reds, Sonys, and Blackmagics, to name a few.

Tiana McGee

| Apr 15, 2021

What should I do first? Okay, I recently bought some high-speed sync monolights that I wanted to use with my D3. Of course, it can be used outside. I'm not a big fan of looking at the histogram over and over again to get the right exposure. As a result, I went out and bought a Sekonic 208. Definitely a nice meter. It is simple to use. However, hss does not work. I gave it back to her. I did a little research. The 858D is the only hss meter that was designed specifically for it. And it works, and it works well. It's accurate to a tenth of a stop, to be precise. It's equipped with a one-degree spot meter. wonderful. I understand why some people dislike the design, but I adore it. Stop making educated guesses and resembling a lower primate. This tool is available for purchase. It is well worth the money.

Bentlee Barker

| Sep 30, 2021

Additionally, there are photographers who are passionate about their work. If you're aspiring to be a professional cinematographer, you should consider investing in tools that allow you to achieve measurable and repeatable results. You must, of course, learn how to operate this meter. br>br>This is a device that you can't go wrong with.

Sloan GREENWOOD

| May 28, 2021

I've been relying on my long-serving Sekonic L- 358 for a long time, but the spot function for landscapes using the zone system was a must. This is a huge leap of faith. For many years to come, it should provide everything I require.

Idris Spencer

| Oct 22, 2021

I needed a spot/incident meter that could also deal with modern flash situations. This fulfills all of my requirements. I don't care for the touch screen, but it's something I can live with. I also like the fact that it uses standard batteries. I used to have a Sekonic L- The 358 had an oddly sized battery that would die at the most inconvenient times, forcing me to rely on my iPhone as a light meter.

Alexandria Vasquez

| Oct 30, 2021

The L-Sekonic Speedmaster is a new product from Sekonic. 858D- The U Light Meter is an excellent light meter. It's very simple to work with. Both flash and ambient light are taken into account. It's simple to operate the touch screen. I take mine out in the field to use spot metering to figure out what the EV range is and whether I need to capture multiple images or just one to get the full dynamic range.

Stephanie McGuire

| Apr 23, 2021