L-398 and other options

stephen_lumsden

stephen_lumsden

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I mostly use a Leningrad 4, a Gossen Lunasix Pro and occasionally a Gossen Sixtus. The Leningrad can have a bit of a sticky dial reading sometimes and I am not sure if I am going to get a good reading (most exposures do seem to come out ok though). The Sixtus is small and only really ok for Sunnday days and can underexpose. I have to keep the battery out of my Gossen Pro or else it gets drained. I put it back in yesterday before going out with the Yashica-D and it too ages before it began working consistently, lots of odd readings at first. I live in Yorkshire and the light here is usually quite even and I think I could get away with an incident light meter like the L398 for street and landscape , just for 35mm and 120. Would it be worth getting a newer 398A over one of the older models?
 
I only shoot MF in film anymore. I use a L-208 (in reflective mode. Incident is too annoying honestly) as my meter as it's fast and simple. I usually take one, very rarely 2 meter readings for a 120 roll of 6x45. I shoot landscapes almost exclusively so your mileage may WILL vary ;)

Now, back in the day, I had a Studio Pro. It was a very nice meter but the _only_ reason I'd get something fancier is if I needed/wanted serious flash metering. Then I'd get a L-308 and forget about anything else.
 
The L-208 is a good light meter. Its very pocketable and easy to use. Even so I favour the Variosix F or F2 in incident mode. I have had one for may years and it has never let me down. What I like about it is the horizontal aperture scale. You set the ISO and shutter speed and the LCD pointer identifies the aperture. I find it really ergonomic. There is a 'low battery' indication but I find the (9v) battery last many years and I leave it in the meter until is needs changing.
 
The new L398A has an "amorphous silicon" cell that is more sensitive than the selenium of previous models. It has enough low end sensitivity for any landscape work you might want to do, but indoors maybe not. Otherwise, I love mine, love the analog readout, and love the freedom from batteries. Do note that the newer cell depends on a powerful magnet that should be kept away from digital media. Pretty inexpensive, too, at least compared to some meters. Like cameras, there is no perfect meter, only a series of compromises that may or may not meet your needs.
 
It's a super pro-grade meter and built to high standards of quality. Incident metering is a fairly fool proof method for day-to-day work. Most of Sekonic's earlier similar models are excellent as well and less expensive on the used market if purchased from a user who understands exposure (although one always takes some risk with used meters).
 
I have a L 208 (new) and a gossen Luna Pro S. Strangely, the combination of aperture and shutter speed are pretty similar. However, the EV is off by up to 3EV. Gossen shows EV higher but aperture/shutter speeds line up. What's that all about?
 
I bought my L-398m off ebay over a year ago, great shape only missing the Lumigrid attachment.
I purchased a grid and a back-up sphere from Adorama so all is good.
I was worried at first about it being made in the Philippines, mostly about overall quality.
The later 398m's made in the Philippines aren't as old or used as the other Japanese versions.
It works as new, I just have to learn more on using it in tricky lighting.
 
The L-398 is a fine meter if you can live with its poor low light sensitivity. It only goes down to EV 4. I would not buy an old one, I have seen too many with worn out meter cells that are no longer accurate. If you can afford it, buy a new one.
 
I like the Sekonic incident meters. For most of the outdoor metering it is great. If I run into a tricky scene, I dig out my spotmeter and work from there. I have used the Sekonics over the years, of all models, and they haven't failed me. My oldest is a Brockway from the 50's and it is within 1/3 stop of my 398a.
 
hap said:
Gossen shows EV higher but aperture/shutter speeds line up.
Click to expand...
??? EV is a straightforward, standardized combination of aperture and speed. 1s@f/1.0 is EV0; 1/2s@f/1.0 is EV1; 1/2s@f/1.4 is EV2, and so on....
So how could aperture and shutter speed "line up" while EV indications are different??
 
In the end I got a sekonic l-28 A2 for a good price. It's accurate and reliable, maybe a bit too big to carry if it's too hot and I cannot put it in a jacket pocket if I am not carrying a bigger bag. The lumisphere can come out easily if not inserted properly, but that's the only gripe. Still thinking about getting something smaller, but will wait, just GAS I think 🤔
 
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