Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product L-398M Sekonic
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SEKONIC STUDIO DELUXE II L-398M Operating Instructions.
Features ........................................................................................................ 2 Specifications ................................................................................................ 4 Part Designations ...
Nearly all photographic subjects combine complex variations of strongly reflecting surfaces (high reflectivity) and weakly reflecting surfaces (low reflectivity).
7. After combining film sensitivity and shutter speed, direct reading slides (optional) can be used for directly determining the aperture value. 8. Selenium photocell is employed as light sensing element, eliminating need for battery. 9. Wide selection o f available accessories allows numerous photo graphic techniques to be enjoyed.
Measuring System Incident light (reflected light system also capable) Measuring Range At ISO 100, EV 4 - 1 7 Measuring Accuracy Within ± 0.3 EV (1/3f stop) ISO Scale 6 - 12000 Shutter Scale 60 - 1 /8000 second Aperture Scale 0.7 - 128 Cine Scale 8 fps - 128 fps EV Scale 1 20 (exposure value) Calibration Constant C = 340 K = 1 2.
PART DESIGNATIONS Fror’ pointer xopper button mat Lumlsphera Light sensorm 1 Footcandle scale ,;nrirlan+ linb.+ P Aperture value -1 (for direct reading) @ ___ ---.
Lumisphere Lumidisc Lumigrid Total of 11 direct reading slides (set of 11 slides in case). e; Optional Accessories (sold separately). Direct reading slides.
1. Stopper Button Operation If the stopper button is press - ed when the stopper button mark is set to the meter needle deflects according to bright - ness.
Inc ident Light Measurement 8 1. Lumisphere a. Mount Lumisphere sensor To white dots of Lumisphere frame and light sensor, then turn Lumisphere carefully clockwise to secure. b. Set film sensitivity knob to sensitivity value of employed film. Set ISO value to right side ISO mark Photo shows setting for ISO 100.
needle deflects according to brightness. When the stopper button is released, the meter needle becomes fixed at the deflected position. If the location is excessively bright and the meter needle deflects beyond scale, insert the High slid e e. Read the footcandle indication of the meter needle.
1 c'. g. At this time, the shutter speed scale and aperture scale combination becomes the correct exposure. Example: With High slide inserted, meter indicates 80 footcandles At ISO 100, the proper exposure becomes 1, 250 sec at F 5.6, 1; 30 sec at F!16 and 1 sec at F - 90.
2. Lumidisc. Employ for illumination contrast Adjustment and luminance measurement. • Contrast measurement a. Mount Lumidisc sensor Install in the same manner as Lumisphere. b. Hold meter at subject position and point Lumidisc directly toward center of main light.
• Luminance (Lux) measurement a. Mount Lumidisc Lumisphere. to light sensor in the same manner as b. Place Lumidisc parallel with the measured surface. and read meter scale footcandle c. Press stopper button indication d. Multiply this value by 10.76 to obtain lux.
13 Reading this exposure value to perform setting becomes convenient for cameras which employ a light value system shutter and aperture combination. 1.
Note: Standard theatrical cine film speed is 24 fps at 1/50 sec. This position is indicated by a red line on the scale. 14 Note: Some cine cameras possess faster exposure times due to a narrower rotating shutter angle (angl e of light transmitting portion).
3. Using Exposure Multipliers ( - 2, - 1, +1, +2) Exposure multiplier indications are provided at both sides of the marks of the dial scale. Use the - 1 or - 2 mark when desir ing to cut the exposure to 1!2 of 1!4 and +1 or +2 mark to multiply the exposure by 2 or 4.
Note: One set of slides consists of slide numbers 1 - 11 in a case. The High slide can also be used as a direct reading slide. 2. Direct Reading Slide Application When photographing, select slide from the above table according to film sensitivity and shutter speed.
MEASUREMENT EXAMPLES WITH VARIOUS SUBJECTS 1. Portrait Photography There are various kinds of human subject photography. In a case, for example, of a skier against a snowy mountain background, the human subject simply becomes a picture detail and for t he purpose of determining the exposure, this cannot be considered portrait photography.
2. Typical Scenery In the case of scenery, measure by using the Lumisphere at the camera position (refer to section on Incident Light Measurement). Although the previously described standard holding m.
Distant scenes are subject to haze due to atmospheric effects on light and can be easily overexposed. For this reason, first use the Lumisphere and measure by standard method from the camera position. Then point the Lumisphere toward the s un and measure.
4. Snow Scenes a. Many cases of problems occur with reflected light measuring methods due to snow surface glare. Using incident light measurement eliminates these concerns. Freshly fallen snow possesses a reflectivity of approximately 73%, wh ile even after several days in urban areas, this declines only to about 60%.
0Note 3: In situations with direct or top lighting (sun near zenith), the Lumisphere will detect reflected light from the snow surface. Some means of blocking the light from below becomes required in this case.
In typical cases of back and side lighting, although the surface of a 3 - dimensional subject facing the camera becomes dark, a portion is usually strongly lighted. Even though standard measurement with the Lumisphere can bring out detail of the darker p ortions, on occasion, the brighter portions can become overexposed and difficult to see.
APPLICATIONS SUMMAR Y 1. Special Features of the Studio Deluxe 11 As the Studio Deluxe ll is a high precision measuring instrument, by fully utilizing its capabilities, its special functions can be displayed covering an additionally wide range of applicati ons.
2. Illumination Contrast Light balance measurements are the most important application of the Lumidisc. This consists of measuring the ratio of main light and fill in light in order to perform vital adjustments when photographing an illuminated subject.
Main light measurement Fill in light measurement Use white or silver reflector to brighten shadow portions of subject. Exposure measurement 25.
Illumination ratio can be varied by keeping the main light fixed and varying the fill in light. Reflected Light Measurement Reflected light measurement is employed for the following purposes.
Shown here is an example of using Lumisphere and by normal measuring method without slide, meter needle indicates 640 foot candles. With film sensitivity of ISO 100, exposure becomes f 45 and shutter speed 1 second. mark at this time indicates 20 . This 20 indicates the exact center point of the luminance range.
b. Hold meter about 15cm from the subject, point Lumigrid to each surface of the subject and read the footcandle scale value. c. To determine the luminance range, it is sufficient to divide the highest meter indication by the lowest. For example, if the highest value is 80 and the lowest 5, the luminance range becomes 80/5 = 16/1 or 16 : 1.
The Studio Deluxe indicates normal color photograph lumi nance range limits corresponding to 2 f stops left and right of the luminance range center point. 4. Illumination Adjustment The Studio Deluxe possesses an array of functions for the per formanc e of illumination adjustments which were nearly unknown in earlier instruments.
examples to provide full control over movie scenes. It would not be erroneous to also apply these to still photos. Stage 1 Determine overall lighting strength. a. Set meter to ISO 100 (see film sensitivity intermediate values). b. Set 24 red line of cine speed scale to F/5.
Adjust luminance range a. Install Lumisphere. b. Hold meter at subject position, point Lumisphere toward camera and read needle indication. With all lights turned on, adjust main light so that indication becomes 500 footcandles. c. Set ark indicated value.
As can be noted from the above formula, if the subject luminance is fixed and the magnification changes, the film plane brightness (illumination) varies in the inverse proportion (M + 1) 2 . With a large subject distance, M is small and this effect becomes nearly absent, but as the subject distance decreases, M becomes larger.
Compensation factor = (M + 1) 2 Compression Enlargement . Subject to Compensation Subject to Compensation image ratio factor image ratio Factor 20 : 1 1.10 1 : 1 4 19 : 1 1.11 1 : 1.25 5 18 : 1 1.11 1 : 1.50 6 17 : 1 1.12 1 : 1.75 7.5 16 : 1 1.13 1 : 2 9 15 : 1 1.
HANDLING CAUTIONS Since the Studio Deluxe ll is a high precision instrument, use ample care in regard to the following points. Avoid dropping or subjecting it to strong shock.
SEKONIC CORPORATION 7 - 24 - 14, OIZUMI - GAKUEN - CHO, NERIMA - KU, TOKYO 178 - 8686, JAPAN TEL: (03) 3978 - 2335 FAX: (03) 3978 - 5229 T156270B - A.
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If you have not bought Sekonic L-398M yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Sekonic L-398M - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Sekonic L-398M you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Sekonic L-398M will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Sekonic L-398M, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Sekonic L-398M.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Sekonic L-398M. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Sekonic L-398M along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center