Sekonic L-208 Twin Mate Analog Incident & Reflected Light Meter, Compact Handheld Exposure Meter with Sliding Lumisphere, Shoe Mount, Instant Dial Readout for Film & Digital Photography

This is a nice, old-fashioned analog exposure meter. I am using it mostly when I want to use old lenses that don't communicate with my cameras. It works well and seems correctly calibrated, though I have not really been able to measure it but only compared it to the internal exposure meters in my cameras. Just to give you an idea, its grey zone limit for low light, using an ISO 400 setting, is at 1/30 at f/2.0. I assume the measurements below the grey zone are not precise. It is lightweight, all plastic (aluminum would be nicer), but seems quite sturdy. Some reviewers complained about the ISO dial is too easy to spin. Mine is quite tight and can only be moved if you do it intentionally, using the raised switchcover knob. Due to its small size, you can easily fit it on a camera (into the flash shoe) once you've screwed on the little piece for it, which can be mounted in a couple of ways, allowing for the meter sitting centered, to the left, or to the right.

The included instructions were clear and concise and the light meter is very simple to use. I like the feel of this "manual" meter as opposed to a digital meter. The price is also right if you don't need a digital meter. For other novices who don't want to spend a lot on their first meter this is a great choice. It's very light and compact and comes with a hot-shoe attachment, carrying case and lanyard and is capable of testing direct or indirect light and switches back and forth between modes quite easily. I haven't used the hot-shoe attachment so I can't comment on it. The only complaint I have about this meter is that the dial to change the ISO speed is right on top of the dial for the Indicator needle. The meter is small and my hands are big so I often have to quickly re-meter because I've changed the ISO speed after testing and accidentally moved the indicator knob. That being said, metering is quick and easy and the red indicator needle freezes in place for a few seconds (15, I believe) so you have plenty of time to adjust the dial(s) and take your reading.

Purchased this because I needed a compact, reliable, and lightweight meter when I go shoot with my Hasselblad 500CM with a Phaseone P25 back with an eye-level prism.... a very very very heavy setup! Prior to this, was using an iPhone app for metering but I needed something lighter and easier to operate. The Sekonic Twin Mate is the solution. I also tried a few mini hot shoe mount meters like Reveni Labs, TTArtisan, Keks to name a few, which are all good choices, but I still prefer the traditional wear-around-the-neck handheld match-needle meters. Most of all, it is a Sekonic! The Twin Mate also comes with an additional hotshoe mount adapter, but I am content wear it around my neck or in my pocket. Meter has a lumisphere cover- incident mode mostly for portrait and macro, or reflective mode I always use. Rotate dial to set film speed, point lumisphere at the subject to get a reading which activates the "green" needle, then rotate dial to match red needle over green to get your correct f-stop and shutter speed. It has an EV reading if your "older" camera uses EV system for exposure. Love it! Highly recommend it!

Though it's EV range doesn't make it great for very low light work, it's great for most "normal" photographic conditions. I've used it as an ambient light meter with my digitals when I want that type of metering, and in both modes with my collection of old film cameras. I also use it to verify the metering of old film camera metering systems when I repair them. Obviously it's not a flash meter. It works well and I carry it all the time in my bag. It seems fragile, but despite being banged around constantly, it continues to function perfectly. It's compact enough to mount on a flash shoe and comes with a piece to do just that. I find the ambient light mode helpful for my slide shooting where I don't trust my cameras internal meters to give me the correct exposure. By getting close in reflected mode (when you can do that) it allows something akin to spot metering. Overall, a nice thing to always have in your bag, taking up little room but giving great utility.

Best I can say about this meter is that it is small and easily portable. For street photography where a larger meter might stand out, this small light meter seems discreet. A must have for film photographers using older cameras without a light meter. Meter sensitivity is linear, meaning the meter does not seem to have any built-in K-factor. The downside is that the copy I have reads two stops higher than my other light meters. I have to set the ISO # two stops slower to get the correct settings. To get an accurate reading that matches what the light meter in my EM1 and my old Pentax spot meter say, I have to set the ISO two stops slower. An inconvenience, but, since the readings appear to be linear, not a real show stopper. As with any light meter, test with your film and developer combination to determine the correct settings for your film selection and development process. UPDTED REVIEW!!! After using this meter I noticed that the battery cover came off and was lost. I now no longer have a battery cover. Considering this, I cannot recommend this meter at all!

I have a few film camera bodies without meters and the L-208 is the perfect companion. Small, light and accurate, fits on any hotshoe and comes with a nice pouch you can hang around your neck. This is my first analog meter and there is a small learning curve but once you "get it" it's all good. You can spot meter or use as an incident meter but practice with it before you shoot anything important i.e.. take it out with your digital camera and compare spot meter readings (incident readings are not the same as reflective, "Matrix", "Area" etc.). Sekonic is very good about providing videos to help use their meters. Watch them and practice, practice, practice!. IMO, this meter is best used outdoors/brightly lit indoor settings and not in studio situations. It can be done but there are better choices. Happy shooting!!

I got this light meter to deal with cameras that don't have a builtin meter and have been using it to measure reflected light (by sliding the lumisphere to the side exposing the sensor). It works great and is simple to understand. Set the film sensitivity by twisting the inner dial, press the button on the right to measure, then turn the outer dial to line up the green arrow on the red arrow. The dial indicates all matching shutter speeds / apertures at once without wasting power to draw a LCD / color display / etc. B&W photos that I've taken with suggested aperture / shutter speeds seem well exposed.

I love this little meter. It's small, goes almost anywhere, has a lanyard as well as a cold shoe mount. It also does incident readings. If your brain is still analog or if you just like doing things the old way, it's the way to go. I've many old cameras with broken meters, or no meters. This is what I use with it.

I bought this as I use DSLR (Canon 5dmk2) but am considering getting a film camera (medium format), so wanted to learn more about taking general light levels. I have looked at the digital Sekonics and I think there is the obvious benefit of being able to use those with strobes, but for something simple to walk around and take ambient light readings this is great. It's actually really opened my eyes too as while you can "check the screen" on a dslr, it's surprising how misleading the lcd on a dslr can be e.g. it looks bright, but it's actually very underexposed. This light meter is very easy to use - just dial up the ISO, stand where the subject stands and then point at the camera (for incidence metering) and press the button. Turn the dial to make the green flag line up with the red indicator and you can read off any exposure value for any F stop. It's absolutely accurate. The only thing I'd say is that the price does seem a little high - not sure of the mechanics inside to make this thing work or whether it's a case of being a small, specialised market - but it's still a great little light meter that does the job and I look forward to using it with film.

Dieser Belichtungsmesser ist klein, leicht, intuitiv zu bedienen und er liefert zuverlässige Messergebnisse. Darüber hinaus ist der Preis sehr vernünftig. Ich verwende ihn z.B. wenn ich mit der Leica M3 fotografiere, die keinen eingebauten Belichtungsmesser hat. Die traditionellen runden Skalen und die Anzeigenadel haben den Vorteil, dass man gleich eine ganze Reihe passender Blenden-Zeit.Kombinationen ablesen kann.

Bien construido en todos sus puntos.

Best lightmeter for this price

If i'm being honest, i was undecided between this Sekonic Twinmate L-208 and the TTARTISAN Lightmeter ii. Given the various cameras I use (vintage and modern non-digital) I ended up buying both. The TT is excellent. Its small enough to actually look like its an original part of the camera. Only issue is the printed digits on the two adjustment wheels are tiny. This could prove difficult for users with sight problems or low lit locations. Moving on, this Sekonic Twinmate is outstanding. Only time will tell if it will stand up to the riggers of use and how accurate it is compared to other meters. Then its a case of the results. 📸 Setting up is easy (although the instruction sheet is written in chinese - not a deal breaker though). Simply undo the battery compartment with a 1p and just pop the CR2032 battery in - done. Use: the display digits are bigger and brighter and the indicator needle is ultra responsive. I like the way it holds the reading for 12 seconds too. Comes with a nice long lanyard, a hot shoe attachment and a nice little storage bag. Cute. Ok ... myself and 4 friends (with their various brands of meters - some digital) composed 20 light meter readings and the Sekonic nailed it every time. Incidentally, there was virtually no difference between the Sekonic and the TTARTISAN so if budget is a factor, the TT is 45% cheaper. I guess it's just a matter of what style, type and how good your eyesight is. Foe me ... I'm ultra happy with this one! Hope this helps ...