Sekonic L 208 Twinmate or L 308B Light Meter?

S

Steve M.

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I decided to finally upgrade my light meter, and can't decide between these two. On the plus side I can get a new Twinmate for the price of a used L 308B, so I like that. But I'm concerned about the occasional need for lowish light use. I rarely need anything that would be below f2 at 1/8, so real low light work isn't a biggie. All I know is that w/ my old CDS meter, even that is pushing it's capabilities. Any recommendations? Thanks.
 
My 308 has served me well. It is my small meter. It does flash and also works with my radio flash units when I use studio lighting. That said, if you don't need these things, why pay more money?
 
I've never had a single complaint about my 308, it just works. Ergonomics are very good, you can use all functions easily with one hand.
 
Flash and radio flash are things I would never need, but the 308 looks like a reliable, relatively small meter that I can trust, at a price point I'm interested in. The Twinmate is attractive because I can buy it new. So, 2 votes for the 308. Thanks guys.
 
Hi,

i have the L-408 and the Twin-mate. Here are some plus and minuses of the twinmate, from my observation:

+ small, compact and inconspicuous
+ has a shoe mount option
+ supports both incident AND reflective metering
- feels too plasticky, the construction isn't as good as the L-408
- It is small, the angle of holding the meter becomes crucial, as variances in angle (up, down or left, right) can produce very different results. For example in reflective reading, i find that I have to point lower to avoid the meter reading off the sky.

So I read the EV of the Reflective AND incident and split the difference.
 
That's good info on the Twinmate. I once had a Sekonic L 188 that did the same thing. It seemed that it metered a very unpredictably wide area. Some people said it probably needed a little short tube around the metering cell to get it hemmed in. Not sure if that would work, but easy enough to try. Make a tube out of a bit of cardboard, or cut a writing pen into a small tube, and try holding it on and see if the metering doesn't improve. If it does, break out the super glue.
 
When I upgraded from an old lightmeter I went with the L-308S and I'm very happy with it. Like you I don't shoot in very low light but it is nice to know that the meter is accurate in the low light range, and I might use it that way sometime. It is ergonomically better suited to use as an incident meter, which is primarily how I use it, and I particularly like its use of AA batteries, which you will be able to find anywhere with ease. No negatives to report about it.

Steve
 
I have two twinmates, and they are pretty cool- but not the most accurate.
I find they read 1 full stop slower than actual levels. One of mine, i shaved some of the plastic off the incident cover and it is more accurate now.

I am waiting on my 308 to arrive.
 
I see a trend here. It may be better to have more meter than I need than the other way 'round. By the by, I really like that user name of yours SteveM :)
 
Happy L308 user here - it's a good meter as others report, and easy to use one handed.
  • small enough to fit in a pocket
  • anything smaller I'm likely to fumble with and drop!
  • direct information (shutter speed and f-stop in digits)
  • it also reads in EV numbers (for use with Hasselblad shutters).
 
I have a 308 and a 208.
The 208 works well enough when you get used to it.
The reason I bought it was the size. I can loose it in my pocket.
If I was to have just one meter it would be the 308.
I have not seen another meter that does so much so well as the 308.
 
I have owned more meters than you could believe. The meter I carry is the 308. Easily fits into any pocket and is very accurate and versatile. Also well priced for what you get.
 
OK. I saw an L 308B on fleabay for $99, so I'm off to get it. I can't believe I'm gonna pay that much for a meter, but these old CDS meters I have are just not getting it when I'm inside in lowish light. Thanks!
 
I have a 208 and I find it not very accurate, compared to a number of meters that basically agree with each other. Also, there is an irritating slackness in the mechanics of the dial. You turn the dial manually to match the meter needle, and depending on whether you turn the dial clockwise or counterclockwise you get about a half stop difference. Add that to a not very accurate meter and it's not really very satisfying to use. Better than nothing, though.
 
I have both meters. I agree with the poster above who emphasized the importance of the reading angle on 208. It also has a pretty coarse ISO scale. But the biggest difference between the two form factors is the readout system on the two meters. I would guess that some people would find the scale on the 208, with all of the EV combination settings visible at once, easier than the 308B's digital readout with its graphic fractional f stop display. I think the 308B is more accurate, however.
 
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