Question about my Sekonic L-398M

[Pfreddee]

My meter lives in a little black bag until I need to take it out and take a reading for a photo. When I press the button in the center, it takes a reading. Is the center button an off/on switch, which activates the meter cell only when it is pressed, or is the cell on all the time? I'm thinking if the center button is an off/on switch, the meter cell should last a very long time indeed.

Thanks to all who reply.

With best regards,

Pfreddee(Stephen)

 

[Dan Daniel]

The center button is a lock mechanism for the meter needle. It both stops the needle from bouncing around when you don't need it free, and it lets you take a reading, lock it, then re-orient the meter so that you can read it.

The meter cell is always active, generating its own electrical current in response to light.

 

[EarlJam]

The center button has both "locked" and "unlocked" positions. There's a pinpoint-sized dot on the button. At the 12:00 position, the needle is locked until you press the button. If you press the button and turn it such that the dot is in the 3:00 position, then the needle remains unlocked. In effect, setting the button to 3:00 holds it in the "down" position until you reset it to 12:00.

 

[michaelwj]

The center button is a lock mechanism for the meter needle. It both stops the needle from bouncing around when you don't need it free, and it lets you take a reading, lock it, then re-orient the meter so that you can read it.

The meter cell is always active, generating its own electrical current in response to light.

I'll just add that in the absence of light, the meter cell generates no current and is technically off.