sekonic 208 accuracy

[jett]

I'm interested in a pocket meter. I figured that the smallest and cheapest incident meters are the Sekonic 208's and the Gossen Digisix. I much prefer the looks of the Sekonic but I fear that it might be too innacurate for indoor use.

I know that the lower limit is EV 3, but is it accurate/consistent for EV's around its lower threshold. I'm usually caught in EV 4-6, so if it is good enough for that, it would be great. If not, then maybe going with the Gossen is a better bet.

 

[Q-dog]

Tried to post a reply yesterday but although it was quite lengthy it was not accepted because "shorter than 10 carachters".
I'll make a new try. Used in incident mode the Sekonic is not as accurate indoors, it reads about 1 ev less than my Minolta Autometer. But in reflective mode it reads about the same as the Minolta.
Regards,
Ola

 

[dcsang]

I've used mine indoors before - both in incident and reflective and never had an issue with it. Then again, most film (unless we're talking slide film) has enough leeway to cover off any small inaccuracies in exposure readings.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[t6un]

Unlike earlier CdS meters, it's resolution seems to be almost linear over the full scale, so I don't think its less accurate at lower EV's.

Q-dog, After a year of using the Seconic in mostly incident mode I noticed I overexposed by one and a half stops. I took it apart to find that the inside of the white diffuser was covered with a layer of tobacco dust... It's a pity that to clean that darn thing one has to hollow out the whole meter - a really nasty design flaw if you ask me. Of course I didn't, and won't, use the pouch that came with the meter...

 

[john_s]

I have a 208 without tobacco dust and I don't find it accurate or really consistent. I've tested it against some much better meters (which agree with each other) and it seems inconsistent when used for incident. There is some slackness in the mechanics, so always match the needle from the same direction for consistency. I do like the needle rather than LEDs though.

In conclusion, I find it usable. Do test it against a known meter though.

 

[VictorM.]

Mine is accurate. But it only reads down to EV5 (1/8@f/2.0) when set to ISO400. It's no more sensitive than a Weston III. I like it when I don't think I need a meter because it's so small.

 

[johnamazement]

I bought a secondhand 208 which I had to return as it was wildly inaccurate despite new batteries. The brand new one I replaced it with has been totally reliable and very accurate. I really wanted the match-needle system for speed so it was the only compact, modern option there was and I've been very happy with it. I mostly use sunny 16 when outdoors so the meter gets most of its use indoors or in low light and I find it works fine.

 

[zeroeseight]

I bought one second hand as well. It initially seemed accurate then it went through a stage were it was giving readings 1 or 2 stops out. Now it seems to be more stable but I don't exactly have confidence in it anymore.