My Opinion on Other Photography Gear
(i.e. my blogg or gripe page)

Over the years, as a commercial photographer, working both on location and in the studio, I have noted the following products which have inherent design flaws. I also explain how to solve the problem, hoping that others can benefit from my trials.
-- Richard Stum
(proprietor of Kinesis Photo Gear)

Page Directory

• Sekonic Meters
• Color Balance w/ Digital Cameras
• Canon Digital Cameras
• Calibrating Digital Cameras
• Calumet Roll Film Backs
• Bogen Tripods

I have owned Sekonic incident meters since day one (mid-1970s). They are very durable and I like the overall design of their meters. Two of the earlier models I have owned (the L-328 and now the L-508) have been consistently 1/5 to 2/3's a stop off. They underexpose in the incident mode using flash or ambient light. I called the factory and asked if they could recalibrate my meter and they would only calibrate to their "factory" settings. Some photographers have noted that their new meters experience drift over time, providing varying exposures until the meter finally settles down. I have not found that to be case.
Although it has been a few years since I have done a Sekonic vs. Minolta comparison, the last time I checked was with my Sekonic L-328 against a friends Minolta IVF. His was dead on. Mine was 2/3s a stop off. That doesn't mean I'll buy a Minolta when my Sekonic dies--read on?
February 2004 update: I just purchased a L-358 and it shows less drift. I have set it at -.5, instead of -.7 like my L-508. With the L-358 I used the "Calibration Compensation" function instead of the "Exposure Compensation" function, although the end result is the same.

I base this Sekonic underexposure factor on two criteria:
1) Sunny-16 rule (see sidebar for explanation of Sunny-16) and using E-6 color reversal (slide) daylight films, such as Fuji Astia or Provia or Kodak E100S processed as "normal" using a both a Kodak certified E-6 Q-Lab and a Fuji-certified Fuji-Tech lab. (I rate Astia or Provia at ISO 80 and E100s at ISO 100). This is using the meter in the incident mode in both ambient and off-camera strobe-lit conditons.
2) Actual Commercial Use
Aside from the verification of sunny-16 (at least in Colorado & Utah where I have tested them) the other test is in regular commercial use with E-6 films. I shoot with "professional" films with studio flash (Speedotron Black line w/ color corrected tubes) which are voltage-controlled and don't introduce the variables of different makes and models of cameras and shutters.
I use 35mm (Canon EOS) system with several lenses, Canon D-60 digital camera (camera set at ISO 100), a Hassy with several lenses and finally a Sinar 4x5" with both Nikkor and Schneider lenses. This is based on several years of testing. IN ALL CASES I get very close exposures* by adjusting my L-508 7/10s of an F-stop, (see photo #1 in sidebar above). This is uing a typical portrait lighting set-up with an average-toned model with flash using the meter in the incident mode.
When measuring with an incident meter I aim it half way between the key light and the camera. If I have strong side-lighting then I may aim the meter mostly at the key or main light, shoot some Polaroids or spot meter it. I rarely use the meter in reflective mode. With a 18% grey card I have found this meter to yield similarily underexposed results (at least the incident and reflective modes match). Using the incident mode is ALWAYS more accurate. A grey card can reflect different amounts of light depending how reflective it is or how the light is hitting the card. The only time I use a grey card is to intially test out an SLR through-the-lens meter.

*"Very close exposures" means suitable density (within a 1/4 stop) for 4-color offset printing in a catalog or magazine -- I like my whites as a clean value with printable texture, not a muddy grey or off-white. Note that most reversal films have about a 10-stop density range, while most separations or 4-color presses can only hold a 4 to 6-stop range. Because of this I usually expose for the highlights and let the rest fall or I add more fill light to bring the subject into a "4-color printable" range.

How to fix the exposure problem
With the L-508 I use the EV adjust setting, by pushing the two ISO buttons together and adjust the meter to -0.7 (which effectively adjusts the ISO down 7/10s of a stop, yielding more exposure to the image) as shown by the photo #1 to the upper right.
With the L-358 I used the "Calibration Compensation" function instead of the "Exposure Compensation" function, although the end result is the same.

Another problem with this meter (and this has been confirmed in conversation with other pros) is the inability for this meter to pickup flash readings in the "cordless flash" mode in ambient light outside. This meter is terrible in open shade which is usually the easiest condition. My old L-328 nearly always picked up flash readings, even on low watt-second settings. The L-508 seems to need a lot of output (i.e. 200 w/s at short distance of about 10-15 feet) to even get a reading.

Here's the way to work around this problem. Connect your radio slave (Quantum Radio Slave 4i shown) and meter with a PC cord. Having an extra transmitters is handy, so you can leave one transmitter attached to the camera. Switch the meter to "cord flash." Then press meter "fire" button and the flash will fire with the transmitter, while getting an instant reading. See photo #2 above.

The new L-558, L-608 or L-358 may solve this problem with their new Digital Radio Transmitter Module. This feature is compatible with PocketWizard radio transmitters only.

Will Crockett's DVD on Calibrating Your Flashmeter. Will is an ace commercial shooter with nationwide seminar experience. He has produced a DVD on this topic ($49 + shipping). It is very comprehensive and detailed. Best of all, he provides an actual set of processed E-6 transparencies, which you can compare your results. They include a bracketed head shot of a model, shot on medium format film.

Calibrating an incident meter ? (10/01 post from Nature Photograhers.net)

Incident Meters - What kind to get? (9/01 post from Nature Photograhers.net)

Re-calibrating a digital meter (Sekonic L-508)? (8/00 post from photo.net)

Sekonic User Forum. Discussion group on the official Sekonic Website.

Accurate Exposure with Your Meter. A detailed technical data report by Eastman Kodak Company.

1. Shown in this photo is the meter calibration technique I use. Some meters have a dip screw to adjust, but the Sekonic meters do not. (Click on photos to enlarge them.)

2. The radio slave is referenced in the ambient / flash problem below.

Sunny-16 Rule = 1/ISO (shutter speed) at F16 in front lit sunlight (no more than two hours after or before sunrise/
sunset). I.e. ISO 125 film would be 1/125th of a second shutter speed at F16.) For more on this topic by Arthur Morris (the notable bird photog) & others visit this thread on the Nature Photographers.net forum.

Canon D60 Digital Camera -- Exposure
I have found that using the L-508 (w/ the minus 7/10s of a stop adjustment as mentioned above in incident mode with the dome up) yields good results with average subjects using the following settings: meter at ISO 80 and camera set to ISO 100. See "contrast" results below.

Most digital cameras now have a "custom white balance" mode. There have been much talk whether or not to use a white card (as most camera manuals suggest) or a gray card (as many labs suggest). Personally, I feel that using a gray card makes more sense, because you are balancing to the middle value or zone of your scene, not to the highlight.
I have found that using a white card (as recommended by Canon) for my custom white balance yields neutral gray colors with a slight yellow bias (about 6-8 Photoshop points).

Contrast Control
With most DSLRs you can adjust certain qualities of your images with a set of custom "Parameters" (like changing film types). They include contrast, sharpness, saturation and color tone. For constrasty subjects I personally prefer the "Low Contrast" setting as it holds the detail in the highlights w/o sacrificing the shadow areas. See photos below…

*Black or "K" value using the eyedropper in Photoshop. (Window > Show Info > Palette Options, then First Color Readout = RGB Mode & Second Color Readout = Grayscale Mode [K which means black channel]).

Bob Shell, former editor of Shutterbug Magazine said

"the 18% thing is a photographic urban legend, nothing more. No light meter was ever factory calibrated to 18% reflectance. Meter makers use the ANSI Standard which works out to about 12.5%, or 1/2 stop less reflectance than 18%.
The Kodak Gray Card, 1999 revision, contains correct instructions for its use. I know because I wrote those instructions after being hired by Kodak, and did considerable research on the subject.
You can read more in the book I co-authored, The Hand Exposure Meter Book."

Getting The Most
From Your EOS-1
Class Digital SLR
Tips and Techniques:
Camera Handling
& Maximum Image Quality.

Download this 1MB file (EOS_Digital.pdf).

Film Flatness
Several years ago (circa 1985) I purchased a Nikon 65/4 SW lens for use on my Sinar P. I noticed repeated softness on one side of the image. I thought it was the lens or perhaps the lens board. It turned out to be the film back. Since then and after much experimentation I have fixed them both with a little gaffer's tape. I graduate it to get a smooth transition to the film plane. The problem, as it turns out, is that that these roll film backs only have one roller on one side of the pressure plate. The side I taped has NO roller and hence the film tends to float around, creating unsharp images.

Film Advance
I have had consistent film spacing problems with these backs. They put two much space between the frames and sometimes the 10th frame gets cut off. The only reliable way is to only shoot 9 frames per roll. Calumet repair techs (I sent one in for repair--it is better, but still problematic) tell me the newer C2N versions have better guts and gears.

Dark Slide
The metal dark slide tends to slip out easily. I have added a few layers of gaffer tape to the outside of the film back, creating more friction, fixing this problem (see photo).

The Notorious Calumet 6x12 Back
I had a studio mate who owned this film back (I believe it was the newer C2N version). Because of the cheesy rollers, the film did not track straight and it literally shredded (ripped it on the long dimensions) the film on the edges. A bad design. He sent it back to Calumet. Rather than repair it, they just gave him credit. Later (circa 1998) they stopped listing this product in their catalogs. I notice that it is now (2001) offered on their website.

Other Alternatives
I prefer the slide-in or insert-style backs like the Calumets. Horseman makes some nice quality "non slide-in" backs, which require removal of the spring ground glass back and are very slow to use. Sinar makes a few slide-in backs, but are really expensive. I examined a Toyo 6x7cm back. It appeared to have promise but the thickness of this back made it difficult (not impossible) to insert and remove from my Sinar P. Many other camera backs have more "space" for film holders, but for whatever reason, the Sinar has a more snug fit.
If I was not shooting with a Sinar camera (and my camera had more space between the ground glass and film plane like the Canham field camera for instance) then I would purchase the Toyo film back.

Other Opinions
Below are a few threads from photo forums about roll film backs (please e-mail me [Richard] if you discover these are not permanently archived).

120 Roll back for 4x5 (9/01 thread from PDN Tech Talk)

Click on photo to enlarge it (this is big jpg to show detail and may take a minute or two to load on a 56K modem).

Shown below is the tripod I use -- the Slik Professional 4.