$4.50 offSekonic
Sekonic Lumisphere for L-398 Series Light Meters
Sale price $15.00 Regular price $19.50Unit price
$4.50 offSekonic
Sekonic Lumigrid for L-398 Series Analog Light Meters
Sale price $15.00 Regular price $19.50Unit price
$10.00 off
$99.00 offSekonic
Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478D-U Light Meter
Sale price $379.00 Regular price $478.00Unit price
$2.70 offSekonic
Sekonic Replacement Lens Cap for L-558, L-558 Cine, L-558R and L-758 Light Meters
Sale price $9.00 Regular price $11.70Unit price
$4.50 offSekonic
Sekonic Lumidisc for L-398A Analog Light Meter
Sale price $15.00 Regular price $19.50Unit price
$8.40 offSekonic
Sekonic Replacement Case for L-398 Series & L-246 Light Meters
Sale price $28.00 Regular price $36.40Unit price
$9.00 offSekonic
Sekonic Lumidisc For L-308 Series Light Meters
Sale price $35.00 Regular price $44.00Unit price
$11.00 offSekonic
Sale price $41.00 Regular price $52.00Unit price
$83.70 offSekonic
Sekonic L-858D-U (401-858) Meter plus RT-GX (401-628) Transmitter Module
Sale price $799.00 Regular price $882.70Unit price
$10.00 off
$20.00 offCalibrite
Calibrite Grafilite for Print Viewing and Evaluation (CALB151)
Sale price $119.00 Regular price $139.00Unit priceCalibrite
Calibrite Colorchecker Passport Video 2
Sale price $139.00 Regular price $149.00Unit price
$10.00 offCalibrite
Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2
Sale price $119.00 Regular price $129.00Unit price
Light Meters for Photography and Film
A dedicated light meter remains an essential tool for photographers and cinematographers who demand precision exposure control. While modern cameras have sophisticated through-the-lens metering, a handheld incident light meter measures the light falling on your subject — not the light reflected from it — giving you a fundamentally more accurate starting point for exposure. Film photographers, studio portrait shooters, and cinematographers working with strobes all rely on light meters to achieve consistent, reproducible results that in-camera metering simply cannot match.
Buying Guide: Choosing a Light Meter
Incident vs. Reflected Metering
Incident metering (using the white dome or lumisphere) measures the light arriving at your subject's position, making it immune to the tone and reflectivity of the subject itself. This is the standard mode for portrait, commercial, and film photography. Reflected metering reads the light bouncing off a subject — useful for checking contrast ratios, measuring specific zones in a scene, or reading luminance values for cinematography. Many professional meters support both modes.
Flash Metering Capability
If you shoot with studio strobes or speed lights, you need a meter with flash (sync cord or cordless) capability. Flash-capable meters measure the instantaneous peak light output of a strobe, something no ambient metering system can do accurately. Look for meters that support both corded sync (via PC sync port) and cordless triggering via radio trigger compatibility — Sekonic's L-308X and L-858D series are industry standards in this area.
Cine Mode and Video Features
Cinematographers need a meter that works in cine mode — displaying exposure in terms of frame rate, shutter angle, T-stop, and ISO rather than photographic shutter speed. Sekonic's higher-end meters include dedicated cine modes with false-color readout capabilities and can interface with digital cine systems. If you're shooting video or film, verify the meter you choose has proper cine functionality.
Top Brands
Sekonic is the dominant name in professional light metering, with a range from the entry-level L-308X to the advanced L-858D Speedmaster. Gossen offers excellent meters with a strong history in European cinematography. For basic incident metering at an accessible price point, the Sekonic L-308X is a perennial favorite among photography students and working professionals alike.
Do I need a light meter if my camera has built-in metering?
For most day-to-day shooting, in-camera metering is sufficient. However, a dedicated light meter becomes essential when working with studio strobes (in-camera metering cannot read flash accurately), shooting film, maintaining consistent exposure ratios across a multi-light portrait setup, or working in cinematography where precise stop measurements and ratios are critical to the look of the image.
What is the difference between a Sekonic L-308X and L-858D?
The L-308X is a compact, affordable incident and reflected meter with basic flash capability via PC sync. It's ideal for photographers just adding a light meter to their kit. The L-858D is a professional-grade meter with Bluetooth connectivity (for camera exposure profiles), a large display, radio-trigger flash metering, cine mode, and the ability to read exposure in more granular detail. The L-858D is the choice for working commercial photographers and cinematographers.
Can a light meter be used for video and cinema work?
Yes — and for cinema work, a dedicated meter is strongly preferred over relying on a camera's built-in tools. Cine-mode meters let you set frame rate and shutter angle as variables and read exposure in T-stops, which are the standard unit for cinema lenses. Sekonic meters with cine modes also allow you to log exposure data across a scene for consistent lighting from shot to shot.
How do I use a light meter with studio strobes?
Set the meter to flash mode, dial in your ISO and desired aperture or shutter speed, then hold the meter at the subject's position with the dome pointed toward the camera. Trigger the strobe either via a sync cord connected to the meter's PC port, or wirelessly if your meter supports radio triggering. The meter will display the aperture value at the set ISO — then dial that aperture into your camera.
Do light meters work with continuous LED lights?
Yes — all incident light meters can measure continuous LED, tungsten, fluorescent, and HMI sources in ambient mode. Some meters also read color temperature (in Kelvin) when equipped with a color meter probe, which is particularly useful for matching multiple LED panels to the same white balance.
Visit Us in Milwaukee — Our staff can walk you through light meter options for your specific workflow. Stop in or email sales@impulsemke.com anytime.
