Sekonic MULTIMASTER L-408 User manual

EXPOSURE METER
8
Operating Instructions

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
This manual uses the following safety labels
fork WARNING andA CAUTION
that you must follow.
&, WARNING
n CAUTION
Indicates hazards or unsafe practices that can result in severe
personal injury or death.
Indicates hazards or unsafe practices that can result in the personal
injury or a damage to your L-408 exposure meter.
Indicates an operation note or limitation you must use. Please read
the notes to avoid an incorrect L-408 operation.
Provides the reference information and related functions that are
useful for your L-408 operations.
+Store your L-408 in asafe place so that a little child cannot take 8
it and not to wind the strap around his/her neck.
Q) Never drop dry cells in afire. Also, do not jumper, disassemble,
or overheat the dry cells.
If done, the cells may explode and
you may be injured or the ambient may be contaminated.
A CAUTION 0To avoid injury to your eyes, never look at the sun through the
viewfinder.
8To avoid an electrical shock, never plug in or remove the
syncro cord when water drops, the moisture is too high, or your
hands are wet.
I

FEATURES
Thank you for your purchase of the Sekonic Multimaster L-408.
It features:
1. Built-in non-parallax viewfinder with 5 degree acceptance
angle.
0Built-in viewfinder eliminates parallax error caused by separate
viewfinders.
l Built-in design eliminates troublesome viewfinder mounting and removal
in the field.
2. Unique, new combination of Lumisphere and Lumidisc.
lAll operations directly on meter body.
Reduces workload, speeds operation and removes risk of losing
accessories.
l Fast and accurate light balancing reading because the unit features an
exclusive, retracting Lumisphere which allows fast, accurate light
balancing readings, while eliminating the need for additional accessories.
3. Water-resistant.
lThe first photographic apparatus that has the water-resistant construction.
Stands up to dirty, sooty, damp industrial locations and wet weather,
outdoors.
4. Aperture or shutter speed priority.
ID Aperture or shutter speed priority can be selected according to choice.
Both modes are available for ambient light reading.
5. Memory function is useful for subject contrast measurement,
0The three memory values are displayed on the LCD analog scale to
provide simple balancing of light and subject contrasts.
6. Multiple flash measurement.
0When a single flash is insufficient to illuminate a subject, repeated flash
exposures on the same film frame or sheet of film will build exposure to
the correct level and the cumulative effect of these exposures can be
accurately measured by the meter.
ii

CONTENTS
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ..........................................................
i
FEATURES
................................................................................
ii
::
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Parts Designations
.............................................................. 1
Display ............................................................................... 2
2-1 LCD panel ............................................................................... 2
2-2 Light-receiving indicator
.......................................................... 4
2-3 Viewfinder information
........................................
....................
4
Mode Selection
................................................................... 5
3-1
Switching between lumisphere UP and DOWN positions
...... 5
3-2
Switching between incident and reflected light metering
........ 5
Light-receiving Method ........................................................
6
4-1
Incident light metering (with eyepiece cover closed) ............ 6
4-2 Reflected light metering (with eyepiece cover open)
...............
6
Preparation for Measurement
.............................................
7
5-1 Mounting a type-AA battery
................................................... 7
5-2
Battery check ................................................................
.......... 7
5-3
Auto Power OFF ......................................................................
8
5-4 ISO film speed setup ...............................................................
8
5-5 Light-receiving method setup ......................
..........................
8
5-6
Measurement mode setup ...................................................... 9
5-7
Shutter speed priority setup ................................................... 10
5-8
Aperture priority setup ...........................................................
10
Ambient Light Measurement .............................................. 11
6-1
Mode selection ......................................................................
11
6-2 Measuring switch ................................................................... 11
6-3 Shutter speed priority setup
...................................................
11
6-4 Measurement ......................................................................... 11
6-5 Data memory .........................................................................
12
6-6 Contrast measurement ..........................................................
13
Flash Measurement with Cord
...................................................
14
7-1 Single flash measurement
.....................................................
14
7-2 Data memory .........................................................................
15
7-3 Cumulative flash measurement
.............................................
15
7-4 Contrast measurement
.......................................................... 16
Flash Measurement without Cord
.............................................. 17
8-1 Single flash metering
.............................................................
17
8-2 Data memory ......................................................................... 18
8-3 Cumulative measurement ......................................................
18
8-4 Contrast measurement
..........................................................
19
Other Metering Operations
................................................ 20
9-1 Exposure index correction
.................................................... 20
9-2 Using your L-408 as an illumination meter
........................... 21
9-3
Using your L-408 as a luminance meter ................................
21
Specifications ....................................................................
22
Instructions and Maintenance Notes .................................
23

1. Parts Designations
Light-receiving indicator- _ ____
receiving element)
display (LCD) panel
Objective lens cover
POWER switch
Measuring switch
UP/DOWN button
Mode selector
F/EV/MULTI selector
’Synchro terminal
Viewfinder
Eye-piece
cover
Memory
button
Battery case cover lock

2. Display
.~~
2.1 LCD panel
@ Mode selection
m Ambient light measurement
Flash measurement without cord
Flash measurement with cord
The mode symbols are switched in the following sequence:
@ Aperture/EV/Battery/Others
“b.c” Battery capacity 2‘:“; See Page 7.
Eu
Eo
I
--
Aperture value (Indicated by a number
and dots
2’:‘i ) See Page 11.
Aperture-priority measurement
E xposure value (Indicated by a number
and dots
$:‘$
) See Page 11.
Under exposure
Over exposure
The mark flashes during Reflected Light
Metering. See Page 6.
One full stop is shown by 9 bars.
A single bar indicates one tenth stop.

@ m Number of cumulative flashes
When the flash is fired, this mark appears and the measurement times are
acccumulated. More than 10 measurement causes the “E” (error) mark to
appear.
See Pages 15 and 18.
IS0 film speed
The film speed of IS0 3 to 8000 is shown.
See Page 8.
0
Measuring-level adjustment
This mark appears when the measuring-level
adjustment is carried out. See Page 20.
@ @ T Shutter speed or film frame count (F. P. S.)
M Shutter speed in minutes
Q Shutter speed in seconds
m Number of frames per second
R~J Shown during exposure index correction.
See Page 20.
(?J Analog display
2 Underexposure
; Overexposure
e I. Aperture (A bar or dot indicates 0.5 stop.)
The analog displaycan be switched to memory dot
display using the memory function.
See Page
12.

2.2 Light-receiving indicator
Slide the eyepiece cover up or down to set metering to either incident light or reflected
light (with 5-degree viewfinder metering).
Light receiving
indicator
‘...
-1
Incident light metering
Reflected light metering
2.3 Viewfinder information
Circle e) indicates 5 degree spot measurement. Center spot @ is for positioning
of spot measurement.
Viewfinder information

3. Mode Selection
Your
flash L-408 can measure both incident and reflected light in both ambient (strobe or bulb) modes. You can switch the modes as follows:
[LighM~fng [Llghk$\mg
[Measured light)
IMl
light and
See Page 11 speed priority measurement (Can be stored in memory)i )
‘
Exposure priority measurement 1
(Cannot be stored in memory)
3.1 Switching between incident metering and reflected light
metering (with 5-degree viewfinder metering)
Slide the eyepiece cover closed for incident light metering, or open the eyepiece cover
forreflected light metering.
Incident light metering (with cover closed)
Reflected light metering (with cover open)
Caution Set the eyepiece cover at the top or button click position only.
Otherwise, the LCD markings (entire display) will blink and you cannot
Istart metering with the measuring switch.
3.2 Switching between lumisphere up and down positions
Manually rotate the lumisphere UP/DOWN ring counterclockwise to move the
lumisphere up. You can now start incident light metering.
Rotate the ring clockwise to retract the lumisphere for balancing light metering.
Lumisphere
up position Lumisphere
down position
@6%$ Set the lumisphere UP/DOWN ring to one of the dot marked positions.
Any other position will result in incorrect metering.
L
,
5

4. Light-receiving Method
4.1
Incident light metering (with eyepiece cover closed)
Hold the L-408 close to the subject, point the lumisphere towards the camera, and
measure the incident light intensity.
.\; q
Lumisphere in up position:
For incident measurement
Lumisphere in down position:
For light balance and simple illuminance
eflected light metering (with eyepiece cover open)
Your L-408 has a built-in viewfinder. By sliding the eyepiece cover down to its open
position, you can use it as a 5-degree spot meter for accurate spot metering.
Hold the L-408 at your camera position, and place the circle in the viewfinder on the
target subject.
@@%I +Spot metering under 50 cm (20 inches) is not possible.
NOTE
* When you open the eyepiece cover, 141 appears in the light-receiving
r
indicator and _ i _
flashes in the bar display area.

5. Preparation for Measurement
5.1 Mounting a battery and strapping
Use a 1.5volt, type-AA (UM3 dry, LR-6 or R-6) battery. Do not use a NiCd battery.
@Unlock the cover lock and remove the battery case cover. @Insert the battery in
the battery case aligning the polarities as indicated on the inside of the case.
@insert the claws of the cover into the holes of the
bodv. Lock the cover lock.
, Pull down the strap ring.
Battery
case cover
Cover lock
ICAUTION 1
Attaching the strap
Remove the battery case cover.
(3 Move the cover lock toward the battery
case (arrow a).
a Pass the strap through strap eyelet 0.
@Pass the opposite side of the strap through
a strap ring.
l To save your current setup, turn the POWER switch OFF first, then
replace the battery.
eIf the LCD message is abnormal or if nothing occures when you press
an operation button, remove the battery. Wait at least 10 seconds.
Then, mount the battery (in the correct polarity) and try again.
l Wipe and clean the rubber seal of battery cover. Sand and dust may
cause water leakage, corrosion or other problems.
5.2 Battery check
Turn the POWER switch on, and the LCD panel
(“b.c” message and bar marking 2‘:“; ) displays
the current battery level. The battery level is
indicated by a number of bars for one second.
Then, the LCD panel automatically switches to the
normal measurement mode.

NOTES 0You can sustain battery level display by holding down the Power switch.
* When the battery capacity drops below the limit, the “b.c” display blinks
and then goes out.
* When the battery level is indicated by only two or three dots, replacethe
battery.
5.3 Auto Power-off
To save battery capacity, the L-408 is automatically turned off (and all readings are
erased) 10 minutes after your last operation.
.~
NOTE @ When the L-408 is automatically turned off by Auto Power-off,
settings (such as mode selection, exposure setup and measured
values) are saved. They are displayed again when the POWER switch
is turned on. ---
5.4 IS0 film speed setup
Hold down the IS0 button (@iJ) and press the UP or
DOWN
button (c=@) to set the IS0 film speed. The UP
button is used to select higher film speed, and the DOWN
button for more than one second continuously increases
or decreases the film speed.
NOTE /---
eYou can also change the IS0 film speed after taking measurement.
The new calculated value is displayed when the film speed is changed after taking the
measurement.
5.5 Light-receiving method setup
Select incident light metering (with lumisphere in the UP or DOWN position) or
reflected tight metering (with 5-degree spot meter).
Eyepiece
cover
\
Closed
Q
Open
3
Eyepiece /
cover
8
Incident light metering
(with cover closed) Reflected light metering
(with cover open)

5.6 Measurement mode setup
Press the mode selection button (&iJ) to select the
desired measurement mode. Mode switching sequence:
,+ ❂ Ambient light +
Flash measurement Flash measurement
measurement
withoutcord --)
w with cord
I
The following shows the meter display of each selected mode.
❂ (Ambient liqht measurement) mode:
Press the F/EV/MULTI button (~0) to switch the display. Display switching
sequence:
+ 6 Shutter speed
prioritymetering
+ m Exposure value + i Aperture priority ._____
metering metering
1
~~~~o;;~s;1’
I 14 2 28 4 ib 8 II 13?:3:f-6490
Shutter speed priority metering Exposure value metering Aperture priority metering
(Flash measurement without cord) mode, and
[Flash measurement with cord) mode
Press the F/EV/MULTI button to select single or cumulative flash measurement.
NOTES ilUse single flash measurement when a single flash is sufficient.
lUsecumulativemeasurementwhenmultipleflashesareneeded(oneto
nine times.) Ten or more flashes are not possible,
Singleflash
measurement i
LiiiL’Ld.,,ti/?iL:il3ri i*li5lib: ,, lo‘2>il’t”4,
1 1
Cumulative
measurement 1
I‘ //a 4 c. E1i ‘I 3‘4 ?i ‘6 J [ cl<-4 bi 1 Ire_ /‘ctes- J
Flash measurement Flash measurement with cord
without cord 9

5.7 Shutter speed priority setup
Press the UP/DOWN button (~=a) to select a shutter
speed.
The UP button is used to increase shutter speed, and the
DOWN button to decrease it. Holding down the UP or
DOWN button continuously increases or decreases the
shutter speed. When the DOWN button is pressed once
; ;4 2 ;& 3 56 i i! 162232C:E4 93
5.8 Aperture priority setup
Press the UP/DOWN button to set the desired aperture for aperture-priority
measurement in ambient light. The UP button is used to decrease the aperture, and
the DOWN button to increase it. Holding either button down continuously changes
aperture.
When the DOWN button is pressed once
pJ -- \+ gJ
m :;‘c
--
EJg IL%
i-I
When the UP button is pressed once
10

6. Ambient Light Measurement
6.1 Mode selection
Press the mode selection button (c==@) to select the
a Ambient light measurement mode.
6.2 Measuring switch
Press the F/EV/MULTI button (e=@) to select the
desired measuring value display.
Shutter priority measurement
EV exposure value measurement
Exposure priority measurement
After this measurement, you can change the measuring mode by pressing the F/EV/
MULTI button.
NOTE eThe EV (exposure value) shows light value based on the combination
of shutter speed and aperture.
6.3 Shutter speed priority setup
Press the UP or DOWN button to set the desired shutter speed.
NOTE
* Your L-408 covers shutter speeds from 30 minutes to 1/8000 sec. After
1/8000 sec. , the shutter speed of 1/200 and 1/400 sec. appears in the
display, then from 8 to 128 frames per second (f/s) for cinespeeds can
be set.
6.4 Measurement
Press the measuring switch (*a) to start measurement.
Shutter speed priority
measurement is set at "T:1/
125” and“F:2.8+3/10”. U
1 14 2 2.8 4 56 8 11 1622324154 90
Exposure Value
measurement is set at
“EV10.3”.
11

Aperture priority iEl
@iJ “3:’
measurement is set at “F:5.6+3/10”
and “T:
1/30".
is r- Ii
D -1 rr
-1 r-1 3 1 _ 3 !J
- .a z
NOTES
* Bars and analog values are displayed.
@ Ambient light metering continues as long
as you keep pressing the measuring
switch.
0When you change the film speed, the
measurement is recalculated and a new
value is displayed.
@ When the measuring range is exceeded, [
“Eu” (underexposure) or “Eo”
(overexposure)appears.If "Eu"
;a r:: G
/3r
appears, slow down the shutter speed or i
b.cL ’ - IL 3
1~1.1.1.1.1.1.1.,~,.,~,..., t
open the aperture.
1 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 811 16 22 32 45 64 90 0
If “Eo” appears, increase the shutter speed or close the aperture.
6.5 Data memory
In the ambient light mode, you can store up to three aperture values at shutter speed
priority measurements in memory.
After measurement, press the memory button (@c=).
The aperture value will be displayed on the analog scale
with ( l or
1).
You can store up to three measurements. The fourth
measurement is displayed but not stored.
You can store three measurements for each light-
receiving method. (See page 13 (5). So, a total of 9
measurements can be stored in memory.
When measuring and storing data with the lumisphere in the DOWN position, your
L-408 does not display the values measured with the lumisphere in the UP
position or in the reflected light metering mode, To recall these measurements,
switch the mode to lumisphere UP position or reflected light metering.
To clear the memory, press the Clear Memory button.
f I I
m * The Clear Memory button clears all 9 measurements from the memory .
12

(3 Measurement mode/light-receiving method and memory
Measuring mode Light-receiving method
lncldent light metering Reflected light metering
R Ambient light Lvorphu.
UP
L-e
b Flash with cord
c
Flash without cord
Memory data count
(in the ambient light mode, memo; can be syored only in shu;ter priority
measurement.)
Caution You can only recall memory data in the same measuring mode. If you
change the measuring mode, previous data is cleared from memory.
6.6 Contrast measurement
To measure the contrast between the main and auxiliary light sources, set the
lumisphere to the DOWN position. Then proceed as follows for shutter speed priority
measurement:
a Hold your L-408 close to the subject and point the
lumisphere toward the main light source (turn the
auxiliary light source off). Take reading.
ia Press the Memory button to store the measured
data in memory.
@Keep holding the L-408 close to the subject and
point the lumisphere to ward the auxiliary light
source (turn the main light source off).
@Compare the difference in brightness between the
main and auxiliary light sources, and determine the
contrast.
NOTE
* The contrast can be determined easily
Example: The main light source is :b
2 1 _ and
auxiliary light source is
$c$ _
f - -,-A_u~p&w&~
1 14 2 28 4 56 8*1116*22324564 90
Since the difference is two exposure
increments, the contrast is 4:1.
NOTE * To determine the correct exposure, turn both the main and auxiliary light
sources on, point the lumisphere (UP position) toward the camera lens,
and measure the exposure. 13

7. Flash Measurement with cord
7.1 Single flash measurement
(II Flash measurement with cord
(Flash measurement with cord)
e mode selection button (e(Q)*
-
0Never use the L-408 in flash mode when your hands are wet in
conditions such as rain, splashing water or wet place. High voltage
at the synchro terminal may result in an electric shock. Use the
synchro terminal cap and select the flash without cord mode for
safety.
* The flash unit may “pop” when you connect the synchro cord to the L-
408 terminal or when you operate the POWER switch.
1
* When using a flash bulb, check the synchro speed of the camera you
use. Measurement with a flash bulb cannot be made in the flash
cordless mode.
F/EV/MULTI button
(e@).
@Shutter speed setup
Set the desired shutter speed using the UP/DOWN
Single flash measurement
Select the single flash measurement mode using the
button
(e@).
Synchro cord connection
Plug the flash synchro cord into the L-408 synchro
terminal.
NoTE
@Measurement
Press the measuring switch
(=a).
The flash will fire and the correct aperture will
appear on the LCD panel.
I
8.1.8.8.848.8*
1 14 2 2.8 456 811 1622324564 30
14

NOTES
lIf the camera’s flash does not fire, use flash measurement without cord.
l When the IS0 setup is changed, the measurement data is recalculated
and redisplayed .
l If the shutter speed is changed after measurement, the measurement is
lost and the aperture is cleared to zero (0).
l When the measuring range is exceeded, “Eu” (underexposure) or “Eo”
(overexposure) appears. Correct the shutter speed or the light source.
* Synchro cord (optional):
A 5-meter-long synchro cord with three
plugs is available for synchronous metering
between your L-408 and the flash unit or
between the camera and the flash unit. It is
very convenient as no cord replacement is
required during shooting pictures. The L-
408 is also equipped with a connector
terminal lock for securing cable connection.
light
7.2 Data memory
In the single flash measurement mode, up to three measurements can be stored in
memory. Memory storage is same as for the ambient light measurement (see 6.5 of
Page 12).
7.3 Cumulative flash measurement
@Flash measurement with cord
Select the (Flash measurement with cord) mode
using the mode selection button
(~=a).
@J Cumulative flash measurement
Select the cumulative flash measurement mode using
the F/EV/MULTI button (G@).
@Shutter speed setup
Set the desired shutter speed using the UP/DOWN
button (=@).

--_l
NOTE
lIn this mode, you can set the shutter speed from 1sec to 1/500 sec.
After 1/500 sec., 1/75,1/80,1/90, 1/100, 1/200and 1/400 sec. appear in
the display and you can select a particular shutter speed.
_ --_ -._ /
@Measurement
Press the measuring switch (=@). The flash will fire, and the aperture will
appear on the LCD panel. Also! the cumulative aperture of each measurement
and the number of accumulated flashes also appear.
When a single flash firing is
measured
When four flash firings are
measured
:
ra IT ii
j-j-
j /J$:‘- re 5
I~l*l*l.l*I*l*l.~*
1 14 2 28 4E6 8 111622324564 90
@To cancel the Cumulative mode, just press the F/EV/MULTI button, To restart
metering with new setup, press the F/EV/MULTI button.
NOTES eWhen the IS0 setup is changed, the measurement data is recalculated
and redisplayed.
* If the shutter speed is changed after measurement, the measurement is
lost and both the number of accumulated flashes and aperture are
cleared to zero (0).
7.4 Contrast measurement
The contrast measurement is the same as for ambient light measurement (see 6.6 of
Page 13).
16