Touchscreen Light Meter Could Have Been A Smartphone Accessory

Touchscreen Light Meter Could Have Been A Smartphone Accessory


Following in the footsteps of other pocketable devices, Sekonic has launched the world’s first touchscreen light meters featuring full-colour 2.7-inch LCD displays. As a result, the units have had their typically complicated buttons streamlined into a much more functional user interface.

In addition to providing accurate readings of lighting conditions on set or surrounding a particular subject, the new L-478D and L-478DR feature a rather brilliant and simplified exposure-profiling feature that calibrates the light meters based on your DSLR’s dynamic range. When the unit is connected to your PC, it allows you to snap a sample image to determine if your camera is capable of capturing the highlights and shadows you’re hoping for. It then makes the appropriate exposure adjustments to compensate when it’s unable to do so.

The L-478D is available now for $US389, while the L-478DR is a touch more expensive at $US469. But that’s because it includes a PocketWizard wireless transmitter that allows the light meter to not only automatically trigger compatible flashes when taking a reading, but also make power adjustments all from its touchscreen UI. In theory both of these devices could have been re-imagined as a phone accessory working alongside a custom app, but the fact that each of them runs on easily swappable AAA batteries means a shoot won’t be delayed because the photographer’s phone is dead.


[Sekonic via PetaPixel]


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