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Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter

BH #SEL858DU • MFR #401-858
 95 reviews
Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter
Key Features
  • Incident Metering for Ambient & Flash
  • 1° Spot Metering with Viewfinder
  • Measuring Range: -5 to 22.9 EV (ISO 100)
  • Illuminance Range: 0.1 to 2,000,000 lux
Aiming to provide for the needs of both photographers and filmmakers, the Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter from Sekonic comes packed with a variety of upgraded features and capabilities that make it an almost essential tool for a working professional. It is able to take incident and reflected light readings of both flash and ambient light with an expanded measuring range of -5 to 22.9 EV at ISO 100, or within an illuminance range of 0.1 to 2,000,000 lux. Users will also find it intuitive and easy-to-use thanks to the use of a 2.7" color touchscreen LCD and an all-weather design.
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$629.00
$53/mo. suggested payments for 12 Mos.
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Sekonic L-858D-U Overview

Aiming to provide for the needs of both photographers and filmmakers, the Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter from Sekonic comes packed with a variety of upgraded features and capabilities that make it an almost essential tool for a working professional. It is able to take incident and reflected light readings of both flash and ambient light with an expanded measuring range of -5 to 22.9 EV at ISO 100, or within an illuminance range of 0.1 to 2,000,000 lux. Users will also find it intuitive and easy-to-use thanks to the use of a 2.7" color touchscreen LCD and an all-weather design.

The meter can use either a 270° rotating and collapsible lumisphere or an integrated 1° spot viewfinder to account for varying needs of the user. Also, it offers an extensive range of cinema and video settings as well as the unique ability to measure flash duration and to take readings when using high-speed sync flash. The L-858D-U is equipped with a variety of other functions as well, including memory recall, a Flash Analyzing Function, and extended ranges on nearly every setting. Additionally, through the use of optional modules, users can add radio triggering support for PocketWizard and Elinchrom/Phottix systems.

Lumisphere receptor head rotates 90° right and 180° left and retracts for conversion to a flat diffuser.
Integrated 1° spot viewfinder with full information display provides a precise method of measuring specific parts of a scene.
Ability to measure flash duration within a range of 1/40 to 1/55,500 second using t0.1 to t0.9 settings.
Improved sensitivity of the L-858D-U allows it to record a reading at just 0.1 lux illuminance as well as use expanded range of -5 to 22.9 EV for incident readings and -1 to 22.4 EV for reflected light. Also, it features an extended ISO range of ISO 3 to ISO 13,107,200 with an option available for ISO 850.
Optional radio modules are available for PocketWizard and Elinchrom/Phottix systems for advanced wireless triggering and remote flash control.
High-Speed Sync support allows photographers to accurately take readings while using HSS with their flashes and cameras.
Flash Analyzing Function measure ambient and flash simultaneously to provide a percentage of flash in the final exposure. Users can then adjust the mix as the display shows camera settings and the relationship between the flash and ambient light in your exposure.
Users can determine the dynamic range of their camera using optional targets by taking bracketed shots with their measurement data and they using the Sekonic Data Transfer Software to graph and then save the information to the meter.
Expanded shutter speed ranges now allow for readings between 1/64,000 second to 30 minutes with ambient light and 1/16,000 second to 30 minutes for flash.
A comprehensive set of cinema modes allows for settings of 1-1000 fps as well as shutter angles of 1-358°. Twenty user determined settings are also available that provide more precise options of 0.001-360° shutter angles and 0.001-99,999.999 fps.
2.7" color touchscreen LCD provides a fast and intuitive method for viewing and changing settings.
Micro-USB port can be used for firmware updates, applying custom settings, and to use exposure profiling.
The L-858D-U features an all-weather construction that is dust and splash proof (JIS Class 4).

Sekonic L-858D-U Specs

Meter Type
Ambient
Cine
Flash
Spot
Spot Metering
1° Spot
Flash Metering
Cordless
Metering
Light Reading Method
Incident
Reflected
Light Readings
Candelas per Meter Squared (cd/m²)
Foot Lamberts (fl)
Footcandle
Lux
Measuring Modes
Aperture Priority
FPS Metering
Flash Duration Analysis
HSS Flash
Shutter Priority
Aperture Range
Flash, Incident: f/0.5 to 128.9 at ISO 100
Flash, Reflected: f/1 to 128.9 at ISO 100
f/0.5 to 161.2 (1, 1/2, 1/3-Step Increments) at ISO 100
EV Range
Ambient, Incident: -5 to 22.9 EV at ISO 100
Ambient, Reflected: -1 to 24.4 EV at ISO 100
ISO Range
3 to 13,107,200 (1/3-Step Increments), Plus 850
Shutter Speed Range
1/64,000 to 30 Minutes (1, 1/2, 1/3-Step Increments), Plus 1/400, 1/200
Max Flash Sync Speed
1/16,000
Cine Speed / Shutter Angle
0.001 to 1000 fps at 1 to 358°
Illuminance Range
0.1 to 2,000,000 Lux / 0.01 to 180,000 fc
Luminance Range
0.3 to 290,000 fL / 0.1 to 980,000 cd/m²
Exposure Memory
Yes, 9 Readings
Physical
Receptor Element
Silicon Photodiode
Diffuser
Adjustable Spherical to Flat
Display
2.7" / 6.9 cm Color Touchscreen LCD
System Connection
PC Sync Terminal
Micro-USB Port
Memory Card Slots
None
Tripod Mounting Thread
1/4"-20 Female
Environmental
Operating Temperature
14 to 122°F / -10 to 50°C
Operating Humidity
0 to 85%
Storage Temperature
-4 to 140°F / -20 to 60°C
Storage Humidity
0 to 85%
General
Battery
2 x AA (Alkaline, Manganese)
Radio System
None
Dimensions
3.7 x 6.9 x 1.9" / 94 x 176 x 49 mm
Weight
8.5 oz / 240.0 g (without Batteries)
Packaging Info
Package Weight
1.395 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
10.3 x 6.55 x 3.8"

Sekonic L-858D-U Reviews

Muy bueno

By Yamil
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-23

Es muy bueno para poder media la luz y muy facil de usar

Stiff Touchscreen. Awkward and buggy menus.

By Joe
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-05-10

Touchscreen, is stiff, requires a finger nail. The menus could be a lot better organized. For example if ya just wanna back out one menu level, it closes the whole menu system instead of just backing up. So ya have to start all over and find where you were again. Annoying and unprofessional. Some aperture settings are not settable, based on what t+f steps you have set. So if ya want a 1.2 aperture, ya have to set the t+f step size to 0.5. Otherwise it'll jump from 1.1 to 1.3, then same thing again if ya want a 1.8 aperture, ya have to set the t+f step size back again to 0.3. Ridiculous and cumbersome! Otherwise it works well, good battery life. My Godox radio is fantastic!

A great bit of kit

By Brett
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-23

A great light meter overall. I wish it had a few more buttons instead of being purely touch screen, but that is ok. The performance of the meter is excellent and you can forgive its lack of buttons. I had been looking for one for a long time but the global shortage made that hard. Luckily B&H got there hands on some and I managed to buy. Nobody here in Australia has any.

Find a Better Meter

By Chris
Rated 2 out of 5
Date: 2023-02-24

I wanted to perform a quick and dirty sunny 16 calibration test on this meter. I was able to set the ISO to 100 as called for in the test, but a shutter speed of 1/100 second is beyond the capability of this $600 light meter. You have either 1/60 or 1/125 second and that's it. Having a light meter professionally calibrated in a lab costs $200 - $300, so a sunny 16 test is the poor man's alternative. In addition, the touch-screen menu is frustratingly complicated and fiddly.

Lacks a MAJOR feature

By Minh
Rated 3 out of 5
Date: 2023-02-23

I bought this thinking it could be a replacement for holding my L-358 in one hand and my second Godox XPro-C in the other, and be an all-in-one-solution. Well, very disappointed that the L-858D-U with the Godox RT-GX does not allow control of selecting which flashes to fire and which not to--for instance, firing only A+C+D. Looks like I'll be returning this and will just wait for Sekonic/Godox to add this basic feature in the next model release.

Practice...............

By Harold
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-02-22

The basics uses are easy to comprehend. If you care to practice you will find much more to help you with your metering.

Worth Upgrading for -5EV Incident and AA Batteries

By Julien
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-01

Sold my L-308S and L-758DR to move to the L-858D. While I do prefer having physical buttons, it didn't take long to get used to the touch screen, which I found more intuitive than having to memorize a bunch of button combinations. What sold me to upgrade is not having to deal with CR123A batteries anymore, and instead use the more accessible AA batteries. Having a more sensitive incident (-5EV from -2EV) and reflective (-1EV from 1EV) has been tremendous for someone who deals with available lighting and shoots with fully-mechanical film cameras.

Hand as HE11!!!

By Ricky
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-06-21

A well need tool so you dont need to drag out a camera every five minutes.

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Asked by: James W
Yes and can be set for 20-60 seconds.
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Date published: 2021-02-10

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Yes under the blue flap in the lower right corner of the meter
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Asked by: Timothy
The Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter can also be set to foot candles. This is mentioned on pages 44 and 69 in the user manual. Please take a look at the following link: https://bhpho.to/2XhpxtV
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Date published: 2021-09-27

Does this have a t-stop mode? When working with ...

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Asked by: James
F/stops are arithmetically calculated based on the lenses physical size. The amount of light coming through the lens is therefore theoretical. This means two different lenses at f/5.6 could be passing different amounts of light. In the days of movie making film, this caused a great deal of problems for movie printmaking where the density of the image would vary greatly between shots. This would take extra time, effort and money to get a consistent print. To eliminate this problem, the 20th Century Fox camera department in the 1930's developed the T or Transmission stop. What they did is measure the amount of light coming through the lens and then set that as the T/stop. Since glass absorbs light, there is a light loss compared to f/stops. All this to say, there are no T/stop meters; they are all f/stop. Just read the meter, set that number on the T/stop ring and enjoy a consistent, lens to lens, exposure.
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This meter works with profoto b10 plus lights...? ...

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Hi The version L-850D - U, (U for USA) can also ...

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I think he ment sekonic L-858D vs L-858D-U, I'm also very curious about the differences. Couldn't find any answers anywhere.
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Does this work with profoto lights?

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Luddite question: can the touchscreen actually be ...

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If the gloves work on a smart phone they will work on the meter. I have big fingers a would still need to take the glove off to get the setting I wanted.
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Date published: 2021-09-27
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