Sekonic L-158 Auto Lumi: Another Neat Little Light Meter
Even though almost all of my film cameras have built-in light meters, I am still a sucker for acquiring and testing hand-held meters. Most of them are relatively inexpensive. I paid $15 for this 1960s vintage Sekonic L-158 Auto Lumi and honestly, it’s a nice meter!
The Sekonic L-158 Auto Lumi
The L-158 is a simple reflected type meter using a selenium cell which also powers the meter. No battery needed. It’s small, lightweight and super easy to use:
Set your ASA
Point the meter at your subject
Turn the dial until the red and green pointers line up
See your various combinations of shutter speed and f/stop
Selenium cells do degrade with age but if the meter was stored in the dark for most of its life, many of these old meters are still accurate. This one agrees with the light meter app on my iPhone. I think it spent most of the last six decades sleeping in its carrying case.
Because it’s small and very light, I could easily carry it in my pocket or on a lanyard around my neck. I was inspired to try this meter after several Vietnam-era Nikon F photographers mentioned it as their meter of choice. Obviously, small meters that are not battery dependent would have been the order of the day for war photographers.