Sekonic C-500 Flash Light Meter

Sekonic C-500 Flash Light Meter

Serious photographers and cinematographers know that good lighting and proper exposure are more important now than ever. With the higher demands of today's digital medium, "garbage in" can mean hours of postproduction. They know that color is a critical factor when multiple light sources are involved. Changing reflectors, adding diffusion or adjusting power levels will result in a color temperature change that needs to be corrected. They know that taking the time to do it right is always a good investment because "perfect in" always looks better than an image that has been adjusted.

Controlling the light in front of your camera is the first step in your color workflow.

As long as you are working with a single light source, you can count on the white balance function of your camera or computer to get the color you want. However, add a second light, a light modifier, or work on location with today’s mix of tungsten,halide, vapor and fluorescent lights, and you will either have to fix it up front or fix it later, if you can. How do you arrive at a common, single color tone that is easy for your camera or software to correct? How do you introduce additional flash illumination in the foreground without making it look like,well, additional flash illumination? And knowing that the color accommodation of your eyes and brain make unaided color adjustment nearly impossible to judge by yourself, how do you know how much color filtration is enough and when you’ve overcorrected? If color is important, a Sekonic C-500 Series color meter should be in your arsenal of photographic tools.

Digital and Film Compatible

The PRODIGI COLOR C-500 displays and measures color temperature and compensation values in LB/CC index or filter numbers forboth digital and film cameras. In Digital mode, the color temperature and compensation readings are based on human visual response. In Film mode,readings are based on the color characteristics of traditional photographicfilm. By engineering the spectral characteristics of both systems into a single meter, Sekonic designers have given you greater control over lighting and color reproduction than ever before, regardless of your medium.

Engineering a meter to accurately measure color for both human visual response (digital sensors) and the characteristics of photographic color film required more that just creating a new set of algorithms to process the data.

Properly measuring red intensity was a major hurdle. Sekonic designers solved the problem by incorporating four color sensors: a Red sensor for visual/digital response (Rd); a Red sensor for photographic film response (Rf); a Green sensor (G); and a Blue sensor (B). They then developed a new "Simulated Spectrum" software solution (patent pending) that emulates the blue and green channel color response for both digital and film.

Brightness and Color Value Display

Illuminance Measurement

The brightness of continuous light sources is displayed in LUX (lx) or foot-candle (FC). Illuminance measurement is especially useful for cinematography, videography, theatrical and other applications that require precise control of light source brightness.

Color Temperature Display (in Kelvin)

The color temperature is displayed for human visual response in DigitalMode or the spectral response for photographic color film in Film Mode.

LB/CC Index Display

The LB (Light Balancing) in MK-1 (Per Mega Kelvin equivalent to Mired) andCC (Color Compensation) Index correspond to light source filtration systems.This simplifies the selection of amber (CTO) or blue (CTB) filtration as well as the amount of magenta or green (CC) filtration needed to balance the color of the lights you are using.

Also, the correction values can be directly entered into the color adjustment mode of some professional DSLR cameras.

LB/CC Filter Number Display

Used primarily for film applications, amount of lens filtration needed is directly indicated in both LB (Light Balancing) and CC ( Color Compensation)filter values. The display can be adjusted to read out in KODAK Wratten, LEE or FUJIFILM filter systems in the custom setting MENU.

Other Functions

Flash Color Measurement

Simultaneous color measurement of flash and ambient light is available in non-cord, cord and wireless modes at synch speeds from 1 to 1/500 second.Flash brightness is read in two intensity ranges, H (high) for high-power studio flashes or L (low) lower power or shoe-mount flash units.

Preset White Balance / Color Compensation Function

Nineteen presets enable adjusting display values to compensate for differences in film types, light sources, digital sensors, or personal preference. An eight-character readout on the display allows creating custom naming for easy identification of the compensation value.

Memory (Δ) Function

A simple way to observe differences in light-source brightness or color is with the C-500 Series memory function. Simply take a reference reading and press the memory (Δ) button. Then press the measuring button and measure any other light source to see the difference in brightness (foot-candle or Lux) or color (Kelvin or filtration).

Power Source

Uses convenient AA alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable batteries.

Custom Settings

1 Shutter speed steps (Full, 1/3 step or 1/2 step)

2 Target color temperature increments (100K, or 10MK-1 Step)

3 LB index display step (1MK-1, 1daMK-1 step, w/o decimal point, 1daMK-1step with decimal point)

4 LB filter number display (Kodak/LEE or Fujifilm)

5 Automatic power off setting (20, 10, 5 minutes, or no setting)

6 Illuminance measurement mode (No display, both lx & FC, either lx or FC)

Color Control Command Center

Easy, one-touch display. The world's most comprehensive arrayof color/illumination information. The PRODIGI COLOR C-500 and C-500R put you in command of any color control situation.