SEKONIC LITEMASTER PRO L-478DR-U-EL

 Sekonic Litemaster Pro L-478DR-U-EL Exposure Meter

I wont start this post by saying I have bad luck. That is not this case. I just rarely have good luck. I don’t find money, I don’t win on lottery tickets and when I buy something it usually shows up cheaper shortly thereafter. Well for once I can say i was lucky and the good luck is the subject of today’s post the Sekonic Litemaster Pro L-478DR-U-EL exposure meter.

About two years ago I purchased the standard model L-478 and it was a game changer for getting proper exposure of my pictures. Life was good. Fast forward to last year when I decided to bite the bullet and buy a real studio strobe in the form of an Elinchrom D-Lite RX-4. I found the D-Lite RX-4 to provide great results but my control was limited to using a pc sync cord connected to my Nikon D810. I found myself at a crossroads with studio lighting. I was heavily invested in the Nikon CLS but it’s proprietary system does not work with non Nikon flashes. There are third party trigger controls like pocket Wizard, RadioPopper and a bunch of inexpensive knockoffs. I finally decided I would head down the path of Pocket Wizard as it was the most common radio trigger brand. Now up until this point I had basically ruled out Elinchrom’s own radio trigger system referred to as EL Skyport. This was because it was becoming a dated system. Then something changed. Elinchrom updated the line. Elinchrom Skyport became a cross between Nikon CLS and Pocket Wizard. With the purchase of a EL- Skyport Plus HS transmitter I could communicate with my D-Lite RX-4. The EL- Skyport Plus HS is the Elinchrom equivalent of the Nikon SU-800 Commander with a big improvement. If I also purchase an Elinchrom EL-Skyport Receiver Plus for Nikon I could also trigger my Nikon Speedlights. This was huge for me. I was now on the path to officially adopt Elinchrom Skyport to radio trigger all of my flashes. What does all this have to do with the Sekonic Litemaster Pro L-478DR-U-EL? Keep reading.

Right about the time I made the decision to switch to Skyport radio triggering Sekonic announced an Elinchrom version of the L-478 that had been upgraded to fire Elinchrom strobes.This was about an ideal solution to exposure as I could dream for. The problem was I had the year old standard L-478 that cost me $400. I simply couldn’t justify another $400. While I briefly thought of selling the L-478 I knew I would procrastinate and never follow through. Then something happened, I got lucky. A friend was visiting and we were discussing all that I wrote above and I went to Amazon to show him the Elinchrom version of the L-478 and what do my eyes see? It’s on sale for $299 and thats $100 less expensive than all the other versions of the L-478. I bought it.

So now your thinking “What the heck will he do with two exposure meters?”. That’s the best part of it all. I can leave the Skyport version of the Sekonic in my studio and the regular L-478 can stay in my camera bag. I have further refined my setup that the Nikon speedlights and the CLS will be my portable setup and I will continue adding Elinchrom strobes with their built in Skyport receivers to my studio setup.

LiteMaster Pro L-478DR-U-EL

Sekonic’s LITEMASTER PRO L-478-Series meters are the world’s first touch-screen-operated light meters. They have an array of unique, must-have features for both still and motion story tellers. Their compact size is both instantly familiar and comfortable to use. A large LCD (2.7″) displays ambient, flash, cine and a host of other information in a clear and understandable way. Settings are made by simply touching or sliding a finger over the screen.

The L-478 meters can be quickly calibrated to your camera using Sekonic’s Data Transfer software and either Sekonic or X-Rite Brand targets or by manually inputting data to the DTS program or on the meter itself.

Keeping pace with wireless advancements, the L-478DR-U-EL comes complete with exclusive Elinchrom Skyport technology which combines light measurement and flash power control providing amazing control in your hand.

The L-478DR-U-EL has a radio module and antenna built into the meter. The system transmits at 2.4GHz and uses signal protocols that are unique to Elinchrom’s Skyport wireless triggering/control system.

The L-478 series meters offer the following languages in the interface: Japanese, English and Chinese. Depending on the country where the meter is purchased, the language is fixed and cannot be changed by the user.

Sekonic L-478DR-EL Series LiteMaster Pro Start Up Guide: English

Sekonic L-478DR-EL Series LiteMaster Pro Instruction Manual: English

Amazing Must-Have Features

For Still Photographers:

• Full featured Ambient-Flash modes including new T-F mode.
  Measure, compare, and mix ambient and flash displayed on a color, touch screen for beautiful, controlled, results.
• DTS Exposure Profiling matches the meter to the performance of your camera.
  Precise exposure and lighting starts with precise, repeatable metering.
• Radio triggering and Flash Power Setting w/Elincrhom flashes with Skyport receivers .
  Flash Group selection and power control with a touch of a finger.

For Filmmakers:

• Cine/HD Cine modes for today’s HDSLR and Video Cine cameras.
  Effortlessly switch between HDSLR and Cine for exact exposure settings in exact increments for both.
• Infinite frame rate and shutter angle selection.
  Create special settings for special applications.Video cine cameras are becoming boundless. Metering should be too.
• Unique, light-source filtration compensation mode.
  Finally, precise control lighting using industry standard CTO/CTB/ND types at the touch of a finger.
• Illumination measurement and extended ISO range.
  Lighting design and exposure in a single tool. ISO and exposure settings to match today’s digital cameras.

LiteMaster Pro L-478DR-U-EL – Technical Specifications

Measuring Range and Modes

Display Range and Modes

Other

Radio Triggering