Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478DR-U-PX Light Meter with Phottix Ares II Wireless Flash Trigger and Receiver Bundle

I was tired of lots of pieces, batteries, fiddly connections, etc., so I bought Elinchrom strobes (ELC Pro 2-light kit, used D-lite 400 2 light kit, used D-lite single 200) with the receiver built in. I had an old Sekonic Flashmate that just stopped working.

I had my reservations when ordering due to prior experience with elaborate meters, but this one delivers. The units takes very little time to 'master', is somewhat customizable and the display of f-stop by group is nice. Startup is fast and triggering reliable.

I had high hopes for this piece of equipment but this is a poor replacement to my old light meter.Issue number 1: Eats through batteries - I looked forward to being able to use AAA batteries instead of the special battery in my old Sekonic light meter..

I have several kinds of Elinchrom strobes and this new meter is not only spot on with it's exposure readings but now I can control everything on all of my lights right from the meter. I can turn the modeling light on or off, raise of lower light intensity, and so much more.

This version of the L-478 is for Phottix owners using Strato II remotes. All control of remote light settings aremanual.If you prefer and enjoy full manual control, this setup is for you. I use both Odin II and Strato II remotes and they are completely different animals.

Although the version of this meter is designed to work with the Phottix flash light units, I bought it for shooting video as it has a cine mode. The cine mode allows exposure calculations based on video-centric parameters. It was on sale during a DealZone special, so it was about half price.

Great meter especially for portrait photographers. I got mine with the Elinchrom transmitter, but ended up not being their lights, so if you arent sure which brand lights youre going with or you dont need that option, save a little and get one that doesnt have a transmitter in it.

I wanted(needed) a new flash meter so had a look at several options.Sekonic was always high on my list.With the PocketWizard integration it became a no brainer.Its fast and SIMPLE to use. Before switching all lighting over to PW, I had some using a cyber controller.

-Poor battery life-Rubber on the side loses its adhesion after a few weeks of use.For something this pricy I would expect a better build quality.

Some would say the photographic light meter should have faded out with photographic film. The LCD screen at the back of most DSLRs make it possible to do without it for most applications.