This review of theL-608 Super Zoom Masteris based on my earlier review of theL-508, long regarded as one of the finest meters ever made. I felt that anyone wanting a sophisticated high-end light meter would want to read a complete review rather than one which just indicated the features of the new model while referring back to the previous one.

For those who are already familiar with the L-508 I have addeda brief listof the new meter's improvements at the bottom of the review. The L-608 replaces the L-508.

This page also contains a brieftutorial on incident light meteringand a primer on theadvantages of spotmetering.

When I was in my late teens in the mid-60's, I bought the first production camera with a behind-the-lens metering system, thePentax Spotmatic. Prior to that time everyone used hand-held meters. (Notwithstanding its name, it did not have spotmetering — that was only in the prototype).

Today, except for photographers using large format equipment or those ...