Sekonic Offers New Color Temperature Meter to Digital Video, HDTV and Motion Picture industries

ELMSFORD, NY – May 7, 2008. Sekonic introduced the world’s first color temperature meter, the Sekonic PRODIGI COLOR C-500, calibrated for both digital CCD’s and CMOS chips used in today’s DV video cameras, HDTV cameras and photographic film. The meter is designed for cinematographers, lighting directors and videographers.

"When you look at the work of the top DP's, lighting directors, and videographers," said Phil Bradon, Sekonic Product Manager, "these are the people who intrinsically use color as part of their approach and style. With the new Sekonic PRODIGI COLOR C-500 meter, they can now measure and replicate each and every aspect of a lighting setup: light quantity, color temperature, filtration and ratios. This is really the first step in a complete, calibrated workflow from conception through final setup."

Some examples of difficult lighting challenges include mixing daylight with incandescent, HMI, or fluorescent light, using multiple lighting units or bulbs made by different manufacturers, and mixing lighting with different light modifiers.

Color values are displayed in three ways in both digital and film modes: Kelvin color temperature, LB/CC Index Display to correspond to light source color filtration systems, and LB/CC Filter Numbers Display, for lens or light source filtration in direct color values, i.e. 81A, for use with Kodak Wratten, Lee or Fujifilm filter systems. Ambient brightness is displayed in either Footcandles or Lux. The data display is electro-luminescent and automatically comes on to illuminate readings under low light.

The C-500 color temperature meter is powered by two “AA” batteries (alkaline, lithium or rechargeable).

The Sekonic PRODIGI COLOR C-500, cat. #401-500, is priced at $974.
There is a separate model, the C-500R (or the “R” version), designed for still photographers. It is the identical meter with built-in PocketWizard® technology for triggering, strobes and cameras from up to 100-feet away.
The Sekonic PRODIGI COLOR C-500R, cat. #401-501, is priced at $1,072.