I believe the Institute has procured one. I am planning one myself, so if anyone from the Institute can confirm/report/review it would be great. Have been looking for a decent CT meter for a whiel now...
The new Sekonic PRODIGI COLOR C-500 and C-500R is the world's only photographic color meter designed to read spectral sensitivity of both color film and CCD and CMOS sensors used in modern digital still and DV cine cameras.
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.
Color Control Command Center
Easy, one-touch display. The world's most comprehensive array of color/illumination information. The PRODIGI COLOR C-500 and C-500R put you in command of any color control situation.
Sekonic PRODIGI COLOR C-500
Digital and Film Compatible
The PRODIGI COLOR C-500 and C-500R measures and displays color temperature and compensation values in LB/CC index or filter numbers for both 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 photographic film. By engineering the spectral characteristics of both systems into a single meter, Sekonic designers have given today's digital and film photographers greater control over lighting and color reproduction than ever before.
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 hurtle. 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.
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 light source brightness.
Color Values Displayed in Three Ways
COLOR TEMPERATURE DISPLAY (in Kelvin)
The color temperature is displayed for human visual response in Digital Mode or the spectral response for photographic color film in Film Mode.
LB /CC INDEX DISPLAY
Light Balancing in MK-1 (Per Mega Kelvin) and Color Compensation Index correspond to light source filtration systems. The correction values can be directly entered into the color adjustment mode of some professional DSLR cameras.
LB/CC FILTER NUMBER DISPLAY
Light Balancing and Color Compensation filtration for lens or light-source filtration is displayed in direct filter values. The display can be adjusted to read out in KODAK Wratten, LEE or FUJIFILM filter systems.
Other Functions
Flash Color Measurement Flash readings are available in non-cord, cord and wireless modes at shutter speeds from 1 to 1/500 second. Flash brightness is read in two intensity ranges, H (high) for high-power studio strobes 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