OFFICIAL I HAVE A NEW (FILM RELATED) TOY THREAD!!

Its not just the camera though is it, If your taking another camera you might as well take a couple lenses film etc before you know it you've doubled your kit. If your back up is a film camera then you either finish the film which I can sometimes find a pain or you faff around swaping film out the camera. If you take a digi you run the risk that you've not set the ISO correctly or its set up to auto adjust something and you assume the ISO is calibrated the same (I've read opinions both ways). For me a light weight spot meter and the meter in my phone are much more convenient than worrying about ensure another camera is correctly configured.
 
ChrisR said:
Um, I was hasty and unclear! Re the Weston, yes I was using the back doors etc. BTW I've now sent it back to Colwyn Bay...

The f/11 statement was about using my X10 as a light meter; I had to put it in shutter priority, and kept getting red warnings because the aperture was too large, so having to reset the shutter. Doable, but maxi faff!

So if I were to buy a sub£100 meter, what would folks recommend?
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ok mate ,,,as long as you get sorted in the end (y)
 
Is the old Jessops cds meter any good? They're dirt cheap. Does both incident and reflective readings.
 
steveo_mcg said:
Its not just the camera though is it, If your taking another camera you might as well take a couple lenses film etc before you know it you've doubled your kit. If your back up is a film camera then you either finish the film which I can sometimes find a pain or you faff around swaping film out the camera. If you take a digi you run the risk that you've not set the ISO correctly or its set up to auto adjust something and you assume the ISO is calibrated the same (I've read opinions both ways). For me a light weight spot meter and the meter in my phone are much more convenient than worrying about ensure another camera is correctly configured.
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Well I'm only suggesting the 35mm camera is mainly for backup and for shots that your MF camera can't cope with e.g. If you have TLR Rollei you are stuck if you need the equivalent of 35mm...135mm or 200mm lens for that special landscape shot.
 
Have to admit I used to carry a digital camera to get light meter readings from. But I've since got a Sekonic 308 and really pleased with it. It also synchs with the studio lights at the college where I do my evening class which is great.
 
srichards said:
Is the old Jessops cds meter any good? They're dirt cheap. Does both incident and reflective readings.
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I had one which was excellent. Simple but accurate, though had a tendancy to flip out and swing wildly from brightest to darkest in steady light, but would soon settle down. Gave it away when i got a weston ii and regretted it due to lack of incident readings. Tried to get a replacement but it was metering way way out. Currently on a sekonic 308s which is great but still fiddly and harder to use. The jessops just flicked a switch to go from high to low, incident to reflected, rather than unscrewing the lumisphere, sliding in grids. If i could get a jessops i knew would work i would have it in a second but with the track record i would want to try before i buy.
 
We all have different metering approaches and kit.

Having used a very simple but accurate sSoviet Leningrad Selenium meter in my youth eventually graduating to a Lunasix F which I used for many years and including a brief dalience with a Weston Euromaster V and a Lunasix 3 on the way, I have since becoming a Born again film photographer found the Sekonic 308 to be the best meter I have ever owned and or used.

It is stunningly accurate, very fast to respond, intuitive in its use boasts very simple controls and has a big display. Worth every penny I paid for it.

Just my 2p worth:)
 
I don't need a meter, I count elephants...:D



but if I did, the 208 is simple, cheap and modern
 
Elephants are useless, you need to count one thousands it's the only way to be accurate.
 
Well congrats Adrian all others on your accurate exposure meters but what are they for? Checking a DSLR before you buy? cos with any old camera and maybe newer ones, you'd be lucky if the shutter speeds are spot on, and there is no guarantee that when a lens says "F5.6" it could be "F5.3"...and do these exposure meters know the light transmission to the film plane from all lenses....then you have to get the exposure correct for the subject, if you are relying on film latitude to cover inaccuracies then why have a very accurate exposure meter. And then you might be using old film and can't guarantee if it's still perfect at say100 ISO.
But would agree measuring flash is handy but do these expensive exposure meters take in ambient light into consideration as well when using in daylight esp sunny conditions when using fill in flash.
Well for 35mm, a Canon T90 with 300tl flashgun will do all above except it wont know if you are using old film when the film speed is not what's on the box
 
All of my shutters are accurate enough to shoot Velvia 50, which is nigh on the tightest exposure latitude around, so I'm not worried about the lenses being off...

More me being off...
 
makes me laff folk are recommending using cheap old cameras as light metres because its ermmmm more cost effective, a nice top of the range light meter for less than a £100 thats a bargain in my book, blimey we on this site waste more money than that on rubbish regulary :LOL:
 
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Mr Bump said:
makes me laff folk are recommending using cheap old cameras as light metres because its ermmmm more cost effective, a nice top of the range light meter for less than a £100 thats a bargain in my book, blimey we on this site waste more money than that on rubbish regulary :LOL:
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I agree, my Minolta Spotmeter F cost £100 delivered from ebay, my Minolta Flashmeter IVF cost £75 delivered, and a nice Weston Euromaster can be had for under £50.
 
excalibur2 said:
But would agree measuring flash is handy but do these expensive exposure meters take in ambient light into consideration as well when using in daylight esp sunny conditions when using fill in flash.

Well for 35mm, a Canon T90 with 300tl flashgun will do all above except it wont know if you are using old film when the film speed is not what's on the box
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In the case of the L308, I believe it does.

However, I've ended up with both an L-358 and a T90 with a 300TL :)
 
Musicman said:
In the case of the L308, I believe it does.

However, I've ended up with both an L-358 and a T90 with a 300TL :)
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Congrats (y) but do you use the L-358 when using the T90...and if you think the T90 gives accurate exposure then all my late 70's plus cameras, bought for peanuts, agree with it.
 
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this thread seems to have descended into willy waggling like happens on the the digital side of the big wall. Over here don't we generally be real happy with folk going for different strokes and all that?
 
excalibur2 said:
Congrats (y) but do you use the L-358 when using the T90...and if you think the T90 gives accurate exposure then all my late 70's cameras, bought for peanuts, agree with it.
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No.

It gets used with a variety of film cameras (some of which have no meter and others have an unreliable meter) and my 5D when I've got Olympus OM lenses on it (the built in metering goes haywire for some reason) or anything when I want to take an incident reading for some reason.

The L358 is a lot lighter and more portable than a T90 if I do need a meter.

I've also got a Weston that I've had for years, but TBH the L358 is a lot easier to use.
 
Mr Bump said:
makes me laff folk are recommending using cheap old cameras as light metres because its ermmmm more cost effective, a nice top of the range light meter for less than a £100 thats a bargain in my book, blimey we on this site waste more money than that on rubbish regulary :LOL:
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even cheaper is the sunny 16 rule :LOL:
 
Wow! Apparently I lit the blue touch paper and then went out for the day!

I'm going to have to read this again, but I'm getting the Sekonic or Gossen message. I have a Gossen on loan which is a bit big and one stop out; not too bad.

I have tried using other cameras as meters. Considerable PITA. Plus you look a complete plonker pulling one camera out of the bag, pointing it at subject, scratching head, putting it away, fiddling with bigger camera then taking picture. Pocketable is also desirable, so maybe the Sekonics?

Anyway, wil someone please show some new old camera porn so we can stop arguing? ;)
 
freecom2 said:
Accurate, pocketable and within your budget - the Sekonic L-208, seriously.
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The 308 is also very good, pocketable, and similarly priced if you pick up a used one.

I use the 308b for every single film photo I take, except for my Fuji Instax Mini 90 photos, and it never lets me down.
 
I have the Sekonic L208 twinmate and its light, cheap, accurate amd most importantly for me, dead simple.

Andy
 
Oooo i've never seen those L208s, quite pretty little things aren't they? I've got a 308 for flash stuff in the studio, but i also like using a little Ikophot Zeiss thing i picked up. Worked fine for me on my roll of HP5 :)

This isn't mine, but mine is exactly the same apart from i have a neck strap :)

zi-ikophot-1_img.jpg
 
Too late now but a weston V at a boot sale goes for about £5-£10 and you can check it before buying....but the problem is you never know when they are going to turn up.
 
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Broncolor FCM2 with case and probe about 30 from ebay accurately listed as one lead off the battery connector which was a five miniute fix.

:muted: wouldn't recomend it to anyone, my excuse is I have all the other Sinar TTL options: Sinar Six Proffi TTL Sinar Six Digitail , Expolux and Booster 1 so thought I might as well complete the set. The reason I would not recomend it poorer low light performance compared to the others the possible advantage is it can control / trigger Broncolor packs of the right Era.

Personally I would look at other options than the Sekonic L-208 but thats me if Chris was looking at a Weston it is probably a good choice for him the reasons why it does not interest me is 1, its analouge ( I know probably heresy around here) and 2, looking at the specs the low light performance is not that specail.

Seconhand for 100 you can get some seriously professional meters all the ones I have were that or under.

Gossen Luna Pro SBC can be used with all the whacky plug in bits mine came with a Proffi Select TTL, the great thing is the range 0f -4EV to +18EV the minus side for mea is its analouge a bit tiddy and has a serious thirst for batteries.

Gossen Master Six, you could think of it as the digitail equivalent of the above as sensitive and less inclined to eat batteries.

Minolta Flash Meter IV, brought as its the best match to use with the Booster 1 probe. Single AA cell lasts forever fairly sensitive (-2EV) its way more complicated that most people require however its simple to use for everyday metering.

In poking the interweb with a virtual stick Icame across this helpfull PDF at B&H which contains info and specs on several of the different meters people have mentioned.

Roger Hicks article about chosing a meter

Currently I just use the Flash Meter IV but keep the Gossens about for extremley low light photography.

My choices quite probably would not suit Chris but hopefully some f the thoughts info here might help him refine what it is he is looking for in a meter.

Cameras with TTL metering are set up for reflected light measurements which is good enough reason to want a light meter for incident readings even if you have one camera I personally would not regard a camera as a substitute for a good light meter but risking being burnt as a heretic again digitails can be a usefull guide to exposure
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***Cameras with TTL metering are set up for reflected light measurements which is good enough reason to want a light meter for incident readings even if you have one camera I personally would not regard a camera as a substitute for a good light meter but risking being burnt as a heretic again digitails can be a usefull guide to exposure
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***

But you take a reading with the camera of something equivalent to a Kodak grey card then you are spot on for the film.....Kodak should know as they set the rules for film and meters.
 
Lovely looking Hassy Des. I'd be terrified to buy one as I'd almost certainly change the lens in the wrong state, just when I needed it most!
 
ChrisR said:
Lovely looking Hassy Des. I'd be terrified to buy one as I'd almost certainly change the lens in the wrong state, just when I needed it most!
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There's very little distance between mounting and clicking into the centre - it's probably the most risky of the lens mounts I have used, if that's a reasonable comment!
 
andy1868 said:
also like using a little Ikophot Zeiss thing i picked up. Worked fine for me on my roll of HP5
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I have two of those and I found them accurate enough for slide film.

Check the film speed dials on yours. If you set it to 100 ASA, it should read 21 DIN but it is 1 stop (three DIN numbers) out.

I always use the ASA side.


Steve.
 
cheers steve (y) I always use the ASA side anyway, glad to know it's good enough for slide too as i'll be using it to meter some provia 400 in the next few days, although i'm led to believe it's a lot more forgiving than some of the slower films :)
 
Steve Smith said:
I have two of those and I found them accurate enough for slide film.
Check the film speed dials on yours. If you set it to 100 ASA, it should read 21 DIN but it is 1 stop (three DIN numbers) out.
I always use the ASA side.

Steve.
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Your post and the photo of the Zeiss Ikon meter are interesting in that they serve to confirm that Z.I. had a different idea of the relationship between ASA and DIN from its modern correspondence. My Contaflex II's film speed dial shows 21 DIN as equal to 40 ASA. I wonder if this was a Zeiss Ikon thing, or prevailed across the industry in the mid 50s?

To get any kind of accuracy at all from the Contaflex's meter, I go by the ASA setting too.
 
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NickT said:
Your post and the photo of the Zeiss Ikon meter are interesting in that they serve to confirm that Z.I. had a different idea of the relationship between ASA and DIN from its modern correspondence. My Contaflex II's film speed dial shows 21 DIN as equal to 40 ASA. I wonder if this was a Zeiss Ikon thing, or prevailed across the industry in the mid 50s?

To get any kind of accuracy at all from the Contaflex's meter, I go by the ASA setting too.
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According to Wiki ..."The ASA standard underwent a major revision in 1960 with ASA PH2.5-1960, when the method to determine film speed was refined and previously applied safety factors against under-exposure were abandoned, effectively doubling the nominal speed of many black-and-white negative films".

This might explain the difference on your Contaflex.
 
Bought a spares or repair Yashica TL electro off of ebay for £9.99 delivered. Something to play with for the dark winter evenings.

So far have worked out that the slow shutter speeds are off. I have found a post on another forum that gives instructions for fixing this by lubricating with lighter fluid. The self timer lever is broken off as well. Looking at the battery compartment it looks to be a 6V one. Shame as I have ordered a pair of PX 625 sized copper adapters from ebay to use with 1.4v hearing aid cells.

If I can fix the slow shutter & the electrics live I may hunt out another broken body to scrounge the self timer lever from.

May also be on the look out for another old camera to use the battery adapters with. Joy! :)
 
DNH said:
I have found a post on another forum that gives instructions for fixing this by lubricating with lighter fluid.
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That is usually only a temporary repair. The lighter fluid cleans out all of the old lubricant (there's not much of it) which has become thick and the fluid itself provides enough lubrication to get it running again. However, once it has all dried up, the shutter usually jams up and in your case will probably be worse than before.

It's better to remove all of the old lubrication with isopropyl alcohol and re-lubricate only the points which require it.

Personally, if it is only the slow speeds, I would leave it. The speeds faster than 1/30 (I think) use an extra spring and it's usually only the speed which don't use this, i.e. 1/30 and slower which stick.

You might also find that regular use frees it up a bit.


Steve.
 
Thanks for the tip & I will bear it in mind. I took the bottom off for a quick peek last night & it didn't look that easy to get further inside it. It is only the slower speeds below 1/30th that seem to be at fault. I would probably never use them, like the self timer but I would like to get them working OK.
 
This has just arrived at my desk as I've decided to shoot 35mm for a while after selling my Kiev 80.

Untitled by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr Untitled by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr

Apart from a small bubble in the paintwork next to the viewfinder it's mint and I've just fitted 4xLR44 batteries taped together with a metal washer spacer and the camera is metering and adjusting the shutter speed perfectly so I'm made up.

I'm now waiting for the next delivery which is another Electro 35MC but in silver as I couldn't decide which style I preferred :0) However, I'm not going to be keeping both so one of them will go in the classifieds.

Oh, and in the spirit of lightmeters, I use a free app on my Iphone called, "Light Meter" and it's always metered perfectly, even OOD ISO50 Velvia so I'm not complaining! Cheers Steve
 
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