Batteries suck but Tigers are cool.

markbarendt · Dec 21, 2010

Ya buy nice lithiums. Ya keep 'em cool and protect them like film. Ya change 'em regularly. Ya even keep spares handy most all the time.

When do they die?

Always in the middle of something when ya can't go back to the car right quick.

Good thing I had my Holga yesterday. http://www.exoticfelinerescuecenter.org/home.html

Fun place! Happy animals! Grumpy photographer.

kraker · Dec 21, 2010

markbarendt said:
Always in the middle of something when ya can't go back to the car right quick.

LOL! If one of those would be running, walking, stalking towards me, I'm pretty sure I would want to get back in the car. Quickly. Very quickly.

hpulley · Dec 21, 2010

That's why I prefer fully mechanical systems. RB67, FTbN and Instamatic forever!

Glad you had your Holga. Other rule, never go photographing without a backup.

markbarendt · Dec 21, 2010

kraker said:
LOL! If one of those would be running, walking, stalking towards me, I'm pretty sure I would want to get back in the car. Quickly. Very quickly.

There is a no touching rule. Don't know if the cats know that rule though. Even if I was as fast and strong as I was at 20 I doubt that I could make 3 steps on a get-away run from the oldest fattest cat there.

The cats are quite content, well fenced, and well fed, I was never worried.

The guide/owner can touch and the cats act like house cats around him, truly amazing.

Rick A · Dec 21, 2010

Bet you growled and roared louder than the cats when the batteries went dead

R gould · Dec 21, 2010

Hav'nt had to change a battery in years, everything is fully mechanil, even my exposure meter is selinuim,a weston, so maybe I'm doing my bit for the planet, and I never miss a shot,Richard

markbarendt · Dec 21, 2010

ralnphot said:
Bet you growled and roared louder than the cats when the batteries went dead

I kept my tongue, when you are surrounded you behave.

The sounds the tigers make are truly neat.

hpulley · Dec 21, 2010

R gould said:
Hav'nt had to change a battery in years, everything is fully mechanil, even my exposure meter is selinuim,a weston, so maybe I'm doing my bit for the planet, and I never miss a shot,Richard

A big OT: I just got my first Selenium meter and was looking for the battery compartment... doesn't need one I then found out. Is there a reason why they switched to Cadmium, Silver, etc. which require batteries?

Steve Smith · Dec 21, 2010

hpulley said:
Is there a reason why they switched to Cadmium, Silver, etc. which require batteries?

Yes. They're better in low light.

Steve.

ntenny · Dec 21, 2010

(meters that need batteries, vs. selenium)

Steve Smith said:
Yes. They're better in low light.

And once a selenium meter dies, it's just dead. Modern meters are essentially immortal as long as you keep changing the batteries.

I've read that CdS meters have a response curve closer to the human eye/brain combination than selenium ones, and SBC closer still. Not sure how much difference this makes in practical use for most of us, though.

-NT

benjiboy · Dec 22, 2010

Many of the best modern digital meters run off a single AA battery you can buy anywhere for up to 30 hours continuous use and a few even longer and they switch themselves off if not used for several minutes .

moki · Dec 22, 2010

I have a Lunasix F which runs on a regular 9V block battery that will last a year or longer with regular use... it only meters when the metering button is pressed and that's less than a second at a time. Even if the battery's down, I still have my old guess-o-meter and an exposure chart that's precise enough for most situations. I don't really need anything electronic except for the EOS 50e (Elan 7e) and the 2CR5 in that one lasts for at least 2000 pictures. And I never leave the house with only this camera, just in case.
By the way, keeping batteries cool is not a good idea... low temperature kills batteries even faster than heat. It's usually best to keep them at room temperature.

michaelbsc · Dec 23, 2010

ntenny said:
(meters that need batteries, vs. selenium)

Steve Smith said:

Yes. They're better in low light.

Click to expand...

And once a selenium meter dies, it's just dead. Modern meters are essentially immortal as long as you keep changing the batteries.

I've read that CdS meters have a response curve closer to the human eye/brain combination than selenium ones, and SBC closer still. Not sure how much difference this makes in practical use for most of us, though.

-NT

Quality Light Metrics. They fix selenium meters and they come back with a calibration sticker attesting to accuracy.

As far as selenium's response compared to other materials matching the human eye, I find that by getting the film speed right I do not have any issue with the selenium response.

For low light? Forget it. You need something with a battery and an amplifier. I suspect it is physically possible to make a low light selenium meter, but it is unlikely to be pocketable.

hpulley · Dec 23, 2010

So far the Gossen Selenium meter seems fine for outdoor work with my Kodak Instamatic 500. Indoors I just use a Speedlite anyways so I don't care about the meter working in low light for this particular camera.

I have a nice low light meter for my FTbN that goes to -3.5 EV which seem to be low enough for all practical purposes. In fact it is so low that you need the reciprocity failure charts as well for films that get tired before 120s.

Keith H · Dec 23, 2010

benjiboy said:
Many of the best modern digital meters run off a single AA battery you can buy anywhere for up to 30 hours continuous use and a few even longer and they switch themselves off if not used for several minutes .

And some older ones, my Minolta Auto meter 4F must be over twenty years old now, how time flies.
Though it has had a couple of new AAs in that time

Batteries suck but Tigers are cool.

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