calumet shutter tester

removed account4 · Apr 9, 2013

years ago i got a calumet shutter tester
i originally got it to test the speeds on my graflex slr ...
i eventually abandoned the task
and brought it to someone i know who has a shop
and we figured out all the speeds using his professional set up ...

this morning i tested some of the speeds on the slr with the calumet tester
it seemed to work OK ...

does anyone else have one of these gizmos ?
are they reliable ?

Peltigera · Apr 9, 2013

If you are not a professional repairer why would you want a shutter tester? Running a film through the camera will tell you if the shutter is ok or not - if you can't tell by looking at the film any defects won't matter. If the film says the shutter is not working ok you need to decide if the cost of a CLA is justified (with most of my cameras a CLA is more than the cameras are worth).

Ken Nadvornick · Apr 9, 2013

I am not a professional repairer and I have and use one. It gives me objective data, instead of subjective guesses. It can not only tell me that something is off, it can also answer the question of how far. Knowing that, I can adjust accordingly, often without the need for—or cost of—a professional repairer.

John, I have one, and on those occassions when I've had shutters tested professionally (usually after a check-up or repair) I've retested them with my humble little Calumet instrument and it was usually pretty darned close. For my purposes I trust mine.

Ken

removed account4 · Apr 9, 2013

hi Peltigera

i used the tester because i have and use a graflex slr ( 4x5 ) camera
and over the years i have re-timed my shutter. i know from how slow
the curtain falls about what speed it is ... i have shot mostly b/w film
and some chrome and c41 film. when i was shooting chrome film it cost a fortune to
process and purchase so i don't want to waste my time ( that is why i had my repair-friend verify my speeds with me )
now ... i am thinking of shooting silver gelatin ambrotypes with this camera since i have a dry plate bag-mag
that has been sleeping on my shelf for around 15 years ... and expose seems to be rather critical with this process
so i verified my speeds again this morning ... if it was plain old dry plates or paper or film, i wouldn't worry about my speeds ..

thanks !
john

E. von Hoegh · Apr 9, 2013

Peltigera said:
If you are not a professional repairer why would you want a shutter tester? Running a film through the camera will tell you if the shutter is ok or not - if you can't tell by looking at the film any defects won't matter. If the film says the shutter is not working ok you need to decide if the cost of a CLA is justified (with most of my cameras a CLA is more than the cameras are worth).

I'm not a professional, and I have and use one of these. Running film through the camera will not tell you what a shutter tester will tell you. Since I perform my own CLAs, a shutter tester is indispensable. So too (indispensable) is the ability to test a shutter without wasting film, which in the case of 8x10 transparency gets expensive rather quickly - $27 per sheet in the case of Fuji Velvia.

Chan Tran · Apr 9, 2013

I am in favor of using a shutter tester even if one can not make the adjustment him/herself. Testing with film won't tell you how well your shutter is working. It could be the processing or the lens or your exposure meter.

Peltigera · Apr 9, 2013

So now I know! OK, I wasn't thinking about the cost - with 35mm, that is negligible but I understand that with larger formats it will get expensive.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 9, 2013

Peltigera said:
So now I know! OK, I wasn't thinking about the cost - with 35mm, that is negligible but I understand that with larger formats it will get expensive.

There's more to it than cost. A tester will tell you how much in error, whether it's consistent, will allow you to test any shutter at any time without wasting film, and without waiting for processing. You can test a shutter in the field or studio too. It's the difference between working carefully and methodically, or proceeding by guess and by gosh.
Personally, I can't afford to waste film be it color, B&W, 35mm, 8x10, etc. Goes against my grain.

Pioneer · Apr 9, 2013

Given adequate time any photographer on any forum can provide sufficient justification to purchase and use just about any gadget currently in, or out of, production.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 9, 2013

Pioneer said:
Given adequate time any photographer on any forum can provide sufficient justification to purchase and use just about any gadget currently in, or out of, production.

Yes indeed. I purchased mine back around 1986 or so. Fifty bucks well spent.

Chan Tran · Apr 9, 2013

Peltigera said:
So now I know! OK, I wasn't thinking about the cost - with 35mm, that is negligible but I understand that with larger formats it will get expensive.

Not so much about the cost. When you test on film and you got good exposure are you sure that your shutter speed is correct? May be you would say you don't care as long as you get good exposure. What if you get bad exposure how do you know it's because the shutter speed?

Curt · Apr 9, 2013

I'm not a professional shutter technician and I have a Calumet Shutter Tester/Checker. The bottom line here is to know or not to know.

Chan Tran · Apr 9, 2013

Curt said:
I'm not a professional shutter technician and I have a Calumet Shutter Tester/Checker. The bottom line here is to know or not to know.

Neither am I but at times I am very tempted to buy one of these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/KYORITSU-EL...92059205?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item5654edd145

Curt · Apr 10, 2013

Chan Tran said:
Neither am I but at times I am very tempted to buy one of these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/KYORITSU-EL...92059205?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item5654edd145

That would be outstanding!

bkarasek · Apr 20, 2015

I have one of these Calumet shutter tester. battery has to be replaced.. The instruction manual is a bit rudimentary. Anybody know of a site that gives better info regarding the use of the calumet tester? I want to use it to check the speeds of the focal plane shutters on my Speed Graphics.

JackRosa · Apr 20, 2015

I do have

jnanian said:
years ago i got a calumet shutter tester
i originally got it to test the speeds on my graflex slr ...
i eventually abandoned the task
and brought it to someone i know who has a shop
and we figured out all the speeds using his professional set up ...

this morning i tested some of the speeds on the slr with the calumet tester
it seemed to work OK ...

does anyone else have one of these gizmos ?
are they reliable ?

I do have one of these gizmos and use it to check my lenses every six months or so. So far, so good.

Kawaiithulhu · Apr 22, 2015

Using some kind of tester, even a creatively engineered one like silveror0 describes, is probably the only way to "calibrate" the nutcase holding the squeeze bulb to a Packard shutter
Any other way would cost too much in film and time.

Ken Nadvornick · Apr 22, 2015

APUGuser19 said:
Is this tester of any use in timing individual curtain speed? If not, can you name an affordable one that is? Thank you.

Camera shutter tester and curtain tester up to 1/8000th with light source

Regarding affordability, YMMV...

I believe this seller once participate here on APUG. Be sure to click the See other items link, as he has a full range of these devices available at various price points. I have neither purchased nor tested any of them, so cannot personally attest to their effectiveness. I also have no connection whatsoever with the seller.

Note also that the Calumet shutter tester has been discontinued for some time.

Ken

removed account4 · Apr 22, 2015

APUGuser19 said:
Is this tester of any use in timing individual curtain speed? If not, can you name an affordable one that is? Thank you.

if you are talking about the calumet tester,
it seems to work well with whatever you stick it behind.
i have only stuck it behind large format shutters, including
a graflex slr with a large curtain and slit. i can't really comment
with experience about using it with small format cameras with curtains
cause i haven't used it that way ...
they aren't being made anymore so if you find a used one
and need the manual ... you can find it here at ken lee's website:
http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/shuttertester/manual.php

Xmas · Apr 22, 2015

Some where on the web there is a circuit for a simple speed tester that you plug into the stereo jack of your PC.

It has two photo detectors.

Alternatively if you have a CRT TV a photo of the 'interlace' will show both curtains accelerating across the frame and the gap opening to keep the effective illumination constant.

Dan Fromm · Apr 22, 2015

or0, it depends on the curtain shutter. Most curtain shutters have two curtains. The width of the gap between the curtains is set by the delay between the time the first curtain starts moving and the time the second curtain starts moving. A few curtain shutters -- most but not all Graflex shutters, for example -- have one curtain with slits of different width. With these one selects slit width and spring tension to select shutter speed.

Curtains start out standing still, accelerate to their maximum speed and then may or may not slow down as they traverse the gate. At the far end of the gate, stop with a bang. In the case of Graflexes, stop with a big bang.

Xmas · Apr 22, 2015

silveror0 said:
If you really mean that the curtains are accelerating across the frame, then determining the curtains' velocity has little meaning, as it can only occur for an instant in time. Acceleration is defined as the rate of change in velocity. I always understood, perhaps erroneously, that FP shutters used fixed curtain velocity and varied the gap to provide constant film exposure across the frame.

You need a photo of TV screen the curtains are a mass accelerated by a force they start from stationary just outside frame and need a brake just past other end of frame for bounce.
This is for the Leica three post design that 'every one else' copied post WWII.

Bruce Osgood · Apr 22, 2015

I have the Calumet and use maybe twice a year with each lens. It gives me comfort in knowing my exposure problems are mine, not the lens.

calumet shutter tester

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