Getting a Weston Master III meter up and running?

BHuij · Nov 29, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
Why not have it repaired and calibrated at the same time? An uncalibrated light meter is useless dead weight.

Nobody left to do it. The place everyone recommended in California is no longer doing it. There's a place in the UK that says they'll do it, but I'd have to mail it both ways and they charge like $180 or something far exceeding the value of the meter. More than I want to spend on a curiosity.

The good news is the meter has a user-accessible adjustment for calibrating it. Whether it's enough to get the meter to a useful place, we'll see if I even manage to get it working at all. I have a spot meter as well as several in-camera meters that I trust, so I should be able to get a good comparison and find out for sure if the meter is trustworthy when all is said and done.

BrianShaw · Nov 29, 2021

If you are referring to the adjuster on the back of the meter, that is for zero-correction only. If your meter isn’t reading light correctly the zero-adjustment won’t do much for you.

Helge · Nov 29, 2021

BrianShaw said:
If you are referring to the adjuster on the back of the meter, that is for zero-correction only. If your meter isn’t reading light correctly the zero-adjustment won’t do much for you.

The alternative thinking would be that you save it for someone who actually knows what they are doing and have the right tools.
Maybe ten, twenty more years down the line.
At some point there is not going to be more Western meters, if everybody tries to learn on their own specimen.
Be the holder and protector of this little gem. It doesn't take up that much space.

BrianShaw · Nov 29, 2021

A very romantic sentiment, but I don’t think the world needs to fear the demise of Weston meter availability. They are dime-a-dozen and even if they became extinct nobody would fret much.

Helge · Nov 29, 2021

BrianShaw said:
A very romantic sentiment, but I don’t think the world needs to fear the demise of Weston meter availability. They are dime-a-dozen and even if they became extinct nobody would fret much.

There is always fewer of something than you imagine. Various factors have a way of drastically decimating the numbers of even hugely mass-produced products.
Sure it wouldn't be a catastrophe to lose the last. At some point it's going to happen. But using old light meters and equipment in general has a general appeal, Hence this thread.

Don_ih · Nov 30, 2021

Helge said:
Various factors have a way of drastically decimating the numbers of even hugely mass-produced products.

As in, most get thrown in the garbage - even ones that work.

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2021

BrianShaw said:
Where?

I have to check with Samy's. They gave me the name of a place with Quality Light Metric closed. I had it but did not save it on the computer because Samy's was waiting to see how some they sent came back.

Randy Stewart · May 31, 2022

MartinCrabtree said:
I had mine reconditioned by George Milton of Quality Light Metric. Unfortunately I heard he's out of selenium cells. There is a guy in the UK that repairs them.....cannot recall his name.

I located the guy in the UK with a view to having my Weston meter repaired. As I recall, the price was around $265 US, a deal killer deluxe. I may open it and try to restore the contact surfaces as a fix, but if that does not work, then it goers to the "past tense" box. I also plan to look at a very fine if it worked Weston Ranger with original Zone System scale, which as a CdS meter has a better chance of not taking the walk of shame with my other Weston products.

Down Under · May 31, 2022

My two cents' worth. Not worth it. Too much effort for very little return.

In my time, I've used Westons II, III, V and Euromaster. I still own two Vs and the III. They mostly stay in their cases and rarely if ever get taken out, that is hardly used. Now and then I dust them off and check the cells to see if they still work, which they do.

Bearing in mind the following - they were okay enough meters in their time, but now regarded as ancient. Not all that accurate except in bright daylight. Sure, you can adjust for lower light situations, but it's a bit like trying to run an old computer without the instruction manual, simple enough in theory but the practice is rarely worth the few rewards it gives.

I see them on Ebay going for $10 and up. Not much up. Average sale about $20. Someone I know recently put up three with all the bits and pieces for $60, but had no takers.

Keep your Weston as a collectable from an era where they were the bee's knees in meters - 1940s to 1960s. Then the Gossens came and swept all those Westons into the dust bins...

Bill Burk · May 31, 2022

On the other hand I seem to be very lucky with the selenium Westons, and they often make it into the field with me, with a Zone System sticker applied. Yes the Weston Master III is ASA while older are Weston speeds. I like the Master II best because the EI setting locks. Master III doesn’t lock.

It pays to take it apart and remove any ferrous material stuck to the magnet. Tighten the contacts. See if you can get a good reading of 25 on both scales, and decent “Sunny 16” readings in bright daylight.

I don’t have the same luck with the Ranger 9. I have two and one (haven’t figured out the five potentiometers) doesn’t adjust far enough to use with alkaline cells. The second is untouched project to try to get it working right.

The Ranger 9 Zone System dial is rare (if it’s original aluminum and not simply a paper sticker. I have not seen one yet.

Getting a Weston Master III meter up and running?

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