Gossen lunasix 3

[Mike Kennedy]

There's one for sale in town and the price is right $5.00).I realize it takes the ole' Mercury cell and a person can buy the adapter for lowing voltage of LR44's but can I use the 1.5v battery and calibrate the meter (ie.set the iso)by comparing the reading from my N90s or F3hp?

 

[Uhner]

From trying the same with an original Lunasix - I would say no. You can match one reading, but subsequent readings in different lightning conditions will be off.

But you should buy the meter, it is a good piece of equipment.

 

[Ian Grant]

Uhner's correct,I have one and it came with the 1.5 v batteries and wasn't accurate across the scales, but with the adaptor it's very precise, and a great meter.

Ian

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Where did you folks get your adaptor?

Thank You

 

[Uhner]

I got an original Gossen Adaptor from a Swedish photo retailer…

I think your best bet is http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/89868-REG/Gossen_GO_4145_Adapter_Kit_Battery_Holder_for.html

 

[rosey]

A while back someone had the Gossen adapter for sale right here on apug. I snapped it up and it works perfectly in a Luna Pro and Lunasix. That means I can save my small cache of mercury cells for my Canon GIII and old Pentax lightmeter for the H3v.

 

[Terrence Brennan]

Lunasix 3 meter

There's one for sale in town and the price is right $5.00).I realize it takes the ole' Mercury cell and a person can buy the adapter for lowing voltage of LR44's but can I use the 1.5v battery and calibrate the meter (ie.set the iso)by comparing the reading from my N90s or F3hp?

I'd be sure to zero the meter before you load the batteries. Switch the meter into the "on" position, without batteries, and hold the switch down. The needle should land exactly on the upper left line, the "zero" mark; if it doesn't, there is a small screw, which you access from the underside of the meter body. Tweak that until the needle lines up. Release the switch, battery up, and off you go.

It would be a good idea to do a linearity check. You will need a selection of neutral density (ND) filters to make this test. For example, if you take a reflected reading from a light source, like a light box, or a white lampshade, you place an ND filter of known density in the meter cell's path, and the reading should change by the amount of the ND filter. With a 1.0ND filter in the path, the needle should deflect by exactly 3-1/3 stops.

My method is to use a lamp and diffuser, and to adjust the voltage of the lamp to get a reading on the meter scale of 19-2/3, which is equivalent to "sunny 16" conditions, roughly 6400 footcandles (fc). I then use a series of neutral density filters, until I reach 7 on the meter scale, equivqlent to about 1 fc (for those of you who wish to photograph in Ottawa anytime soon, that is about the intensity of the light given off by the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill).

If the linearity check fails, if adding that 1.0ND filter doesn't produce the desired change, them the meter will have to be serviced. There are probably adjustment potentiometers for a linearity adjustment, but I don't know for sure; I've never open the case on my vintage 1976 Lunasix 3 meter.

I am still using the last of my 1.35V mercury cells; I have two of the air-activated type I bought from Freestyle two years ago, and still haven't used. When the current batteries die, and I install the air-activated ones, I am going to order the adaptor from B&H and fly with the 1.5V batteries.

 

[ricksplace]

Thanks Terrence. I use a lunasix 3 and never knew how to zero the meter. I never thought of doing it without the batteries!

 

[Larry.Manuel]

I'm very keen on my Luna Six. Here's a link to a battery adapter:

http://www.paulbg.com/Nikon_F_meter_batteries.htm

 

[Paul Goutiere]

If you are handy, solder a 1n914 diode (experiment which of the two ways) in place of one of the battery leads, inside the meter. This just happens to drop the battery voltage precisely the right amount when using the silver equivalent of the two PX625 cells. These diodes are very common, perhaps Radio Shack will have them even. The meter will be just as accurate as it was before.

Only use the silver oxide batteries. They maintain their voltage as well as the mercury batteries and last at least as well.

Then the next time the battery fails, just replace it.