Looking for an decent entry into medium format. Thinking TLR

[grat]

As time goes on the prices will continue to rise monotonically so the sooner you buy the better. Remember that you will just have to wait a little longer between buying more lenses than you usually do.

That just decreases the likelihood I'll ever own one. And I'm genuinely OK with that.

 

[Sirius Glass]

That just decreases the likelihood I'll ever own one. And I'm genuinely OK with that.

You have worked your career buying things for others, now it is your time. If you want it, will use it and enjoy it you should buy it. You will not regret it or look back with regret if you do. -- That is what my girlfriend tells me all the time and I agree.

 

[Down Under]

I have several GE's, Weston's and others that I cannot recall off the top of head else, in box, last I checked a little of year ago they were all working and can be found on various sites for less than $20, most of mine came bundled with camera I bought. Finding a pretty good used light meter will cost much.

Respectfully, the GEs, Westons and the other 100s if not 1000s of selenium cell meters manufactured until about 1970) go on working, in a way, until one day, boom!! they're gone. Or like my beloved Weston Master Vs, they slowly but steadily decline to under- until one day they kick the bucket, and that's it. Shelf queens.

Even at their best they wee pretty much good only for so-called "average" conditions, accurate on sunny days but that's about it. They came with detailed instructions on how to use the adjustable calculator dial to try to work out how to vary exposures (+ or -) to the conditions. This never worked for me - I failed maths through school. Or is it rather the Law Of Gravity, best explained as Westons can annoy and frustrate you until you throw them to the ground, and then they stop working.

Another key point. Until fairly recently, Westons could be repaired, but now, no. The era has passed.

I still have a Weston V and a venerable III, a family heirloom bought new by a photographer uncle in, I think, 1950, working. Sort of. With negative films I add from half to a full stop over, as insurance.

Hand-held meters are no longer the bee's knees as they once were. Gossens are now cheap if you look in the right places. Like Ebay. Also charity shops, where they are overpriced and gather dust or flogged off for a few dollars and fly out the door, to end up on, yup, Ebay.

But they are fun to use. What is more enjoyable than loading a Rolleicord Vb with Tri-X or HP5 or XP2 and venturing out with a Weston around your neck. Most definitely no getting away from that. Long may it be so.

All this said, we appear to have drifted off-topic here. We should be taking MF cameras and not meters. But then one leads us to the other anyway, for the most part. So.

 

[flavio81]

Hand held meters are no longer the bee's knees as they were. Gossens are now cheap if you go looking for them. Start with Ebay. Charity shops also collect them, where they gather dust as they are so overpriced, or get put out for a few dollars and fly out the door, to end up on - surprise - Ebay.

Well, this is correct.

I have two Gossen Luna Pro, one Luna Pro SBC, and one Minolta Flash Meter IV F.

When i tried to sell one Gossen, nobody bought. My buyers are of the younger generation who think cellphone "light meter" apps are good and accurate.

 

[eli griggs]

Respectfully, those GEs, Westons and "others" (the hundreds if not thousands of selenium cell meters manufactured until about 1970) go on working, in a way, until one day, bang!! they're gone. Or like my two beloved Weston Master Vs, they slowly but steadily decline to under-, until one day they kick the bucket, and that's it. Shelf queens.

Even at their best they are pretty well good only for so-called "average" conditions - meaning you can use them on sunny days but that's about it. The Westons came with detailed instructions on how to use the adjustable calculator dial to try to work out how to vary exposures (+ or -) to the varying conditions. this never worked for me - I failed maths through school. Or is it rather the Law Of Gravity, best explained as Westons can annoy and frustrate you until you throw them to the ground, and then they stop working.

Another key point. Until fairly recently, Westons could be repaired, but now, no. The era has passed.

I still have one Weston V and a venerable III, a family heirloom bought new by a photographer uncle in, I think, 1950, still working. Sort of. With negative films I add from half to a full stop over, as "insurance".

Hand held meters are no longer the bee's knees as they were. Gossens are now cheap if you go looking for them. Start with Ebay. Charity shops also collect them, where they gather dust as they are so overpriced, or get put out for a few dollars and fly out the door, to end up on - surprise - Ebay.

But they are fun to use. There is nothing more enjoyable than to load a Rolleicord Vb with Tri-X or HP5 or even XP2 and venture out with a Weston round one's neck. Most definitely no getting away from that. Long may it be so.

All this said, we appear to have drifted off-topic here. We should be taking MF cameras and not meters. But then one leads us to the other anyway, for the most part. So.

You might try using copper conducting tape, sticky on one side, and using it to make small wraps tightly between the two connections bridging the space from the cell(s) to meter.


I own a number of these old meters and discovered from others that often the decline of these meters is the corrosion at the wires, no the cell itself.

Also, cells need sunlight to keep working at their peak, so everyone and again, expose the cells directly, in filtered by glass, etc for several hours or a day.

IIRC, the sunlight can remove some of the possible oxidation from the business side of a selenium cell, sunlight does decently help with condition of working meters.

 

[StrangleMeRandy]

Bit late to this thread but though I'd hop in to advocate for the Minolta Autocord. Simply a treat to use.

 

[Down Under]

Well, this is correct.

I have two Gossen Luna Pro, one Luna Pro SBC, and one Minolta Flash Meter IV F.

When i tried to sell one Gossen, nobody bought. My buyers are of the younger generation who think cellphone "light meter" apps are good and accurate.

Sadly, we are both right. The young'uns with their cell phone meters get away with it because one, they are young, cute and fun, and two, they haven't a clue as to what they are doing anyway nor about the results they want, so whatever they get is accepted. Especially so if they are doing B&W, in which case any damn thing they photograph will be seen as "art".

Odd times, but still enjoyable (so the duffer sighs, pouring another glass of red wine).

 

[McDiesel]

Smartphones are amazing reflective meters. They can't do spot or ambient (without attachments) but as reflective meters they're excellent. They had to be, because their early camera sensors had awful dynamic range comparable to slide film, so to produce a workable image they had to have accurate metering.

 

[IMoL]

On the topic of metering apps: Not all cell phone metering apps are created equal. I have a few, and while most of them are not that great, "My Lightmeter Pro" (IOS) is actually pretty good (even if the name is a bit cringy), if you know how to use a meter anyway. It's pretty consistent with readings from my real handheld meters and I have no qualms about using it. One of the features that makes it better than most apps is that you can do partial meter readings from several parts of the scene and average them or at least see the DR of the scene.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I've been using a free metering app on my Pixel for several years. It has a spot function (fairly broad spot, I think it's 5 degrees, but better than full-scene average). My experience has been it tends to underexpose by a stop or so, but that's easy to compensate -- and it's sure a lot easier to haul around than my Pentax 1/21.

 

[Dan Daniel]

This is worth a read to get an understanding of meters, light levels, etc. Certainly broke me of thinking that I need to meter every scene every time when outdoors. Unless you are doing zone system work or chromes, more than close enough. Considering that many people here are using old leaf shutters, you probably get more error from shutter speeds being off.

The Ultimate Exposure Computer [pon2wd0v3yn0]

The Ultimate Exposure Computer [pon2wd0v3yn0]. ...

idoc.pub

 

[Paul Howell]

Respectfully, the GEs, Westons and the other 100s if not 1000s of selenium cell meters manufactured until about 1970) go on working, in a way, until one day, boom!! they're gone. Or like my beloved Weston Master Vs, they slowly but steadily decline to under- until one day they kick the bucket, and that's it. Shelf queens.

I have 2 Weston Ranger 9s that are battery driven, the remainder are selenium cell. The GE is very good in low light, will not read low light as dim as my Gossen sbc, , but well enough for most situation. Yes it is true that they will fade and stop working, until them why not use them on occasion or for those who are just getting into film an entry level meter before they decide if they want to invest. And BTW, selenium cells will last longer if kept in the dark.

 

[BobUK]

ozmooze

Westons can still be repaired by Ian Partridge in the UK.

I do not know if links to firms are permissable here, but the moderators can remove it if needs be.

Weston Light Meter Repair and Restore Service

Usual disclaimers etc.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Sadly, we are both right. The young'uns with their cell phone meters get away with it because one, they are young, cute and fun, and two, they haven't a clue as to what they are doing anyway nor about the results they want, so whatever they get is accepted. Especially so if they are doing B&W, in which case any damn thing they photograph will be seen as "art".

Odd times, but still enjoyable (so the duffer sighs, pouring another glass of red wine).

It takes time to learn, but first one has to realize that there is a need to learn and something to learn. None of us were born with this knowledge.

 

[MattKing]

I do not know if links to firms are permissable here

They are, if they are there to inform, not to advertise.
If you are using it to promote your own firm, please become a paid advertiser.

 

[Paul Howell]

Expensive, a 179 pounds, to repair a meter I paid maybe $10.00 for.

 

[BobUK]

Thankyou MattKing for the info.

I have never run a business in my life.
The limit of my financial expertise was collecting the money for the tea club at work.
So no business connections.

Whereabouts would I find out what the advantages of a subscription would be?

 

[MattKing]

Whereabouts would I find out what the advantages of a subscription would be?

The "Support Us" tab link near the top right of the screen.
Here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/pages/supportus/