Minolta srT201 light meter

[BradS]

So I happened upon a nice looking srt-201 and couldn't pass up the $30 price tag. Seems to be in good working condition everything works and the light meter even agrees well with several others that I trust.

I have some questions for those who've more experience with this model....

1) With regard to the light meter on/off/bc switch, do you just leave it on all the time or turn it on, make a few general readings and then turn it off? I'm used to the light meter being a lot easier to turn on/off (as on the late model pentax and nikon models for example).

2) this one came with the proper mercury battery installed(!). How long can I expect this to last? More importantly, does anybody know if this meter circuit will read correctly with a silver-oxide replacement? or, will that require the meter to be re-calibrated?

 

[CraigH]

I only turn the meter on with my SRT's when I'm shooting. I use my left thumb to turn the meter on & off.

I generally have them converted for 1.5, but there are adaptors available.

Craig

 

[ath]

More importantly, does anybody know if this meter circuit will read correctly with a silver-oxide replacement? or, will that require the meter to be re-calibrated?

Hello Brad,
congratulations. The meter of the SR-T series is sensitive to the battery voltage, but can be easily calibrated for the silver cells.
Alternatives are the usual replacements for mercury cells.

 

[David Brown]

I love everything about the SRTs except the battery switch! I turn them off unless I'm metering. I have a few mercury batteries still "in stock". Once those are used up or dead from "shelf life", I'll either get an adapter or use the cameras "meterless". Whatta ya gonna do ...

 

[glbeas]

You should always turn the meter off. The light leaking into the eyepiece will cause the meter to draw current and run the battery down, as well as there being a very slight leak even in total darkness with most CdS cells.

 

[Tom Hicks]

I have an srt 200 and have one battery left . I remember reading somewhere about putting some kind of diode in for use with current batteries , but can't remember where I saw it . is this the best way to convert.

All this info was before I got the cam. or is there some general rule of it just being off one or two stop in one direction or another.

tom

What's this adapter you mention?

 

[BradS]

So I spent the morning with the camera and have almost gotten the hang of turning the switch on with the left thumb. Once or twice, I think I even remembered to turn the thing off....(arrrgh!).

I'm pretty sure the battery will be dead by the end of the year and then, the whole battery switch placement issue will be moot. May have to look into that converter gizmo though...Thanks everyone.

 

[Rod Downes]

You may want to check this out:
Dead Link Removed
I've successfully carried out the mod on several SRT's and it works a treat.It is also much cheaper than buying a battery converter.
You do need to be reasonably competent with a soldering iron.
Regards
Rod Downes

 

[Mike Wilde]

Don't be so keen with the switch

I run an srt101. I just turn the meter switch off when I get home and put the camera bag back in its proper spot at the end of the day. I also use that time to pick out any films for processing and generally clean the bag out of lolly wrappers, film boxes etc to get it read for the next time out.

Otherwise, while shooting for the day the meter switch stays on. Draw is low with the lens cap on, and it is even lower when it is in the bag.

There are instructions out there if you are not afraid to take the bottom off the camera and tweak a trimmer potentiomenter, to make it woirk with silver oxide cells. You use a second camera, grey card, and tungsten light source to confirm the correct exposure wrt shutter spped, aperture, and asa, then set the srt under surgery to match it, and then turn the pot until the meter needle matches the pointer circle.

I still have one mercury cell in the freezer awaiting its time to be put into service.

The existing mercury cell has been in the camera for at least 5 years, and is still going strong.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If I remember correctly, by only having the meter on while it was being used I would typically get one year out of a battery. However, I did have some batteries that lasted three to five years.

Steve

 

[Steve Bellayr]

A good rule of thumb is to turn the meter off when not in use and carry and extra battery. Only you can determine when it will not be in use for extended periods of time.