Nikon N80/F80 meter off by 2 stops

eurekaiv · Jun 9, 2022

I recently got my N80 out to take on a trip where I wanted something fast and easy with a zoom but I noticed the meter was reading 2 stops off, so 125/f16 instead of 500/f16 as though exposure was set to +2. I double checked exposure compensation and ISO and they were normal/as expected. Is this a common issue? I tried searching and couldn’t find any posts or mentions of something similar here or google.

Chan Tran · Jun 9, 2022

You set the camera at ISO 400?

eurekaiv · Jun 9, 2022

Chan Tran said:
You set the camera at ISO 400?

Yes, the ISO was set correctly.

BobD · Jun 9, 2022

What are you comparing the readings to?

Helge · Jun 9, 2022

There is a few metering modes.
- Have you set it to center weighted?
- Is compensation set to 0?
- Have you checked the aperture of the lens? Does it open up completely?

Sirius Glass · Jun 9, 2022

You may need to send it in for a meter calibration and may be at CLA while it is in there.

Helge · Jun 9, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
You may need to send it in for a meter calibration and may be at CLA while it is in there.

An F80‽
You can feed pigs with them!
Get a new one.

250swb · Jun 9, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
You may need to send it in for a meter calibration and may be at CLA while it is in there.

LOL, for the price of an N80 why not buy another camera? It kills me these knee jerk CLA solutions, so funny.

I would however wiggle the batteries around a bit to clear any corrosion, or make sure you have a new battery of the correct voltage.

Helge · Jun 9, 2022

250swb said:
LOL, for the price of an N80 why not buy another camera? It kills me these knee jerk CLA solutions, so funny.

I would however wiggle the batteries around a bit to clear any corrosion, or make sure you have a new battery of the correct voltage.

F80 is a very modern camera. It will tell you if the battery is insufficient.
What could be awry is one of the multiple modes.
A complete reset might help.

Two-Button Reset - Nikon N80 Instruction Manual [Page 76]

Nikon N80 Manual Online: Two-Button Reset. • Two-Button Reset lets you instantly reset specified settings to original initial settings. Press the tm and buttons simultaneously, and hold them for more than 2 sec . • The LCD turns off momentarily and the following functions are reset...

www.manualslib.com

While you are at it, learn the code to turn off the darn pilot light (and get a flash with IR pilot).

Chan Tran · Jun 9, 2022

Helge said:
There is a few metering modes.
- Have you set it to center weighted?
- Is compensation set to 0?
- Have you checked the aperture of the lens? Does it open up completely?

The meter could be in spot mode. It should be in either matrix or center weighted. Besides the meter should be 1/500, f/16, ISO 400 only under very bright sun light. Other conditions it should indicate less.

gone · Jun 9, 2022

Those are pretty neat cameras. Maybe it reset itself after the long rest? It's not a common issue, I've never even heard of one doing that. You could always try resetting the ISO 2 stops as others suggested. It's very unusual for a Nikon meter to be off like that. Even the beater Nikkormats I used to shoot were always dead accurate.

Sirius Glass · Jun 9, 2022

250swb said:
LOL, for the price of an N80 why not buy another camera? It kills me these knee jerk CLA solutions, so funny.

I would however wiggle the batteries around a bit to clear any corrosion, or make sure you have a new battery of the correct voltage.

Because the next one will have different problems. This one is a known entity.

Helge · Jun 9, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Because the next one will have different problems. This one is a known entity.

They are very dependable. Out of the dozen or so I’ve had through my hands, only one had problems.

Whether they are more resilient than the F100 is a question. Either it’s down to the F80/N80 being far more numerous, less beat up/used or just plain better.

Paul Howell · Jun 9, 2022

I've taken to having, whenever possible, having my gear serviced rather than buy another used body. Many cameras cannot be serviced, but rather than toss a camera and having to replace, once serviced and knowing that it is reliable to me is worth the money. When I buy a camera I add the cost of a CLA to the price. I just bought a F4, will be sending for a CLA, new seals, what ever else can done.

Sirius Glass · Jun 9, 2022

Paul Howell said:
I've taken to having, whenever possible, having my gear serviced rather than buy another used body. Many cameras cannot be serviced, but rather than toss a camera and having to replace, once serviced and knowing that it is reliable to me is worth the money. When I buy a camera I add the cost of a CLA to the price. I just bought a F4, will be sending for a CLA, new seals, what ever else can done.

Wise man, he has the same experience and option as me.

eurekaiv · Jun 10, 2022

Helge said:
There is a few metering modes.
- Have you set it to center weighted?
- Is compensation set to 0?
- Have you checked the aperture of the lens? Does it open up completely?

Tried all the metering modes by rotating the switch, all the same but the reading do change slightly between them so I don’t think the switch is stuck. Exposure compensation was checked (at 0) as mentioned in original post. I tossed on another AF lens to test and no difference. I think the next thing to do is try a hard reset as suggested, and see if there’s any difference.

250swb · Jun 10, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Because the next one will have different problems. This one is a known entity.

So you'd send this camera for a CLA that you'll have to pay for anyway whether the meter problem is fixable or not, maybe a couple of hundred dollars, against buying a replacement from a dealer with a six month warranty for maybe $80? Wow.

Helge · Jun 10, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Wise man, he has the same experience and option as me.

CLAs are not certain to turn out well anyway. Even reputable technicians sometimes bite off more than they can chew, run into unforeseen problems, or make mistakes.
A CLA of something as complicated as the F80 is far from certain to turn out to the advantage of the owner of the camera.

Helge · Jun 10, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Because the next one will have different problems. This one is a known entity.

It won’t, they are a couple of decades old at most. The F80 is overall very reliable.

Helge · Jun 10, 2022

eurekaiv said:
Tried all the metering modes by rotating the switch, all the same but the reading do change slightly between them so I don’t think the switch is stuck. Exposure compensation was checked (at 0) as mentioned in original post. I tossed on another AF lens to test and no difference. I think the next thing to do is try a hard reset as suggested, and see if there’s any difference.

What exactly are you comparing against?
You might want to meter a white wall with diffuse, fixed lighting. Clear sky or artificial light. If you don’t have a light meter you trust, light meter apps are actually quite good. Certainly good enough for this task.

BMbikerider · Jun 10, 2022

My F80 exposure has never altered from a test I did a few years ago. It was compared with my F6 (which I have now sold for twice what I paid for it). But comparing it with the readings I get with the same lens fitted to both my F100 and there is not 1/3rd of a stop in it. In fact if I could find another in as good a condition as this one I would snap it up.

I use 3 lenses for the test, a 20/35. 24/120 and a 70/300 with the ISO set on 100. comparing it with my Minolta Autometer 3 there is about 1/2 to 3/4 of a stop difference which I would have expected anyway.

eurekaiv · Jun 10, 2022

Helge said:
What exactly are you comparing against?
You might want to meter a white wall with diffuse, fixed lighting. Clear sky or artificial light. If you don’t have a light meter you trust, light meter apps are actually quite good. Certainly good enough for this task.

Initially, just years of experience. I figure if I’m outside, with 400 speed film, and getting exposure readings on the border of being able to hand hold in decent enough light, something is wrong. If I point it at a bright scene in sunlight, and don’t see something within a stop ish of sunny 16, something is wrong. But I verified the 2 (ish) stops difference is pretty darn consistant using my handheld Sekonic and the roll I just shot manually adjusting the ISO to compensate came out basically perfect.

eurekaiv · Jun 10, 2022

The full reset seemed to do the trick just checking it out in the house against my Sekonic. Looking at the manual, I'm not sure what item in the custom settings would have caused an exposure issue like this, but if it worked, who cares!

Chan Tran · Jun 10, 2022

eurekaiv said:
Initially, just years of experience. I figure if I’m outside, with 400 speed film, and getting exposure readings on the border of being able to hand hold in decent enough light, something is wrong. If I point it at a bright scene in sunlight, and don’t see something within a stop ish of sunny 16, something is wrong. But I verified the 2 (ish) stops difference is pretty darn consistant using my handheld Sekonic and the roll I just shot manually adjusting the ISO to compensate came out basically perfect.

I think you're OK and if the meter goes kaput you can simply switch it to manual and ignore the meter altogether.

Sirius Glass · Jun 10, 2022

Helge said:
CLAs are not certain to turn out well anyway. Even reputable technicians sometimes bite off more than they can chew, run into unforeseen problems, or make mistakes.
A CLA of something as complicated as the F80 is far from certain to turn out to the advantage of the owner of the camera.

Your problem is using the wrong repair people. That is an easy fix.

Nikon N80/F80 meter off by 2 stops

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