Question about a lightmeter

[AndersPS]

I´ve bought myself an old lightmeter and wondering if there´s somebody that have one or knows how it works or where I could find a manual? It´s a Soligor UF, a very small lightmeter.

///Anders S

 

[wiltw]

You are most likely best off by taking photos (close up) of the front controls and the back (if that is where the model designation is found), and veterans can typically puzzle out how to use a meter via the controls and dial indicators shown.

 

[sangetsu]

It's pretty simple really. Most old-school light meters use a dial type setup which is quick to understand. First you set your ISO/ASA to the speed of the film you are using in your camera, then you aim the meter at the subject. On the needle scale, there will be a series of lines (often silver and black), you turn a marker on the meter until it matches the line where the needle is pointing. Then look at the corresponding shutter and f-stop settings, you can use any of these settings depending on the effect you want, faster speeds with wider apertures, or slower speeds with narrower apertures.

 

[AndersPS]

But does this lightmeter take a spotreading or is the area bigger and measures reflected light as my camera does?(Pentax MX)

 

[Rol_Lei Nut]

But does this lightmeter take a spotreading or is the area bigger and measures reflected light as my camera does?(Pentax MX)

Chances are that it has a fairly "wide" measurement area, as most older "normal" meters did. But certainly not all!

Also, does it have a Selenium or CdS (or other) cell? (i.e. doe it have a battery? - if not, it's selenium, which usually covers a fairly wide area, dependent on any microlens arrangent placed in fron of the cell).

Best would be to do some creative experimentation, trying to work out just what the meter is reading - a good idea anyway, even if you already know what the theoretical coverage is.

 

[Chan Tran]

Doing a bit of research this is what I found.
1. It's a reflected light meter with a wide angle measurement.
2. It uses a mercury battery.
3. The sensor on the UF model is Cds but since this one is UF II it could be silicon but I doubt it because it uses the same mercury battery.
4. It has 2 ranges selected via the sensor cover.
5. You simply read the light level on the meter then dial the value in the calculating dial to figure out f/stop and shutter speed.

 

[AndersPS]

It has a batterycompartment on the back. I think it measures a little bigger than my cameras spotmetering, and that´s good. I want to measure the light in the room and not just one spot. Do you think I can put a white bulb-like thing on top off the "hole" ontop of the meter so it measures less "spot"-like, if you know what I mean? More like a modern lightmeter...

///Anders S

 

[Rol_Lei Nut]

It has a batterycompartment on the back. I think it measures a little bigger than my cameras spotmetering, and that´s good. I want to measure the light in the room and not just one spot. Do you think I can put a white bulb-like thing on top off the "hole" ontop of the meter so it measures less "spot"-like, if you know what I mean? More like a modern lightmeter...

The "bulbs" are for incident readings: You directly measure the light falling on the subject by holding the meter in front of it and pointing the meter towards the camera.

There's nothing especially modern or not modern about incident meters, just most "modern" reflective meters will also allow you to use them in incident mode.

If your meter doesn't have a "bulb" or "diffusor" slide built in, you can certainly attach one of your own, but you may want to compare the result with a reflected reading of an 18% (neutral) grey card, in case your "bulb" absorbs a little light.

But do read up on the differences and relative advantages of reflected and incident metering...
(Cue usual statements of how incident/spot/zone system/matrix/averaging/center-weighted metering is the *only* way to go).

 

[Greg Campbell]

Here's an excellent source of meter info.

http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/manuals/manuals.html
much more at:
http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/