Seeking Yashica 124g advice, rely on internal meter?

[otsegony]

To All:

I am taking a long anticipated trip to Korea next month and I will be bringing a Yashicamat 124g that I specifically purchased for the occasion. I have many years experience with Rolleiflex cameras, but they have risen up so much in value that I didn't want to worry about as we move about the countryside on public transit. I will be shooting Kodak Ektar color negative film and a variety of black and white film including Agfapan 100 and T-Max 400. I have tested the Yashica's built-in meter and it seems remarkably accurate. However, I am more familiar with hand metering, either with a Sekonic incident meter or a Gossen Luna-Pro. I don't really have room to take something along "just in case" so should I rely on the camera's internal meter or take along the tried and true? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Garet

 

[MattKing]

I would take the hand meter, because as you say it is "tried and true". The built-in meter would then be there as a backup in case of emergency.

 

[Ian Grant]

Welcome to APUG Garet.

The meter in my Yashica 124 is surprisingly accurate but I prefer to use a hand held meter usually a Luna Pro, or one of my spotmeters mainly because I've usually got an LF camera with me as well.

Ian

 

[E. von Hoegh]

The meter in the Yashica was intended to run on a 1.35v mercury cell. Do you have substitutes, or has it been recalibrated to run on 1.5v silver cells? Will the camera be reliable, i.e. has it had a recent CLA?
I'd bring a backup of some sort.

 

[otsegony]

Actually I have a small stash of 1.35v mercury cells in the freezer, and I plan on buying a few in Korea (where I understand they are still sold). The camera hasn't been CLA'd, but I've run half-a-dozen rolls of film through it and it seems to be accurate under a variety of lighting conditions.

 

[Dan Daniel]

If you are comfortable moving to reflected metering that the 124G does, go for it. But the switch from incident to reflected isn't minor in my opinion.

Any travel is a crap shoot on equipment. I would find room for an external meter and not even use the 124 meter, but I don't like reflected metering. There are also things like Fred Parker's Ultimate Meter- http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm Print one or two out as backup, less room than a separate meter?

 

[Clay2]

Take a hand-held along just in case. My 124 G metre is reasonable but I don't trust it. As for Korea,

I understand that countries still making mercury cells are using a different composition and the new cells

are not 1.35 V anymore. I too have a stash of the old ones.

Best regards,

/Clay

 

[Count Elmsley]

I have two of these amazing cameras. Was very doubtful about relying on the built-in meter for years, but when checked against a Weston Euro Meter and the meter in my digital camera, they all gave the same result. I am still using a 1.35v battery though.

Now I always rely on the built-in meter and get super results with both negative and reversal films.

Have a good trip

Alan

 

[dehk]

Bring the handheld with and you can start comparing readings when you have time!

 

[SafetyBob]

I think I will be the fourth or fifth one to also say bring the meter with you. For the very small amount of room it will take, bring it. I assume you are also planning on "carrying" the camera on board and not packing it away for the journey?

Please let us know how the Korean battery thing works/looks like. I have friends that go there occasionally and could pick a small number of them up for us for an APUG only sale....love my 124G!!

Bob E.

 

[jimrohrer]

I would also advise the hand held meter... It won't take up much room in your bag and you would have the option of taking incident or reflected readings. If anything, consider it a backup to the on-camera meter of the Yashica.

 

[mgb74]

Have you compared your internal meter reading with your handheld reflective meter? Do you get results that are significantly different? I've found the meter in my 124 to be pretty accurate; once you understand it's angle of coverage and the limitations of any "non-spot" reflective meter. Especially for b/w and color negative films. That said, I'd bring the incident meter along for incident readings (and backup).