Selenium Cell Automatic Cameras that Still Work

[Brady Eklund]

I had an Olympus Pen E that worked well after some tinkering. The meter on one of my Voightlander Vitomatics works. I recently bought, used, and sold a Ricoh Auto 35 which worked splendidly. Do you know of any other Selenium-Metered automatic cameras from that era still might work reliably? Any of the Kodaks? They seem to be a nice introduction for people who are interested in shooting analog but haven't yet learned the basics of photography, as well as an affordable way for more advanced shooters to add a fun camera to their collection. I find that moving beyond the design paradigms of the 80's and 90's that continue to define digital camera design helps to increase the novelty of the experience of shooting with analog cameras, which is a key element driving the interest of young analog shooters. Kids these days have their minds blown by electromechanical devices that don't require batteries!

 

[R.Gould]

I have a Canon 7, kodak Retina !!!c, vitomatic and a Rolleiflex plus 3 Voightlander Vitessa T's all with selenium meters that are all accurate

 

[awty]

Olympus trip 35.

 

[bernard_L]

Agfa Optima-Parat "Silberfisch".

 

[AgX]

Agfa Optima, first program-autoexposure camera ever (1958) may still work.

My experience shows that with cameras with lot of mechanics one hardly can say by model something on the chances.​

 

[__Brian]

My Kodak Retina Auto III is a selenium meter with shutter preferred automatic that still works and is accurate. I had to flood clean the shutter, and clean the viewfinder. It has manual-mode as well.

Most of the "Trap-Needle" auto-exposure, fixed lens cameras used CDS cells.

As a rough number- 75% of my cameras with Selenium Meters are still working, some I revived by cleaning around the meter. Some- two Contax IIIa: give a massage to the meter window. The slight motion must have rubbed corrosion off, as the two "revived".

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Many Olympus Trip 35s work because they were in production through the 1970s and maybe even the '80s. My 1957 Vito BL's selenium meter is no longer linear, and I can't trust it. For awhile, I had a original Canonet. I think the selenium was fine, but the shutter was gummed up.

 

[BAC1967]

Your Selenium cells may not be dead. Sometimes you can bring them back from the dead by putting them in front of a bright light for a day or two. They may not come all the way back or at all but it’s worth a try. Always store them in the dark, continued exposure to light degrades them over time.

 

[John Koehrer]

The majority of selenium cell meters will have problems with corrosion between the cell and whatever it sees as ground but the cells
may eventually die.

 

[thuggins]

I have a wide assortment of light meters and cameras with meters, both selenium and CdS. Nearly all of the selenium meters still work and are reasonably accurate. My daily user is an Ikophot that's more than 60 years old. Nearly every CdS meter has crapped out.

The in camera meters seem to fare better, with both selenium and CdS holding up reasonably well. My original Pen F still has a working meter.

Selenium meters do not "wear out" like a battery dying, regardless of how many times people repeat this on the web. Over time, the circuits may corrode which increases the resistance and will cause the meter to eventually fail.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

.

The in camera meters seem to fare better, with both selenium and CdS holding up reasonably well. My original Pen F still has a working meter.

Selenium meters do not "wear out" like a battery dying, regardless of how many times people repeat this on the web. Over time, the circuits may corrode which increases the resistance and will cause the meter to eventually fail.

Tim is right. Selenium does not wear out or run out of photons, as if it has a finite amount. Corrosion or changing resistance in the contacts is almost always the culprit.

 

[Les Sarile]

The selenium cel in my 1959 Baldamatic 1 works perfectly according to my Seikonic meter.

OTOH, the shutter and the advance needs attention.

 

[bernard_L]

Selenium meters do not "wear out" like a battery dying, regardless of how many times people repeat this on the web.

Generally agreed. Including the "advice" to store in the dark, or, opposite, to regenerate with light.
But I suspect that humidity plays a role in the degradation of those that do degrade; I noticed that several sensors were varnished.

 

[AgX]

If you dive deeper into the field of light sensors including selenium cells, reading what scientiests and people from the selenium coating world wrote, you will find out that they are stressed by light, more precise UV light. There thus is a base underneath that advise to keep them in the dark.

However we do not know how these cells were stored the last 60 years. (With the ones from a brick&mortar shop we a least know over their last months stay on the shelves in the shop window...). Furthermore there is dark fatigue at selenium cells too and the chance of corrosion.

 

[bernard_L]

they are stressed by light, more precise UV light

Point taken.

 

[runswithsizzers]

Depends on what you mean by 'still work'

Not automatic, but I have a Kodak Retina Reflex IV - and a Gossen Pilot 2 hand-held light meter - both with selenium cells. They appear to work - that is exposure to light moves the needle - but both are reading at least one, to one-and-a-half F-stops low, compared to other cameras and meters. If these meters were set to an appropriate ISO, then it may be that they could still be used. But first, I would need to be sure the bias is consistent, and linear over the entire measuring range.

 

[markjwyatt]

I have a Kodak Retina Reflex IV, and a couple of hand-helds that still seem to work.

 

[MNM]

Agfa Optima, first program-autoexposure camera ever (1958) may still work.

My experience shows that with cameras with lot of mechanics one hardly can say by model something on the chances.​

I have an Optima II S that's working at least to some degree. Have not finished the first roll so the exposure could be off - we will see.

 

[TonyB65]

I have a Voightlander Bessamatic Deluxe which still has a working selenium meter, I also have the cover for the meter as well as a case for the camera. I'm less worried about the meter than I am about dropping it on my foot, if you've ever held one you'll know what I mean.

 

[choiliefan]

Kodak Instamatic 500 still works well.
Also have an ancient Norwood Director Color-matic meter which jibes with the cell in my Rolleiflex 2.8F.

 

[Buzz-01]

I have an Olympus Pen EE-2 waiting for its first roll after replacing the light seals. Light meter still appears to work fine, as in that the red flag inside the viewfinder pops up when I'd expect it to, and it allows me to operate the shutter with a little more light.
It's always been stored in a dark place with the lens cap on (covering the selenium cell), in its original fabric carrying case (which has more or less deteriorated completely over time)
Still haven't gotten around to put a roll of film through it though.

 

[John51]

When I got an OM2n, I was playing around with the off the film meter. Schoolboy stuff, hand over lens, press the shutter and hear it open. Pause a while and remove my hand to hear the shutter click shut.

I held a Wratten 18A UV pass filter over the lens and the shutter stayed open. It was a sunny day and the back door was open. Decided to try it outside. With the 18A still covering the lens, I went to go outside but as soon as I got near the open door, the shutter clicked shut.

I knew that sunlight had UV but I had no idea that it was such a high % of UV.

 

[bimmey]

The Selenium meters in my Vittessa T and Iskra 2 still work fine.

 

[cooltouch]

Another Oly Trip 35 user here. Great little camera and its selenium meter nails exposure.

 

[Kino]

Voigtlander Vitessa T and a Barndoor L, Kodak Retina IIIc, and a Contaflex Super B to name a few ...

I'll have to check when I get home, but know there are others...