Shutter Speed Tester

[RalphLambrecht]

those Calumet meters a

Funny, as I talk to people about this thing, I find quite a few people are quite against it. Quite a waste of money they say. Yeah, I can't see anyone actually using it at a camera shop or swap meet, but i bet they'd whip it out once they got the camera home. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. I use a lot of weird, obscure cameras, for example, for fun I tried out one of those "Hit" cameras. Pretty much a toy camera. But by seeing that the camera has a shutter speed of about 1/90th, I know I can shoot FP4 in it in the sun and have a shot at some decent exposures. I've seen those crappy Calumet testers sell on eBay for over $100, so there must be someone using them.

re actually very good but unfortunately gone with Calumet being dead.I have one and would love to buy another.

 

[onre]

It wouldn't hurt if the "deluxe" sensor module was available in different sizes, or possibly adjustable. There are 6x6 and 6x7 cameras with focal plane shutters.

 

[removed account4]

if i didn't have a calumet shutter speed tester ( which isn't sold / made anymroe )
i would buy one of these in a heartbeat !
its a great thing to know what your shutter is firing at
best of luck with your kickstarter !
john

 

[Chan Tran]

ANSI standards are actually pretty broad.
in round numbers 1/1000 = 1.66-2.5 ms thats about 25% margin. For most purposes that's good.
Slower speeds tend to be around the 20% mark.

John! I think that's for 1/500 and not 1/1000. The exact 1/512 sec is 1.95 msec. So the range of 1.66 to 2.5ms is more like the tolerance for 1/500.

 

[bergytone]

if i didn't have a calumet shutter speed tester ( which isn't sold / made anymroe )
i would buy one of these in a heartbeat !
its a great thing to know what your shutter is firing at
best of luck with your kickstarter !
john

Thanks John. I've been thinking about bringing out the Calumet tester in kit form...for all of those out there that like to solder. Does anyone out there have one I could borrow to reverse engineer? It's a pretty simple design... 5 ICs. a quad comparator, a couple of up counters and a pair of LED drivers.

 

[Chan Tran]

I am more interested in the sensor than the time measurement circuit. The sensor should be very narrow and yet having very fast response time.

 

[John Koehrer]

John! I think that's for 1/500 and not 1/1000. The exact 1/512 sec is 1.95 msec. So the range of 1.66 to 2.5ms is more like the tolerance for 1/500.

Hi Chan,
You & Leigh are right, I must've dropped down a row on my chart. Could it be that I actually made a mistake? AGAIN!

 

[bergytone]

the Kickstarter ends this week, so if you are interested, you still have time to get in. I'm thinking of reverse engineering the Calumet tester and offer it in kit form. Like a heathkit. Would anyone be interested??