What are your thoughts on the Soligor Spot Sensor II

Arvee · May 24, 2019

Here's an article about a Spot Sensor II with the same overexposure issue.

http://halflightphotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/light-meter-calibration.html

Or, perhaps, the previous owner re-calibrated the meter to read highlights exclusively for use with slide film/digital.

Ariston · May 24, 2019

Arvee said:
Here's an article about a Spot Sensor II with the same overexposure issue.

http://halflightphotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/light-meter-calibration.html

Or, perhaps, the previous owner re-calibrated the meter to read highlights exclusively for use with slide film/digital.

Wow, I don't know how you found that. I am going trying to pry that cover off now... it is not coming easily.

Ariston · May 24, 2019

I got the side piece off. I want to wait until I get a gray card and adjust it again before I put the cover back on. I don't know if I am calibrating it wrong, or if the Zone VI mod affects it, but it seems to underexpose a little indoors compared to outdoors. I am posting a picture here in case Google brings someone else to this thread who is looking to adjust the Soligor. I wasn't sure what part I was supposed to be adjusting in the pots because mine were pretty stiff at first, but the little metal tabs are what are supposed to move around the center of the pot. See below:

Arvee · May 24, 2019

The first article I sent you was not very specific about the function of the 3 pots in the calibration procedure. Here is a much better description:

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8123

GL

Ariston · May 24, 2019

Arvee said:
The first article I sent you was not very specific about the function of the 3 pots in the calibration procedure. Here is a much better description:

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8123

GL

PERFECT, PERFECT, PERFECT!! That was it! Thank you, Arvee! And thanks to that guy who wrote that post.

Basically, the middle pot adjusts the sensitivity, and the rightmost pot trims back the high end. So now my meter is adjusted, AND it is consistent with low and high values (it was underexposing indoors). I don't know how he figured out exactly what those pots do, but it is spot on. The only thing I would say is that I ignored the part about the mid-value, because once you adjust the other two, it should be right. And if you change it after that, it is going to affect the high value, anyway.

Now I am golden and ready to go.

Sirius Glass · May 24, 2019

Two f/stops off is too much, send it back to KEH and have them calibrate it. That is covered under your purchase guarantee.

RalphLambrecht · May 24, 2019

Ariston said:
I've been looking for a sub-$100 spot meter, and I just ordered one of these from KEH. Anyone have experience with one?

It is without doubt that the Pentax Digital Spotmeter, as used by AA is the most efficient and effective spotmeter for Zone-System work period! They van be found for about $200 used. That said, I'd stay away from the Zone V modified versions, which are typically more expensive without being an improvement.

Deleted member 88956 · May 25, 2019

RalphLambrecht said:
It is without doubt that the Pentax Digital Spotmeter, as used by AA is the most efficient and effective spotmeter for Zone-System work period! They van be found for about $200 used. That said, I'd stay away from the Zone V modified versions, which are typically more expensive without being an improvement.

I so agree. Fred Picker did IMHO a lot of good, Zone VI catalogs were classics, newsletter was a lot fun to read (have the whole set), some of "his" ideas were simple yet effective, I loved Zone VI darkroom enlarging timer, I also appreciate the ingenious use of centering ruler in his matting jig ... then I saw their camera (which immediately brought me to buying Toyo Field), then I looked at that enlarger ... then it was over.

But one would have been hard pressed to argue with his marketing and scientific (and "scientific") explanations of why what he had was better than anything it competed against. Meters were certainly one of those things in a sense that made no improvement to final product but did add to its final price (which as you point out, still is the case today). Sort of like Linhof picked lenses, although there may be some truth to, after all a serious company like Linhof, making QA claims.

Ariston · May 25, 2019

RalphLambrecht said:
It is without doubt that the Pentax Digital Spotmeter, as used by AA is the most efficient and effective spotmeter for Zone-System work period! They van be found for about $200 used. That said, I'd stay away from the Zone V modified versions, which are typically more expensive without being an improvement.

If the Pentax meter is $200 in Germany, then you are lucky.

Dennis-B · May 25, 2019

Ariston said:
If the Pentax meter is $200 in Germany, then you are lucky.

A quick look on eBay, shows the very bottom is @ $225, and goes up to $550 for a mint-in-box version from Japan. My Zone VI conversion was a bit over $300. One is on eBay now for @ $440.

Ariston · May 25, 2019

Dennis-B said:
A quick look on eBay, shows the very bottom is @ $225, and goes up to $550 for a mint-in-box version from Japan. My Zone VI conversion was a bit over $300. One is on eBay now for @ $440.

I think you are looking at "starting bid" prices for $225. I didn't see any that low... although some bidders have gotten them in the mid to high 200s.

Deleted member 88956 · May 25, 2019

Someone did get "lucky" not long ago and got one Pentax Digital for i think $150 or even less, but given quality of presentation and non-description (it did look rough in pics) he might not have been laughing after all.

Neil Poulsen · May 26, 2019

Decades ago, I began with a Soligor 1 Deg. Spot. I found that the circle one sees in the viewfinder was not aligned well with the spot meter's sensitive. One can easily enough check this by looking for a white area that's adjacent to a black area, and slowly approach the black area while in the white area and see how the meter responds.

Then, position the sensor in the black area, and slowly approach the white area. Compare how the meter responds for both.

The Soligor was new, so I returned it and ordered a Pentax V, which I still have. The alignment in the Pentax meter that I subsequently purchased was accurate.

Ariston · May 26, 2019

The spot on mine is correct, and has a very quick fall-off, which is good. It was two stops off, though, so I had to spend time adjusting that. Thankfully, Arvee ^^^ helped with that a LOT.

Dennis-B · May 27, 2019

I've used hand held meters since the mid-60's. If you want calibration, then buy some E6 film and test them against it. Either Fujichrome or Ektachrome will work. If the meter was modified by Zone VI, don't use any filters over the lens. The sensors used by Zone VI were UV corrected.

DREW WILEY · Jun 4, 2019

I standardize on Pentax digital spotmeters, but I've used a Minolta Spotmeter F too. They all read absolutely identically across the full EV range. If I get even a third of a stop deviance from this on an older meter anywhere on the scale, I send it to Quality Light Metric, which services these for the movie industry, and they come back identical to new. But this might happen only once a decade or so. I find the dial on the Pentax digital much more spontaneous to use than the buttons on the Minolta. But they both have quality multicoated elements less susceptible to flare than the Soligor, though I do use a rubber
lens hood on them to even further reduce the risk, which is important to remember when metering facing the sun. I recently stumbled onto another mint, almost unused Pentax for $200, and it read identical to my other meters. It takes some luck, but reasonable prices are out there.

Todd Foster · Jun 8, 2019

Very useful discussion on these meters!
My main contribution is to underscore that the weakness with this meter is that the prism inside will jump out of place and stay out of place if you drop the meter. Usually just replacing it in its socket inside fixes the problem. I've bought several Soligors that were "not working" on eBay for <$20 when this is all that was wrong. In one case only the prism cut into the wiring inside the moving coil meter itself which made it unrepairable. The other parts could of course be recycled if needed.

Always use the handstrap or the holster that Zone VI used to sell. If dropped and the prism is displaced separate the plastic shell sides and gently replace it in the molded socket with the spring holder in place. There is a screw in the battery compartment, I think one cross screw, and you have to loosen the knurled lock nut that the eyepiece screws in and out of to focus. Just turn this knurled nut CCW using padded pliers until it's a little loose and it will release it's clamp action on the two halves of the shell.

These are great meters that I've used for decades. They're a little bulky but other than that just fine. I have both the analog and the digital meter versions and I use them interchangeably. Essential for zone system work. Just do the film speed and development time tests as Picker taught and you'll be fine.

I can see no significant difference with Fred Pickers touted correction. It's a filter in a little cover that fits over the sensor. Zone VI also glued in an O-ring believe it or not inside the lens opening inside the meter obviously for some added light baffling. They may also have painted in a little bit of anti-reflective black paint.

I found I could.increase the linearity of my meter by increasing it's sensitivity one stop which meant I just had to double my ASA to compensate. So I'm shooting 100 ASA film with the meter set at 200 ASA and I get very acceptable linearity down into the low values.

Extreme precision in metering in the field is not necessary IMO. I say it's not even possible with moment to moment fluctuations between metering and exposure. I've found the Soligor to be more than up to the task.

I do routinely check negative densities in sky and shadow to get early warning of weakening chemicals or variations in film speed. I check my field log to see what the sky and shadow placements were by zone and just screen them in a couple minutes as I process film. This validates the entire process. Essential with a new batch of chemicals or a fresh box of film. I put a washed, still wet negative in a mylar 4 X 5 holder and read the density with densitometer. (Plenty of these on eBay with the demise of commercial film usage.)

Todd Foster · Jun 8, 2019

Forgot that I fixed one dropped analog meter Soligor by hot gluing a curved metal pole piece back in place in the meter movement. It had been cemented in place with just a drop of glue.

Dennis-B · Jun 8, 2019

Todd Foster said:
Very useful discussion on these meters!
...
Always use the handstrap or the holster that Zone VI used to sell. If dropped and the prism is displaced separate the plastic shell sides and gently replace it in the molded socket with the spring holder in place. There is a screw in the battery compartment, I think one cross screw, and you have to loosen the knurled lock nut that the eyepiece screws in and out of to focus. Just turn this knurled nut CCW using padded pliers until it's a little loose and it will release it's clamp action on the two halves of the shell...

Amen to securing the meter. I rigged up an old strap with a 1/4x20 tripod screw (the type with a small ring on it) attached. I never use a spot meter without it. That's also one of the things I always liked about the Gossens.

Ariston · Jun 8, 2019

Todd Foster said:
Very useful discussion on these meters!
My main contribution is to underscore that the weakness with this meter is that the prism inside will jump out of place and stay out of place if you drop the meter. Usually just replacing it in its socket inside fixes the problem. I've bought several Soligors that were "not working" on eBay for <$20 when this is all that was wrong. In one case only the prism cut into the wiring inside the moving coil meter itself which made it unrepairable. The other parts could of course be recycled if needed.

Always use the handstrap or the holster that Zone VI used to sell. If dropped and the prism is displaced separate the plastic shell sides and gently replace it in the molded socket with the spring holder in place. There is a screw in the battery compartment, I think one cross screw, and you have to loosen the knurled lock nut that the eyepiece screws in and out of to focus. Just turn this knurled nut CCW using padded pliers until it's a little loose and it will release it's clamp action on the two halves of the shell.

These are great meters that I've used for decades. They're a little bulky but other than that just fine. I have both the analog and the digital meter versions and I use them interchangeably. Essential for zone system work. Just do the film speed and development time tests as Picker taught and you'll be fine.

I can see no significant difference with Fred Pickers touted correction. It's a filter in a little cover that fits over the sensor. Zone VI also glued in an O-ring believe it or not inside the lens opening inside the meter obviously for some added light baffling. They may also have painted in a little bit of anti-reflective black paint.

I found I could.increase the linearity of my meter by increasing it's sensitivity one stop which meant I just had to double my ASA to compensate. So I'm shooting 100 ASA film with the meter set at 200 ASA and I get very acceptable linearity down into the low values.

Extreme precision in metering in the field is not necessary IMO. I say it's not even possible with moment to moment fluctuations between metering and exposure. I've found the Soligor to be more than up to the task.

I do routinely check negative densities in sky and shadow to get early warning of weakening chemicals or variations in film speed. I check my field log to see what the sky and shadow placements were by zone and just screen them in a couple minutes as I process film. This validates the entire process. Essential with a new batch of chemicals or a fresh box of film. I put a washed, still wet negative in a mylar 4 X 5 holder and read the density with densitometer. (Plenty of these on eBay with the demise of commercial film usage.)

I agree with your sentiment regarding extreme precision being unnecessary. If extreme precision were required, I would probably have to stop shooting.

DREW WILEY · Jun 10, 2019

There are plenty of Do-it-yourself labels stuck onto rings of ordinary meters. Fred Picker even sold them for self-self application, not just on his converted meters. A waste of good dial space as far as I'm concerned. And the kind of recalibration Quality Light Metric does takes into account linearity over the entire EV range of the meter. Just matching middle gray is not the same thing. Besides, most gray cards are significantly off. I've measured stacks of em with an industrial spectrophotometer. The gray patches of a MacBeath Color Checker Chart are excellent if clean and unfaded.

What are your thoughts on the Soligor Spot Sensor II

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Deleted member 88956

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