Buying a second hand Pentax spot meter

It's time for me to get a spot meter and I think I've pretty much

settled on the Pentax digital spot meter. This is nothing other then a

hobby for me and most of my equipment is 40 years old (or more); so I

buy used. I wanted a second opinion before buying this used though.

 

I realize the dangers of buying used equipment unseen, but I'm a big

boy and I can handle it. Usually what I'm buying is old cameras or

lenses though; things where there either isn't much to break or if it

does is pretty easy and cheap to fix. Also, the stuff I'm buying costs

very little in the first place.

 

This is a little different though; it looks like if I buy used I can

expect to pay between $250-300 on Ebay; or about $350 through

someplace like KEH. If I'm going to pay $350 I could just as well

spend another hundred bucks and buy a new one; but if I can get one

$250 I'd probably go the used route. Before I do that though I was

wondering how these meters hold up.

 

Do they seem to stay accurate or do they need to be calibrated every

few years? If the meter needs to be calibrated or repaired how much

should I expect this to cost? How comfortable would you be buying one

of these used?

 

I should probably just break down and buy a new one; but that's how

much I paid for my whole MF Bronica outfit plus one of my old 4X5's!

It just seems to wrong! :)

 

The reason I'm leaning towards the Pentax is from all the great things

I've read about it and the fact that it's designed to do one thing and

it does it well. Simple and functional is what I'm looking for. I'm

open to any other meters that might fit the bill. Unfortunately

there's no where I can go to actually put my hands and eyes on one of

these meters; I just have to go buy what I read...

 

Alan

I'll be interested in the responses to this thread.

 

I thought I'd point out that finding a new one can be difficult. I thought badgergraphic had them but when I ordered it turned out they were not in stock. The bigger online guys haven't had them for some time (at least when I looked).

 

I'm still making do with my F100 in spot mode, but I'd sure like to get a good spot meter one of these days without spending $600.

 

Also wonder how those Adorama spot meters are. Only a couple hundred bucks, look like the Pentax.

Alan,

 

Tried getting your email address from the site but it didn't show up. Not in spam folder either. Anyhow, I took a look at that KEH page you mentioned and was about to buy the digital meter they have listed (I've been looking for a while) when I realised that would be kinda lousy since you brought it up on this thread. If you decide against it, let me know please and if it's still listed then I may go ahead and buy it.

 

Mac

It seems to me, someone said that the Adorama alalog meters are the same as the old Soligor SpotSensor II. If that's the case, I've been using the same one for over 20 years and it has proved to be reliable. For what its worth, one time when I had it in for a calibration check at a local camera repair store, I asked about parts availability. The tech told me the components were the same as the Pentax analog meter, so parts were no problem. I assumed he knew what he was talking about.

I bought an Adorama meter this summer. I considered the analog, but then opted for digital on the basis that it would not have any moving parts.

 

The salesman at Adorama acknowleged that it was the same as the old Soligor.

 

So far I have been very pleased with the Adorama meter.

Alan

 

There are 2 of these listed today on That Auction Site.

 

cheers

Alan,

 

The Pentax meters are fine meters indeed. However, as the other posters have noted, they

can be a challenge to find in decent shape.

 

Have you tried any alternative meters such as the Minolta digital? It's very accurate and is a

nice size too. I have 2 of them... one gets used quite a bit while the second is a backup.

 

Cheers

"Anyhow, I took a look at that KEH page you mentioned and was about to buy the digital meter they have listed (I've been looking for a while) when I realised that would be kinda lousy since you brought it up on this thread. If you decide against it, let me know please and if it's still listed then I may go ahead and buy it."

 

Go for it Mac, I won't be making any rush decisions on this. I always end up regretting it when I do that. I'm in no hurry so I'll be looking into different options. It will probably be a month or more until I finally buy one. Thanks for the consideration though.

 

As for the Adorama (Soligor) meter; I might have to look into that again. I asked about that here on Photo.net and this summer and received some good responses; I'd kind of forgotten about it. It looks like a good simple meter and I haven't heard anything bad about it yet. I'm sure it would suit me just fine. For those that do use the Soligor meter, can you see the readings through the viewfinder?

 

I've been thinking about getting some lighting in the future for some simple home studio work, so a flash meter would be nice too. But I'd probably be happier having 2 seperate meters rather then trying to combine them into one.

 

Thanks,

 

Alan

FWIW - I bought a used one from Midwest Photo and it is a wonderful thing. Mine has worked well at -10F when another person's Minolta would not cooperate.

I picked up a used Soligor Zone-VI modified from igorcamera.com and it's worked like a champ. They have one listed for $135 right now.

Alan,

 

Since you shoot large format, you're a serious photographer in my book. Get the

Pentax if you can find one you can afford.

 

I use the pentax digital myself. It is very rugged.

 

Don't buy an analog spot meter. They need constant calibration.

 

The minolta is a good meter as well ( I use their incident meter) but the user interface

is not as simple and easy to use as the pentax.

 

The bad news is that it is very hard to find these meters new today. I'm not sure they

still make em.

 

For a used meter try to look up Quality Light and Metric in hollywood, california. I'm

not sure they are on the web, but Geroge has a phone number and a post office box

(he's closed his retail office). I bought a used color meter from him a few years back

and if you buy from him it will be calibrated and spot on when you get it (if he has

one for sale).

I bought a Pentax Digital Spotmeter at a camera swap meet for $40. It was because one of the LEDF lights in the veiwfinder was missing. You couldn't tell a 5 from a 9 or a 6 from an 8. I sent it to Pentax who fixed it and calibrated it for $125. Pretty good deal.

"Don't buy an analog spot meter. They need constant calibration."

 

I beg to differ. They might be more delicate than a digital meter, but they hardly need constant calibration. I've been using a Pentax analog for about ten years (it was used when I bought it). I had the local camera guy check it out for me about a year ago, and was within 1/3 stop over most of it's range.

I vote with Kevin, I got an old Pentax from ebay and it works very well, I just compared to a Minolta digital and the differences were about 1/6 stop max; and its very easy to calibrate, I did it when I got it and this was some years ago.

I too have an Analog Pentx Spotmeter and it is very accurate.

 

I prefer working with an Analog meter because I like to see a constant sweep of the needle

when scanning over areas I am reading.

 

The Analog Spotmeter is a bit difficult to read in REALLY low light but it is workable. (I use

it in low light when shooting Concert Photography). It is more accurate than the Spot

Mode on my Nikons (D100 and N90S).

 

jmp

If you're like me, I find myself bringing along a digital point and shoot for the "I was there" and people shots. This might be out of your price range but the 7 mp Pentax Optio 750Z has a digital spotmeter built it. It also seems to be a great macro camera, records audio for notes, a telephoto, and lots of oter features.

 

http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_specs?reqID=1006&subsection=optio

 

Warren

I have two Pentax analog spot meters, both bought on ebay for about $45 ea, both were listed as "for parts or repair". Neither required any repairs, and they're both perfectly accurate.

 

If you choose to buy from KEH, don't be afraid to buy something graded "bargain"; KEH's bargain grade is equal to ebay "excellent".

I traded for a used Pentax Spotmeter V when I lived in Houston in 1984-1986 (I don't know just when in there). I'm still using it today. I don't know how the digital's last, but the analog's last forever!

<p>If anyone is still looking, check the photo.net classifieds.</p>