Shooting an Argus Cosina STL1000 [just need some advice]

<p>So I'm going to be taking my old Argus Cosina STL1000 out for a spin this saturday probably with a cosinon f/1.8 50mm lens and Kodak Tri-X 400 film. I was wondering whether or not using a PL filter or any color filters would improve the pictures that drastically, or should I just leave them at home? I am going to bring a lens hood and a tripod [the thing has the heaviest mirror slap I've ever felt], but I'll be using the timer if it's not mounted just in case.<br>

Also, is it worth it to buy a battery for the light meter? I have a leicameter mr-4 but no shoe to mount it on, and the rest of mine are selenium cell and in all likelihood their cells have been shot to hell. I don't know if shoes even can be mounted on this thing [and I don't have time to buy one if they can], so that may rule the mounted light meter out completely.<br>

Any advice would be appreciated!</p>

<p>I'd get a battery if it were me--a TTL meter is a lot more convenient for most situations than a separate hand held meter. If you haven't been doing a lot of photography for a while, I would skip the filters until you see a need for them.</p>

Be sure light meter is working properly. If it's off a bit the generous exposure latitude of Tri-X will save the day.

"...but I'll be using the self timer if it's not mounted just in case"

Don't quite understand. Do you mean that if useing the camera "not mounted" on the tripod i.e. handheld, you intend to release the

shutter with the self timer? If so why not just use the shutter release? I don't think this is a prerelease self-timer so there should be no

more mirror slap either way. Just make sure you use the ball of your finger and take up the shutter release free play before squeezing

that last 1/2mm to take the shot.

 

For a period of time I had a Vivitar SL220 that I think was about the same camera under a different label. Yeah, it's got quite a snap when

releasing the shutter. Don't remember what battery mine took but the meter was dead anyway. I know my exposures and don't use a

meter unless the light is difficult.

<p>Argus/Cosina STL10001 was my first SLR. I loved it and have many good memories of using it. When a spring in shutter mechanism broke I had to move on but repaired it and would still use if I could get the light meter to work well. Not having the correct battery available any more means the meter was off. I have used hearing aid batteries which worked but did not last long. Best wishes for fun times with your Argus/Cosina. I had a little device that came with the camera that slides on the eyepiece and gives a shoe no connections so not a hot shoe.</p>

<p>Filters will change the picture but will not necessarily improve them. When shooting b/w you can, for example, get a darker sky (in case it is actually blue) with a yellow filter since most b/w films will "overexpose" blueish tones. <br>

A polarizing filter will increase colour contrast since it reduces reflections, even indirect ones from more or less matte surfaces. This CAN be an improvement, since it will also reduce reflections from dust in the sky and the blue will be more intense, but sometimes a pol filter gives a somewhat unnatural look since we are used to see reflections for example on grass etc. <br>

If you are satisfied with your pics, there is no guarantee that you will be more satisfied when using filters. They should be used deliberately and not overabuntantly. </p>

<p>John, I use the self timer because the camera does have mirror lockup so it reduces the blurriness of my pictures significantly when I'm not using a tripod.<br>

And thanks Winfried for the bit about PL filters, I'm probably not going to use any filters except a UV filter [to protect the lens and for the subtle benefits it provides], though I might use a PL filter if I decide to shoot a roll of color film [i like how it makes colors pop a bit more if you orient it correctly]. I don't tend to use anything other than a UV or a PL filter so I was just wondering if there were any specific benefits to any of the colored filters, but I probably won't really use them too much.<br>

And I'll probably just not use a battery, I can get pretty good exposures just by eyeballing it [it'll also be sunny outside, so the Sunny 16 rule might apply sometimes]</p>

<p>Wow, Richard certainly wants to tell us about his Cosina experiences! My advice is to forget the filters. You can probably use the exposure guide included with the film instead of a meter, but a working meter obviously would be better.</p>

Shooting outdoors with B&W, a Yellow filter prevents the sky from looking washed out.

 

The meter in the Argus/Cosina STL1000 is an averaging meter, so take that into account. Large patches of sky will

dominate the metering used without a filter.

 

check the foam for the mirror bumper- usually it is deteriorated. Easy to replace, I use self-adhesive foam rubber from Walmart's craft section. The other material I like- engine gaskets, cork/rubber, used a sharpie to darken it..

<p>I just shot a roll of fuji Superia 200 film not even two hours ago, using f/4 and bracketed the pictures at 250/125/60 for most of them [the day is overcast] using nothing but a UV filter. Does this seem like some of the pictures will come out looking properly exposed? If not I can push/pull process it [probably push] by a stop or two or just fix it post-processing.</p>

Heavy overcast, ISO 200 film- you should have it.

 

I use a silver-oxide battery in mine, AG-13 and AG-10 (thinner). I lifted the + contact up a bit before screwing the cover

back on. Set the ASA 1/2 stop or so lower to account for the voltage increase, or test against another camera. The

STL1000 was my first SLR, original jammed from lots of use. I bought a very nice one a few years back on Ebay, keep a

50/1.4 SMC Takumar on it. The Cosinon 50/1.8 is a good lens, but I feel into a great deal on the Pentax.