Old Light Meters - an accumulation

<p>Rick Drawbridge has posted some interesting old meters here, most recently at http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00Xdme . Contemplating the post, I got to thinking about my camera closet; and the fact that I somehow had kept, in the bottom of that space, a lot of old meters, some I bought new, some I got with 'kits' with cameras on eBay. Anyhow, I figure it really belongs here since most of us get these with old Classic Manual Cameras, one way or another. <br /><br />Anyhow, this is not one of those typical JDM posts as once described here:</p>

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<p>You know, typically when JDM starts a thread I expect things to be technical and lots of references to pre-war and post-war and countries that don't exist by that name anymore and it's all very interesting to read....</p>

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<p>This is simply to show the light meters I had, and wondered what would turn up from other collector/accumulators. Interestingly enough, the only one of these that is still working well is the Weston Master II meter model Number 735.<br /><br />The meters are, from top to bottom and left to right<br>

Etalon Luxor - made by Chuo Electronic in Tokyo, Japan<br />Weston Master II model 735 - Weston Electric Corp. Newark NJ<br />Weston Master V model 748 - Western Instruments Inc., Newark NJ<br />Lentar model PR-66 - made in Japan, distributed by GAF Lenco Photo Products<br />Sekonic Auto-Leader L-38 - Sekonic Electric Co, Japan<br />Soligor UF-II Meter - Soligor, Japan<br /><br />I don't know very much more about them. The Weston Master V and the Sekonic were bought by me new. The others just wandered in from time to time. Sort of strays.</p>

<p>I have instruction booklets for the Weston Model II, the Sekonic, and the Etalon. If anybody needs one of these let me know and I'll post a pdf or send you the same.<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>Here is my current hand-held light meter, the Gossen Luna-Pro sbc. This shows it with and without the 15º and 7.5º spot-metering attachment.One nice feature of this particular model is that it uses an ordinary rectangular 9-volt battery like the one in your smoke detector, probably. </p>

<p>A manual for this is available at Butkus's most wonderful site http://www.butkus.org/chinon/flashes_meters/luna-pro_sbc/luna-pro_splash.htm . The spot reader manual is at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/flashes_meters/gossen_luna_pro_tele/gossen_luna-pro_tele.htm .</p>

<p>Next to the Gossen is a Leudi Extinction meter, a small 'meter' sold from the late 30s into the 40s.</p>

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<p>Anyway, show us your accumulation of old meters, if you have them.</p>

<p>There hasn't been enough meter porn on this site, notwithstanding Rick's wonderful posts.</p>

<p>;)</p>

<p>Correction:<br>

My fingers got ahead of my brain -- both Weston meters are made by Weston, of course. only the last part of the name changed.</p>

<p>If you really use "classic cameras" Some kind of meter is required<br>

My Viewmaster II is set in EVS numbers.<br>

fortunatly my GE Golden Crown has a set of EV numbers<br>

( It took me a while to figure out HOW to set the meter)<br>

and I gave up and asked Young Eye to set the asa number.<br>

Next project , if you can call it that, is to expose some film in the argus AF,<br>

Most everything else either has a meter or like , The little 127 cameras do not have any settings, so I don';t need a meter.<br>

I have accumulated a few meters, I am not sure if they still work.<br>

But one is like a rolltop desk and another fits a cold shoe.</p>

<p>That roll-top thingie was a common feature of the early Gossen meters such as the one Rick posted.<br>

Another day, I may do something on built-in or built-on meters. A surprising number of old selenium ones I have got are actually still functioning, more or less.</p>

<p>My collection but only the meters that are in working condition: Phastron is pre war comparative extinction powered by AA cells/ Lentar is reflect and incident powered by AA cells/ Weston Ranger 9 is aiming spot/ Zeiss Ikon is my favorite non battery powered quite sensitive/ The larger Sekonic has (3) accessories (incident, reflective and spot) powered by lithium (2) 3 volt or (4) S76/ various slide on shoe meters are all selenium, Bewi is instant reading push the button and release/ the Sixtomat came with presentation case, box and book and still works three ways, incident, reflected, and color temperature. The other remaining meters are simple selenium reflected. The photo was taken by me with an ancient Fuji S-1 Pro with late model 45mm f2.8P Nikkor, one of my favorite lenses made between 2001 and 2005 known as a "pancake" Tessar design. </p><div></div>

<p>Very nice collection indeed. I have Russian ones.</p>

<p>I've never really used meters with my old cameras since I can usually guess exposure pretty well and I use B+W. However, I did pick up a Gossen Profisix (same as the Luna-Pro SBC) for my large format snapshot work. Great big meter. Love it already. Usually I use a Pentax digispot but I guess that shouldn't be muttered here. Guessing with LF can get a bit expensive ;)</p>

<p>I do use meters but never used the old ones like that in the OP pictures. I do have a few of them. They are good as models.</p>

<p>I have exchanged my Luna-Pro for FED-Atlas. One awkward device for another. D</p>

<p>Nice collections,<strong> J.D.M</strong> and <strong>Paul</strong>. They <em>are</em> interesting and fascinating objects, and I tend to go for any unusual specimen that crops up. For the first twenty years of my photgraphic life I used Westons, usually with the Invercone attached for incident readings, and even today I use a very beautiful Euro-master, as a change from digital meters. There must be something about the cells Weston used, or perhaps it's because they were usually kept in their leather cases, but I have four or five Westons of various ages and they are all still alive and accurate. The Lunar-Pro looks delicious...Thanks for an interesting post. I'll try to get around to posting a pic of the Euro-master when time permits.</p>

<p>I also think that the leather cases may be the secret to the survival of some selenium meters, not only in the Weston case, but also in terms of built-in selenium meters on cameras in "ever-ready" cases.</p>

<p>I'd like to hear more about the Zeiss Ikophot.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>I had one of those Sekonic Auto Leaders when I was a kid, and it followed me for years, working beautifully, giving nice readings in any light with its big flip-up booster. Then I found another at a yard sale, which also worked beautifully. A friend needed a meter, so I gave her one of mine, and very shortly after, both the relationship and my remaining meter conked out. Ah welladay. </p>

<p>I think old meters go hand in hand with old cameras.</p>

<p>Here are my Sekonic meters.</p><div></div>

<p>I should get back to collecting more of these. Here is a page showing all of the Sekonic meters.</p>

<p>http://english.sekonic.co.jp/meter_history</p>

<p>This 1956 organic model is my oldest meter. I still use it! The history of this version goes back to the beginning of photography itself. It operates with an advanced optical sensor connected to a spongy gray matter database. It works by the experience of shooting a number of scenes under various lighting conditions and saves that information in its database. When a new scene is to be photographed, it calculates the luminance value of the new scene by comparison to the ones stored in the database for a given film speed. It works in both full frame averaging or spot modes.</p>

<p> <strong>Pros</strong>: Fairly accurate and always available, needs no battery, lightweight and portable, cheap! Comes as stock equipment on most carbon-based bipeds. Auxiliary lenses are available to improve sharpness of sensor focusing mechanism. It’s very versatile and can also be used to avoid walking into stuff.<br>

<strong>Cons:</strong> Requires effort and thought in the development and use of the database. It is susceptible to inaccuracy due to the ingestion of excessive amounts of caffeine, alcohol or lack of sleep.</p>

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<p><strong>Kent</strong>, there's a little information here regarding the Ikophot:<br>

http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00X7Dn<br>

Nice collection of Sekonics, <strong>Marc</strong>. They seem to be by far the most common brand, downunder, probably because there was such a range of them. And <strong>Louis</strong>,<em> I</em> have a couple of those but they're wearing out, and I seem to use the magnifying attachment more and more.</p>

<p>As I mentioned in a previous post, my Zeiss Ikophot is my favorite selenium meter. Back some years ago. I had a Zeiss Ikophot CDS meter that was powered by a 9 volt battery. My wife and I were in Maine, in a town called Bryant Pond, allegedly the last town in the lower 48 states of America to still use crank telephones with an operator and a switchboard. I was taking pictures near a pond or a river and placed the Zeiss meter on the trunk of my car. I forgot and we drove off. Some ten miles later I remembered the meter but figured it was trashed falling from the automobile so did not return to retrieve it. In all my years, I do not remember losing nor dropping any camera or meter other than my previously favorite Ikophot! I was led to believe this model was never officailly imported to America, thus I've never seen another one!</p>

<p>A working (and often-used) Weston Euro-Master, still one of the greatest, IMHO. How many people were aware that the meter should be held horizontally!</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Louis</strong> - the organic model also suffers from sample variance - not all are equally accurate. Certainly the 1956 model seems to be far more accurate than the 1979 model I have.</p>

<p>Here's a few that I no longer have, as I sold most of my collection of them a while ago.<br>

<a title="light meters by mfophotos, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/8/11097745_bff0a7f9b5.jpg" alt="light meters" width="364" height="500" /></a></p>

<p>I just noticed a Weston Invercone complete with case at my local camera repair shop, for cheap, I think it was $5. I was tempted, but suspect that I'd never use it, even though I have a couple of old Masters in working order. I find that the Mercury-powered Sekonic (top right in Mark Bergman's photo) hits the calibration mark perfectly with a semi-exhausted alkaline cell, and that and a Gossen Pilot II (which can be recalibrated with a tiny screwdriver) fill my meter needs well enough. However, if anyone else here needs to fill out his Weston collection with what appears to be a new Invercone and a baffle, complete in case with instructions, either let me know and I'll pick it up next time I pass by therer, or drop a line to Vermont Camera Works (http://vermontcamera.com).</p>

<p>Weston 650 (1935) with plate speeds down to 6 (ASA?) (not working) (that is the one second down on the left of Mark O'Brien's photo)<br /> Weston Master V (1963) + Invercone<br /> Nebro Extinction meter (UK - 1950's)<br /> Lumatic (japan -1960's?)<br /> Can't find at the moment but they are somewhere :<br /> Sixon<br /> Leudi</p>