Weston Master V

Hello

Anyone have comments on this meter good or bad, was looking to get one if they are ok.

Thanks

Don

The Weston Master meters are selenium cell meters.

 

The good thing about this is that they don't require a battery.

 

The bad thing is that they have a finite life, and also fairly poor sensitivity. The Westons have a very large cell, which does improve sensitivity. Also, in my experience, between the built in "baffle"(which acts a lot like a dark slide) and the excellent sealing on the body the cells often are still good on them. A V will be fairly new, and I've had good luck with models going back to the II. Also, IN GENERAL I've found with selenium cell meters that if they work, they are fairly accurate.

 

In their day, they were good enough that folks like Ansel Adams used them. With that said, I consider them more a curiosity than a usable meter now. I have used one, but I'd rather use something like a Minolta incident(which can be made a psuedo-spot with the right attachment) or Gossen spot than any selenium cell meter.

 

If you must, they are probably good enough for negative film...again provided that you have a working one. Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend checking against a known good meter.

I can't say for sure whether it's a V, or not, without getting up and finding it, but I have a Weston Master. It compares well with the meter in my Canon 6D. It's kind of heavy, though, if that's a consideration for you.

I have several V's & use them constantly. They are heavy but if working properly, very sensitive. Ages ago I used II's for 4x5 & 8x10 work along with a Pentax Spot Meter. Both meters gave the same results using the Zone System approach. Getting a "good" working meter these days is hard for sure. If you plan on using your meter to a great degree, look for an alternate, possible in the Cds family. Batteries are not that hard to get. My Luna 6 still rocks! Bill

Thanks everyone

Just thinking out loud and was looking for another small meter and since they are cheap thought I would try one.

I'm not keen on the Model V as Weston decided to change the dial so that the numbers on the light scale are upright when the meter is held vertically. On the earlier meters and the later original Euromaster the numbers are vertical when the meter is held horizontally, in the position in which the meter is designed to be used. The Model IV or the Euromaster would be my pick of the Westons, and I use one or other frequently. However, I find changing the sensitivity by opening and closing the baffle on the back to be a bore and a chore, and I much prefer a meter like the Lunar Pro or the selenium powered Leningrad 4 with a switch on the body of the meter for this function. However, the Westons are easy to read, sensitive and reliable and certainly the workhorse meter for an era of professional photographers. Edited August 22, 2018 by rick_drawbridge

i have a collection of westons, which includes most all models made, about 35 in all.

 

they are all going blind over the years. the last only working one i have left is the master v.... i suspect that will die soon as well.

 

i tried finding new cells for them and saw one company restoring them, but its not cheap. i tried contacting them to see if they would sell me only the cells and will do it myself... never heard back.. i think that company went out of business in the past few years.

 

my search is on going and if i ever find the time, i may do some experimenting with other cells as replacements but i doubt it will work.

The subject of selenium cells comes up a lot, since many older 35mm cameras, and some M/F cameras used them. While the sensitivity seems to worsen with age, it's not constant. One of the other causes can be the electrical contacts which show the results. Those contacts can age, develop corrosion, etc. It's fairly complicated at times, trying to determine the cause of failure.

I have used various Weston meters over the years, and they are very, very good.

 

However, after all these years, I have never found a better meter than my Gossen LunaPro SBC.