Accuracy of Selinium Cell in low light

[edward_feltman]

How accurate is a celinium cell in lower light situations. I know

that they are less accurate, however I have an old GE light meter

that appears quite accurate in bright light, however in lower light

it can be off as much as three stops as tested againsed the meter in

my camera (that I know to be on the mark). I shoot mostly black &

white print film.

 

My reason for asking is that I now need a meter that I can rely on,

and as usual am cash poor. If this is a typical variance for this

type of cell, then I suppose that I will have to buck up for a

battery powered meter. Any advice would be appreciated.

[al_kaplan1]

Selinium cells eventually die anyway, but they never seem that great in low light. Quality Light-Metric is a company that can replace cells. Great service and they still sell Weston light meters, 20 odd years after Weston stopped making them! But you really need a new meter. I use a Minolta Autometer as well as my Weston Master V.

[patrick_henigin1]

I pulled a Sekonic meter out of my bag the other day and found the meter useless because the battery was dead. I dug deeper and found a Weston Master (pre Master III, IV, or whatever) that did an amazing job. The meter was put away in it's original leather case and the selinium cells protected from light. It has a hinged mask that allows accurate readings in low light when the cells are fully uncovered.

 

Selenium does change over time with exposure to light, but this meter is still working great after about 50 years.