Weston Euromaster V - Exposure Mamiya C220F

[max zappa]

I recently bought a second-hand C220F and have just run my first roll

of 400ASA film through the camera. I had the film professionally

developed and I have to say the prints are disappointing. They are a

little washed out and seem to lack contrast and detail.

 

I wondered if my second-hand Weston Euromaster V meter was the source

of the problem as this was also the first time I have used the meter.

I decided to perform a little test.

 

I got my two 35mm SLR cameras out and went outside on a sunny day to

check the relative meter readings in comparison with the Weston meter.

 

Without quoting the figures here, I discovered that if I set the film

speed dial on the Weston meter to half the ASA of the film speed

setting on the SLR,s then I would get equivalent aperture and shutter

speed settings.

 

So if e.g. I had the SLR set to 400 ASA

and the Weston Euromaster V set to 200 ASA

 

then the sutter speed and aperture settings were identical.

 

My questions are as follows

 

1. Would this apparent problem with the Euromaster readings account

for my poor first set of prints from my Mamiya. Presumably this would

be underexposure I guess?

 

2. Why are the light meter readings from the Weston meter so

different from my SLR?

 

Hope you can help.

 

 

Max

[severi_salminen]

It is not uncommon to lightmeters to show different readings when pointed to the same subject. They are simply calibrated differently. This is why people usually conduct tests to determine the EI which gives best results. Since you now know that Weston gives 1 stop less exposure you can adjust your EI accordingly.

[h._p.]

Be carefull, here, you could be comparing apples with oranges. The Weston has a huge angle of view so if you just point it straight forward you'll get an averaged reading including a lot of sky. The only way to be sure of what you're doing is to pick something that gives a uniform brightness (say a patch of grass on an overcast day) and meter off that. Then you'll know if the meters really are disagreeing.

 

That said, the symptoms you're describing are typical of under exposure and/or underdevelopment. It's always worth developing your own black and white even if you have to get someone else to print them. At least that way you can control the two most important steps - exposure and development.

[barney]

Mr. Zappa: I use a Weston V Light meter. It is very similar if not identical to your meter. I suggest you obtain a gray card, 8 x 10 preferably but 4 x 5 will do. If that is not easy use any textured surface that would produce near some gray tone in Black and White. Meter with your SLR. Meter with the Weston. If the Weston indicates you should use a half a stop less exposure you are fine. Why because as per Kodak, and I want go into the why of it, they recommend adding a half stop more exposure for reflective metering in some cases. More than that you may want to do the following. Call the gentleman at Quality Lite Metric. Their number is (323) 467-2265. Their address is Quality Lite Metric, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., Unit # 550, Hollywood, California, 90028. This is their new address. I have dealt with them 3 times. They are reputable, honest, fast, and they do very good work. They can install new selenium cells, balance your needle, and calibrate to Manufacturers Specs. My meter was recently sent to them for service. It is now dead on! I can utilize it to shoot Chromes if I want. As a suggestion: If you don't have one, ask them for an invercone to purchase. This will allow you to use your Weston also as an Incident Light Meter. I apologize for telling you if you already know this. If not, I would highly recommend them. I carry a 4 x 5 Kodak Gray card in my bag and/or shirt pocket. I meter both reflectively and with the Invercone for an Incident reading. Sometimes I don't meter at all though. Depends. I hope this helps. You have a very good and reliable meter. Just be sure via Quality Lite that it is functioning correctly. Good Luck and all the best to you.

Barney

[max zappa]

Thanks Barney , but I live in the UK so its likely to be too costly to deal with the US from over the pond here.

[barney]

Mr. Zappa:

You may already know this...you may not. In case you don't; try this site, www.megatron.co.uk

Good Luck...Barney

[dan_fromm2]

Um, Max, if you used negative film and underexposed it by only one stop it should print just fine. Are you sure your new used camera's shutter is on speed? And "Pro" or not, labs sometimes err. How do the negatives look?

 

Comparing meters is, as you've been told, not easy, but it doesn't sound as though your Master (Master V or Euromaster? There is no Euromaster V, the highest they go so far is II.) is that far off.

 

FWIW, round-trip air mail postage from the UK to Hollywood for your meter ought to cost less than UKP 15. I can't estimate how much service will be, but QLM just charged me $US 42 to rebalance my Master V's galvanometer and calibrate the meter. So there's a crude estimate to compare with Megatron's quotation.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan