james_ollinger

<p>Thanks again to everyone who's responded.<br>

Every 2 or 3 years someone will email me again about Shirleys and ask if I've gotten anywhere. So I've now started this webpage. http://www.jollinger.com/photo/articles/shirley.html<br>

I'm going to dig out my old copies of Kodak dataguides and see if I can find more. I know that I'm missing the negatives (that's a common problem) but frankly I don't care if I have the negatives; I just want the scans. If anyone would like to contribute, please either post here or email them to me and I'll add them to the page.</p>

<p>A copy of the instructions is also here: <a href="http://www.davidrichert.com/zeiss_ikophot_light_meter.htm">http://www.davidrichert.com/zeiss_ikophot_light_meter.htm</a></p>

<p>Fwiw: I found the Plusmeter in a reference book. There are two identical meters (both with different badging than this one). The original is a japanese ELEX. I know nothing about them. It also appears at the Foto-Quelle "Revue" in Germany. It was made in 1965.</p>

<p><img src="http://jollinger.com/photo/meters/images/meter-pics/Bertram/bertram_chronos1.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://jollinger.com/photo/meters/images/meter-pics/Bertram/bertram_chronos3.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://jollinger.com/photo/meters/images/meter-pics/Bertram/bertram_chronos2.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>My favorite (arguably): the Bertram Chronos. This is two variants of the same meter: one has a chain and a fob like a pocket watch: the other has a plate rivetted on the bottom for a leather wrist strap. It's a bit bulky and ridiculous-looking to wear on your wrist, but it can be done.<br>

The meter has a spring-loaded pop-open top. When the top lid flips up, two barn doors also flip open on the front to expose the meter cell. When you close the top, the barn doors automatically close as well. Snug as a bug.<br>

I think that's beyond fun.<br>

Bertram also made a Chrostar and Chrolon, which are very similar but don't have the front doors. And I think it's pretty much the same as the Amateur, except that the Amateur is has a simple case (no protective cover). It wouldn't surprise me if they were all essentially the same meter, just with different cosemetics.</p>

<p>I agree, a Gossen Luna Pro SBC is a nice meter. It takes modern batteries. It's big and easy to read. It is capable of doing a lot of things right out of the box, but you can also buy some attachments for it. They're easily available used for a good price. <br>

There are two problems with them: they're analog (it has a needle) and a lot of people want digital. And it's complicated: you'll need to read the manual to figure out how to run it. If you take the time to learn it, it will pay off; you'll learn more about photography and exposure than you probably would otherwise.<br>

If you do buy something you're going to seriously use, I suggest buying it from someone you trust (a camera store or a friend). Someone who'll check it out and verify that it's accurate and working properly. I wouldn't want to lay out a lot of money on a used meter and find out that it's screwed up -- getting them fixed can cost more than many are worth.<br>

I would absolutely avoid buying an antique unless it's just for fun, solely because they're less likely to be reliably accurate.</p>

<p>Got it. Found it in my book. It's protected PDF so I can't screen cap it. I was able to find one on the internet.<br>

The Elfa is a rebadged Akalux, which was made by AKG (Akustische- und Kino-Geräte) in Vienna in 1953. AKG is still in business but they just make acoustic equipment now.<br>

Here's a webpage that mentions it: http://www.photohistory.at/zubehoer5.htm The photo has a color cast on it; it's a black case and clear plastic, with a black calculator dial. If you scroll down a little more, there's the Elfalux version.<br>

How did I survive before the internet???</p>

<p>According to a book I've got (in French so I have to go by internet translations), the manufacturer is ELFA and this model is an Elfalux. Selenium meter from 1953. They made second version in 1954 which is virtually identical but it has a white case and a little bit different calculator wheel.<br>

The book says it's Austrian, which is new to me. I don't recall any other photoelectrics from there.<br>

An google search for Elfa picked up this: https://www.elfa.se/elfa3/index.jsp They claim to be a distributor. They may have made a deal with a company to produce them branded with the Elfa name. I haven't see any others which look like this particular meter, but I'll keep my eyes open. If I find another meter which looks like it, that may tell us more about where it originated.<br>

Don't know what the value would be. That's the first one I've seen. Very pretty. Most of the American stuff from that era was black and silver.</p>

 

<p>JDM: thanks, I'll look into that.<br>

Subbarayan: good idea, but I still have the broken glass which would have to be replaced.<br>

Peter: thank you, I'll look at that group.<br>

As far as the prism interchangability: we must be looking at different cameras. I just pulled the prism off my Sensorex and it's very different. The Sensorex prism is taller and there is no front metal facia. My Sensorex's front metal portion is on the camera body and it's go tthat four-point star logo. My Sensomat prism is shorter and has the MIRANDA logo on the front.<br>

I tried fitting the Sensorex on the Sensomat anyway and it's a no-go. It's too tall and there's no way for it to slide in.<br>

It may be academic anyway. I was looking harder at the Sensomat this morning and there's a problem with the quick return mirror, and I see that there are a couple of screws missng on a collar under the film rewind crank, and I suspect someone's been into this camera already, so who knows what else is wrong with it...</p>

<p>I picked up a sad <strong>Miranda Sensomat RE</strong> from a thrift shop this afternoon. The big problem appears to be that it was either dropped or had something heavy dropped on it, and the pentaprism was crushed. The pentaprism is still easy to remove, but there's a big honking dent in the metal and a nasty smash spot inside.<br>

I was thinking about replacing it, but I don't know Mirandas very well and I don't want to get the wrong one. I take it there are more than one prism finder type? I was looking at my Sensorex and they're definitely different. Unfortunately, the little bit of Miranda literature I've got doesn't address the question.<br>

How do I know what to look for as I scour the internet and eBay? I don't want to end up with something I can't use, and my Sensorex's prism is fine.<br>

Thanks in advance,<br>

-James</p>

<p>I just bought one and had the same problem. Look where the strap attaches to the body. That's the battery cover. There are two tiny phillips head screws. You have to take those out with a small screwdriver, and then the battery cover will lift off.<br>

The gray tilt thing on the bottom and the rubber thing attached to the neck strap are not involved. <br>

I was surprised that they use small screws this way, but I suppose they think the battery will last a very long time. </p>

<p>I leave mine on constantly and remove it only when I think it's a hinderance.</p>

<p>I prefer to Photoshop the catch-lights in (add a blank layer, paint a white spot (or whatever design), then back off on opacity a little to give it a natural look). The nice thing about that is you get full control over it. You can make them big, small, obvious, discreet, whatever.</p>

<p><a href="<a href=">Wikipedia</a> article on Guide Numbers<br>

 

<p>A Guide Number (GN) is a number that's used to help determine the proper exposure with a flash. Guide numbers vary depending on how powerful the flash is, the area it covers, the sync speed, film speed, etc. But it boils down to DISTANCE times F/STOP = Guide Number.</p>

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<p>Let's say you have a flash that can't zoom, it's just a fixed head. You can only sych at 1/250th. Your camera is set at ISO 100. For all these factors, the flash manufacturer says the Guide Number is 80 (in feet).</p>

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<p>You measure the distance to your subject. Let's say you're photographing a person who is 10 feet away. 80 divided by 10 is 8. So you set your lens at f/8.</p>

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<p>Let's say you move your camera back to 15 feet away and recompose. 80 divided by 15 is 5.33, so you'd open your lens up to f/5.6.</p>

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<p>The Guide Number changes (obviously) depending on a lot of things, like your ISO speed, or your sync speed, or whether you have a zoom head and you can change the angle of coverage. Most manufacturers will give you a table of Guide Numbers that cover these variations. Guide numbers are also rated in FEET or METERS. Most manufacturers publish each one.</p>

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<p>Professionals tend to determine their own guide numbers by experiment. You take a camera, set the ISO speed, set the sync speed, measure the distance, and then take a series of shots at different apertures. You see which image looks best. Let's say you're 10 feet away, and the shot you made at f/11 looks best to you. The GN for your flash (at your set ISO and sync speed) is 110.</p>

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<p>In your case, with your equipment--if you don't know your guide numbers already, you should determine them yourself and write them down.</p>

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<p>I've got a bunch of A-series cameras, including this one. Two things to give with it as a gift (if it doesn't have it already): 1) a new battery for it, and 2) the little plastic tab that normally sits in the hot-shoe. That little tab doubles as a key that pops the battery compartment open, and it's a nice little tool to have. They're often missing on these cameras. You don't *need* one--you can pop the battery compartment door open with other things; but a lot of these cameras (especially AE-1s and their sisters) have the doors disintegrate because people gouge them with screwdrivers or car keys and other things. The little plastic tab is much, much kinder to the door latch.</p>

<p>If it's worth anything, the beauty of a system camera like the Rebel XS, or the various Nikons, etc., is that you can still use parts of the system as you grow. If you buy a Rebel XS and a couple lenses, somewhere down the line you may decide to replace it with something higher up the line, like a Canon 5D. You'd still be able to use the lenses, flashes, on the new camera. If you decide to upgrade your lenses, they'll work on the camera. And so on. <br>

The point being that even if you think you're starting off on a modest budget, you're investing in system that can grow with you over time or as your needs change. </p>

<p>"I'm considering this camera. Okay for the beginner? canon eos rebel xs slr dig camera kit with 18-55mm IS lens and 75-300mm III lens"<br>

<br />It should be fine. There are a lot of cameras that are good for beginners: what you want in terms of features is manual control of exposure. You want to be able to set the f/stop, shutter speed, ISO and white balance yourself. If you can do those four things, everything else is gravy. If you *can't* manually set your camera, than it'll be a lot harder to learn how exposure works and what each component does. <br />The good thing is you don't need a Nikon D300 or a Canon EOS-1D to get it. But you do want to make sure whatever camera you are considering *does* offer it. If it doesn't have that, then you're just buying a glorified point & shoot.<br>

<br />Exposure is the bedrock of photography. Learning how it works and being able to set things yourself (or what the camera suggests) will pay off in the long run far more than any money you spend on optics, tripods, bags, digital imaging software, and so on.</p>

I think both companies have their hands in other things, so they can hang onto their legacy business for awhile.

Does your camera or lens have Image Stabilization? If so, turn it OFF when it's mounted on a tripod. For some reason I still don't understand, IS doesn't work properly when there's no camera shake for it to compensate, and it'll create blur rather than reduce it.

For action shots (like sports), f/2.8 lets you choose a higher shutter speed to freeze the action, and it'll help separate the subject from the background (provided you focused on the subject correctly) when you're shooting at large apertures (like f/2.8).

If it consistently underexposes a stop, you can simply adjust the ASA rating on the camera and fool the camera into giving you the correct exposure.

 

The FTb takes the infamous PX625 mercury battery, which is 1.35v. Modern alkalines are 1.5v; it's reasonable to me that the meter runs a little hot.

 

Ideally (this used to be common advice) you should check any camera meter against something you trust. Check it across the spectrum: low light levels through high light levels, and see how far off you are. Either that or run a test roll of film through it (like color slide film) and bracket a series of exposures, and determine how much exposure compensation to give your meter.

 

Other than that, I haven't heard of CdS meters going bad just from age (if you take reasonable care of your camera). The biggest knock against CdS cells (which is what the FTb uses) is that they go blind in bright light, and you have to let them adjust back down to lesser light levels. So you don't want to point the meter at the sun, a very bright light source, etc., unless the ambient light is really that bright. If you do, you want to wait awhile before metering dimmer light. Always sanity check your readings.

Old flash units are generally inexpensive because everyone's dumping their old film cameras and accessories. If it were me, I would simply pick up something inexpensive. I'd get a name brand (Sunpak, Vivitar, Metz, etc), and I'd get something that has a sync cord.

 

The old way of dealing with flash units is via guide numbers, which can be a pain while you're learning, but you do learn. The problem with automatic flashes is that you don't necessarily learn how to use them. Like manual vs. automatic exposure: you don't really learn exposure by using the automatic features.

 

Any decent flash will come with a table or a calculator dial that tells you which guide numbers to use, or how to calculate the proper exposure for your circumstances.

 

I'd get something cheap to start out with, and then move up from there into bounce, zoom heads, diffusers, etc.

If you haven't already, go to www.butkus.org/chinon/ He's got a lot of old manuals in PDF format for free (though he'd appreciate a donation). Also Chris Rollinger's www.canonfd.com/ is a trove of Canon manual-focus stuff.

Everything I have that's scanned (by me) is on my website. You're welcome to take them and put them on your own site. http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/manuals/manuals.html

<p>Look into light tents. It's like a diffuser that completely surrounds the object, with an opening for your camera lens. What it does is distributes the light much more evenly and reduces the shadows significantly.</p>

 

<p>There's also this excellent website on <a href="http://home.comcast.net/~dougsmit/coinphoto2008.html">photographing coins</a>. He uses a different method but he gets excellent results.</p>

<a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/shared/speedlites/index.htm">A comparison of various Canon flashes</a> for A-series cameras, listed in order of flash power.