Selenium meters: Am I just unlucky?

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CliveC

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I've come across five selenium meter cameras and light meters so far and none of them are functional (not even sluggish, just dead-looking). I've heard people say that the selenium meter issue is overblown, but I'm batting 0 for 5 at the moment so I'm skeptical.

How many truly dead selenium meters have you encountered and how many were only mostly dead and were revived?
 
I'm just the opposite of you. Most selenium meters and cameras with selenium meters I have are fairly accurate. The only helpful advice I can give is to make sure the selenium cell makes good physical contact with the wires going to it. Sometime just putting your finger on the glass and wiggling the glass around will restore contact. Good luck.
 
I bought a Weston Master II that at first worked but later died and a Gossen Pilot (I don't remember if it worked or not) I sent them both to George Milton at the same time and they've been just fine...
Ya gotta factor in the age of these items...selenium cells don't last forever...
 
Age isn't the only factor. My WWII era Weston Master (the original model) works perfectly and agrees with my other three meters. In the case of the Weston meters the older models were supposedly sealed better against moisture than were the newer ones.

Not to change the subject, but does anyone know whether the Invercone for a Master II will work on an original Master? I know the Invercone wasn't offered until the II came out, but I think I read somewhere that it would work on the original.

Randy
 
I would say that it depends on the meter.

The U.S.-made Westons seem to have held up pretty well over the years.

Many Gosssens, too.

And as others have said, much depends on how well sealed it is.

For the cameras with selenium meters, Kodak used a sealed (Gossen) meter, and you'll find that most still work and are accurate.

For Zeiss Ikon cameras, it depends. Some selenium cells are soldered to the meter movement, while others rely on good contact with the meter cell. With rare exceptions, the meters are not sealed and exposed to the environment. For those that are not soldered, you can sometimes revive the meter by cleaning the contacts.
 
Generally speaking it has been my experience that German-made units fare better than their Oriental counterparts. Voigtlaender ones are particularly good. Use, care and storage conditions play a part as well as age of course.
Regards
Brett
 
None of mine have been accurate out of a dozen or so I've owned. Most have completely dead cells but a few have given *some* response, just not the right amount.

Phil Forrest
 
George Bonanno said:
Please, don't get me wrong. I like Altoona although I just don't remember being there. It's as simple as that.
Click to expand...

A lot of people have been through it or know someone who used to live there or something, but few people know much about it or remember it well, other than it's strange, unforgettable name. In any case, I wonder why the meter stopped working so suddenly while in my hands.
 
I've seen a Weston Master V with a dead cell, have a IV with a very weak cell (it reacts but barely) a IV that over-reads by a stop and a III working accurately.

Of the in-camera selenium meters I have, my late father's Kiev 4 ('75 vintage) meter died sometime during its long period of non-use but I have several FED 4 and 5 models and a Zenit E that are accurate .
 
All my 6 Voigtländer Bessamatic meter are working - all my Zeiss meter are working (3xContina 2xContaflex Super 1xIkophot) all my Kodak meter working(2xRetina III S) only my Kiev 4M is dead and the Kiev 4a-1 is 3stops away - but this can be tuned!)
So I have not real a problem with selenium meter 😉
 
The only one that I bought that was accurate from the start was a Weston III.
I had a Weston V which had a dead cell. Cell replaced by George Milton at Quality Light Metric, and now it is very accurate.

I've not had a great experience with the Zeiss or Rolleiflex meters. Super Ikonta BX, and Contessa both had dead meters. Henry Scherer put new cells into them when he overhauled them. (However, beware of the 3 year waiting list for service).

Rolleiflex 3.5F had a dead meter. A new cell and meter movement were placed by Krimar.
So, for now all of my selenium meters (except for the Weston III) have new cells in them, and they are accurate.
 
Here, Rolleiflex 3.5f meters fine after little adjustment two years ago. EVs are similar to Gossen Digisix. But I suppose that this TLR was not used for years and closed away in the dark, basically the initial smell susuggested a long history in the cellar anywhere.
 
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