LTM speeds

[jorgef2002]

Can any one explain to me why the speed of the LTM are different 40 100
200 thank you

 

[ktran]

This was before the days of "standardised" shutter speeds (like it was before the invention of the rangefinder-within-viewfinder setup)

 

[Rico]

And prewar aperture progression can be pretty funky, too. 🙂

 

[John Lawrence]

When using my early Barnacks, I always found it helpful to use a Weston Master meter as most of them have the early aperture / shutter speeds on them. From memory, I think the one I used was a Weston Master V.

John

 

[newspaperguy]

Don't have one handy, but I think the Weston V gives you both
the old and new speeds and apertures.

The Earlier models, IV, III,etc. have just the older arrangement.

I have both IV & V and almost like the IV better.

eg: I like the horizontal hold and the simpler dial on the IV, but like the
button switch on the V, as opposed to the sliding switch on the IV.

 

[archive59]

As someone who has far too many old accessory shoe mount exposure meters it has always intrigued me that seemingly identical meters can be marked with different shutter speeds. I have early Leicameter/Metraphot meters and Sekonics that have either 50/100/200 or 60/125/250 and I was caught out when I bought a Leicameter MC for my M2 as it had the earlier non standardised progression (as it appeared on early M3s I assume). It meant I had to buy another but it took a while to find one on Ebay that was photographed so I could be sure of the scale.

 

[Murray Kelly]

With incredible respect, how accurate do you need to be for an exposure reading, given the variables, such as which part of the scene do you measure? With different developers, different times and not to mention film variation from the 'box' speed, would a 10% difference have a great effect?

I loved my Weston master 55 years ago but wouldn't bet the house on it now.

'Hides under flameproof cover'

Murray

 

[elmer3.5]

Lightmeter

Lightmeter

Hi, those old scales are great for sunny 16 😀, anyway it doens´t matter that much, tween 1/100 and 1/125 is little difference in real terms.
I had a III-f and used on it a VCII lightmeter with newer scales, never was a problem.
I even have a gossen sixtomat selenium lightmeter with both scales.

With this kind of ltm leicas you can really shoot slow without concerning a bit about 1/8!!!

 

[John Lawrence]

With incredible respect, how accurate do you need to be for an exposure reading, given the variables, such as which part of the scene do you measure? With different developers, different times and not to mention film variation from the 'box' speed, would a 10% difference have a great effect?

I loved my Weston master 55 years ago but wouldn't bet the house on it now.

'Hides under flameproof cover'

Murray

I'm not offended in any way shape or form!

What I liked about the Weston Master was that at a glance I had a range of shutter speed / aperture combinations for a given scene. Combined with the old aperture / shutter scale on it, this saved me a lot of faffing around when using LTM cameras.

My Master V had the selenium cell replaced and was recalibrated some years ago and was (and still is) as accurate as any of my newer Sekonic meters.

I don't disagree with what you say regarding the variables, but much depends on how the individual likes to work. The way I was taught photography, and the way I still practice it, is to try to get the very best negative I can for printing, thus I try to eliminate as many variables as practicable at the moment of exposure.

Everyone is different though, and what works for me might not be suitable for another.

Finally, the purpose of my first post in this thread was to bring to the attention of the OP that should they find the old scales confusing, there is a simple (and these days comparatively cheap) solution.

John

 

[lacavol]

My IIIa has 1/ 20, 30, 40, 60, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and my Summar has f 2, 2.2, 3.2, 4.5, 6.3, 8, 12.5. Smoggy 12.5 ?

 

[David Hughes]

The old Weston's gave you everything; here's the model II (still being used btw).

Regards, David

 

[ZorkiKat]

The 1/40 sec is a carry over from the machine from which the Leica evolved from: the movie-film exposure testing device. Motion picture cameras exposed film- at that time- exposed film at 1/40 sec.