oscroft
Veteran
Any suggestions for a decent cheap light meter for use with FSU cameras? (I don't want to spend £130 for a CV meter to use with a £30 Fed).
Are any of the Leningrad selenium meters still any good, or are they all past their best now?
Best,
Are any of the Leningrad selenium meters still any good, or are they all past their best now?
Best,
oscroft
Veteran
(Oops, "cameraa" was supposed to be "cameras", sorry)
Michael I.
Well-known
i use a gossen lunasix 3 but if you want a cheaper method it's either old noname(general electric etc) ones,old selenium ones(cheap, low chance of working ,inacurate in low light),sunny sixteen or exposure tables(best cheap method).
Stu W
Well-known
I still have a Leningrad meter from my fsu days. It works fine. Seemed to go right with an fsu camera. Stu
Jocko
Off With The Pixies
.Stu W said:
I second that. I have a Leningrad 8 (late '80s) which seems rather sturdier than earlier models. I doubt you could buy anything cheaper and it works just as well as you could wish.
Cheers, Ian
Nickfed
Well-known
Weston Master V.
Why would you use anything else!? They were the meter of choice in 1963 and are still in production, virtually unchanged, which has to say something for them.
http://www.megatron.co.uk/homepage.html
I see that Westons aren't hard to get on eBay. The Master V was only made in England but the Master III was also made in USA and is just as nice. I recently saw a Master made by Sekonic, which was a bit of a surprise. It wasn't nearly as nice to read as my Master V.
Why would you use anything else!? They were the meter of choice in 1963 and are still in production, virtually unchanged, which has to say something for them.
http://www.megatron.co.uk/homepage.html
I see that Westons aren't hard to get on eBay. The Master V was only made in England but the Master III was also made in USA and is just as nice. I recently saw a Master made by Sekonic, which was a bit of a surprise. It wasn't nearly as nice to read as my Master V.
Mauro
Mauro
I recently purchased on ebay a Leningrad 8: a great bargain as it works perfectly, it seems to be really sturdy an it costed 10 USD about shipping included!
Check on ebay, I am sure you can find several opportunities.
It is nice wandering around on weekends, with my Fed and a Leningrad: people look at me with staring eyes...hahaha
Ciao,
Mauro
Check on ebay, I am sure you can find several opportunities.
It is nice wandering around on weekends, with my Fed and a Leningrad: people look at me with staring eyes...hahaha
Ciao,
Mauro
L
Laika
Guest
oscroft said:
I've got about seven Leningrad meters (various models) and bought three or four more for friends and they all worked, a couple of them needed to be adjusted to be accurate (screw on the back of the meter) but it was very simple to do. I ended up getting a Gossen Digiflash meter for general use because I wanted something I could use indoors/low light, but for outdoor/daylight use any of them will be handy.
I think the coolest looking user would have to be the Leningrad 2
Attachments
iliks
Member
I use Sverdlovsk-4 and it's marvellous! It's not selenium, it's CdS, so it does not degrade with time!
Most of the time the numbers it shows are equal to what my Canon digital point&shoot shows. Plus it allows measuring incident light. The operation in low light is also good.
Most of the time the numbers it shows are equal to what my Canon digital point&shoot shows. Plus it allows measuring incident light. The operation in low light is also good.
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kully
Happy Snapper
I went through three meters at £1-3 each before I found a Stitz selenium cell one that worked. It works well down to EV6-7, so fine unless you're shooting in the evening or night.
It depends on what you want, how much you want to spend and what you want to use it for. I'm seriously thinking of a VC II at the moment so I can use my Zorki 4 in low light.
It depends on what you want, how much you want to spend and what you want to use it for. I'm seriously thinking of a VC II at the moment so I can use my Zorki 4 in low light.
je2a3
je
I second the Weston Master recommendation with old aperture/shutter speed scales that come handy. The II and III models use Weston emulsion speeds so you'll have to google a conversion table to ASA/ISO, models IV and V have ASA ratings and a mechanical "memory" neddle switch. Leave the model I to collectors, they are heavy and bulky. These are probably one of the most sensitive/accurate selnium meters ever built, good to EV3. Another meter worth considering is the Zeiss IKOPHOT.
As with any selenium type meters, ideally you should test them for accuracy before buying which doesn't make eBay the ideal place to buy.
Happy hunting!
Joseph
As with any selenium type meters, ideally you should test them for accuracy before buying which doesn't make eBay the ideal place to buy.
Happy hunting!
Joseph
oscroft
Veteran
Great, thanks for all the suggestions. It's good to hear that there are good Leningrads around (and the Leningrad 2 does look cool ) - I quite like the idea of sticking with FSU, but a Weston Master has to be a possibility too.
I'll keep my eyes peeled and see what I can find.
Thanks again,
) - I quite like the idea of sticking with FSU, but a Weston Master has to be a possibility too. I'll keep my eyes peeled and see what I can find.
Thanks again,
tkluck
Well-known
My two cents worth:
With meterless "classics" I usualy carry a Gossin Pilot or a little Kalimir clip on cds, although I rarely clip it on. (save the shoe for a finder or flash) Small inobtrusive cameras seem to call for small inobtrusive meters. Quietly check your sunny 16 guess work, stick the meter back in your pocket and fire away. When it comes to inobtrusive, you can't beat a Leudi extinction meter (once you learn how to use it...)
If the subject is inanimate, I can impress my friends by taking an incident reading with the Pilot.
If you wear cargo pants and don't mind the bulk of a full size meter, any of the "classic"meter mentioned by others from a Weston Master to a GE (with booster cell!) is cool, and cheap. As are the FSU meters (remember to count shipping from the Ukraine in that "cheap"). And when it comes to "classics" nuttin beats a Norwood director.
"Danger Danger Will Robinson!"
The prombem with bargin meters is the same as with bargin camera: They Breed!
If you contract meter GAS you will need a GAS meter. A reference meter like a Luna Pro to check the other ones (including those inside cameras) against. Draging out your SLR (and we all have one) is a pain just to tweak the screw on your "new" Leningrad. You can also tweak out half-stop disagreements on rainy days. The seleniums, of coarse begin to die of old age but they can have their life extended as they lose sensitivity by bumping the ASA (put a stick note in the case)
Sence joining this forum, I pay less and less attention to meters and Sunny sixteen my way along with increasing confidence. Even with a Minox (Sunny f3.5..). Looking at what I'm shooting seems to pay dividends im perseption and composition too. I even leave the switch off on my SLR. Boy, does that extend the battery life... AND it curbs my lust for things like an M6...
With meterless "classics" I usualy carry a Gossin Pilot or a little Kalimir clip on cds, although I rarely clip it on. (save the shoe for a finder or flash) Small inobtrusive cameras seem to call for small inobtrusive meters. Quietly check your sunny 16 guess work, stick the meter back in your pocket and fire away. When it comes to inobtrusive, you can't beat a Leudi extinction meter (once you learn how to use it...)
If the subject is inanimate, I can impress my friends by taking an incident reading with the Pilot.
If you wear cargo pants and don't mind the bulk of a full size meter, any of the "classic"meter mentioned by others from a Weston Master to a GE (with booster cell!) is cool, and cheap. As are the FSU meters (remember to count shipping from the Ukraine in that "cheap"). And when it comes to "classics" nuttin beats a Norwood director.
"Danger Danger Will Robinson!"
The prombem with bargin meters is the same as with bargin camera: They Breed!
If you contract meter GAS you will need a GAS meter. A reference meter like a Luna Pro to check the other ones (including those inside cameras) against. Draging out your SLR (and we all have one) is a pain just to tweak the screw on your "new" Leningrad. You can also tweak out half-stop disagreements on rainy days. The seleniums, of coarse begin to die of old age but they can have their life extended as they lose sensitivity by bumping the ASA (put a stick note in the case)
Sence joining this forum, I pay less and less attention to meters and Sunny sixteen my way along with increasing confidence. Even with a Minox (Sunny f3.5..). Looking at what I'm shooting seems to pay dividends im perseption and composition too. I even leave the switch off on my SLR. Boy, does that extend the battery life... AND it curbs my lust for things like an M6...
ErnestoJL
Well-known
I would recommend the Gossen Lunasix III (Luna Pro in the USA). Not too bulky, reads incident and reflected light, its CdS, then it wouldn´t fade with time. Not too expensive, plus (and most important), it will take readings in almost absolute darkness.
Ernesto
Ernesto
oscroft
Veteran
That's a good point, something small and inobtrusive is definitely desirable - I do feel a bit of an idiot carting an OM1 around with me to use as a meter for my Fed (but I've only just got the Fed, so I hope I can be forgiven for now).tkluck said:
Yeah, that's got to be the way to go. It's nice to find I haven't quite lost my feel for relative light levels (despite my years of using SLRs) - what I've been trying to do is measure bright sunlight with my OM1 at home, then go out with the Fed and adjust the exposure by estimation, and it's nice to get back to that kind of approach. (And the nice thing about it is that all my friends who tote cameras with more computer power than the Apollo lunar landers haven't the faintest understanding about what I'm doing
There's a Ukrainian seller on eBay UK right now who has a couple of Leningrad 2 meters for sale. He's a good guy and his prices are good (today I just received a "brand new" condition J-12 from him for $69, including a yellow filter, and he charged just $10 postage to the UK. It's in immaculate condition and looks great on my Fed - I just need a viewfinder for it now). But I'm going away for a while next week, and I don't have time to buy the meters before I go (I might see if I can get them sent elsewhere, or I might try to calm my impatience and wait until I get back).
LOL - before I read that I was thinking "I'm getting meter GAS"
Sence joining this forum, I pay less and less attention to meters and Sunny sixteen my way along with increasing confidence....I even leave the switch off on my SLR
Nothing short of the grim reaper is going to curb my lust for one of those
oscroft
Veteran
Oh yes, that's an interesting thought too - thanks.ErnestoJL said:
clarence
ダメ
I bought 4 selenium meters at once in an auction. All were 'functional', so the ad said. Two were working, and I considered myself lucky. I won't be doing it again, though.
Clarence
Clarence
Jocko
Off With The Pixies
For a really economical "out for a walk with the FSU camera" meter, there's always Roman J. Rohleder's celebrated Tomsk 1d (below) or simply some exposure tables. They work, cost nothing, teach a great deal and make you think a bit. Incidentally, in the UK many people prefer the "Sunny 11" rule. Light in our northerly latitudes is apparently less intense than in much of the USA or other southerly parts.
Cheers, Ian
Cheers, Ian
Attachments
oscroft
Veteran
Yes, that's a problem I have with rules-based systems - My photography is split between Thailand and the UK, and a "sunny day" is very different between the two. (and such rules are usually based on a sunny summer day, which is very different from a sunny winter day, etc)Jocko said:
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
Hi oscroft,
I found that selenium meters didn't cut it for me because of difficulty under low-light conditions. I have an old Ikophot meter that I quit using after some time.
There are a number of compact CdS meters that are cheap to get (i.e. under $30). These include the Sekonic L-188 and a meter called "F4", sold by various companies. Another choice, slightly bigger than these but still substantially smaller than a package of cigarettes, is the classic East German Weimarlux CdS meter; the metering accuracy is on par with the Gossen Lunasix, and on eBay Germany they regularly sell for under 10 EUR.
I'm currently still using a Gossen Profisix. It meters accurately down to EV -4, but it's rather bulky. Costs between 50 and 100 EUR over here.
You might also look at getting a Leicameter MR. Some of these have been selling on eBay Germany for about 60 EUR recently. For a standalone meter that's a bit steep, but they come in useful once you get the M3 or M4 you've always been thinking of.
Philipp
I found that selenium meters didn't cut it for me because of difficulty under low-light conditions. I have an old Ikophot meter that I quit using after some time.
There are a number of compact CdS meters that are cheap to get (i.e. under $30). These include the Sekonic L-188 and a meter called "F4", sold by various companies. Another choice, slightly bigger than these but still substantially smaller than a package of cigarettes, is the classic East German Weimarlux CdS meter; the metering accuracy is on par with the Gossen Lunasix, and on eBay Germany they regularly sell for under 10 EUR.
I'm currently still using a Gossen Profisix. It meters accurately down to EV -4, but it's rather bulky. Costs between 50 and 100 EUR over here.
You might also look at getting a Leicameter MR. Some of these have been selling on eBay Germany for about 60 EUR recently. For a standalone meter that's a bit steep, but they come in useful once you get the M3 or M4 you've always been thinking of.
Philipp