QL17 meter issues

[Jon Wang]

Hi there.
First time poster.
I recently changed battery on my QL17 (after two years of hard work) and everything seemed fine. I know it's not the right battery, and I have not had meter modified. I figured I could just compensate by setting the ISO a little lower. And it seems OK. I ran a colour film through it and it worked a charm. Now however the needle has started getting stuck. It wont move. I either take the batt. out and in and it's fine, or it rights itself by the next time i pick it up. Is this related to the wrong battery charge or is it simply dirty contacts. Any suggestions?
By the way, if you go to my website www.jonwang.net and check out the gallery documentary and 5 days in Moscow, you will se pics taken with the QL alongside pics taken with a Leica R4 with 50/2 lens. I can only tell them apart by memory... sold the Leica, kept the QL.

 

[zuikologist]

Jon - welcome. Nice photos on your website. It might be worth trying another battery just to make sure it is not a dud battery.

 

[kaiyen]

When you say "not the right battery," do you mean it's the alkaline equivalent (I always forget if it's 625 or 675)? Or someting else entirely?

allan

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
If it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't with the same battery, I would look first at the contacts and if these are OK then have a look at the wiring. This sort of fault is more likely to be a result of these problems than of poor battery though that is not impossible.

With regards to just adjusting the ASA, it is not really an effective solutions. At very low light levels the difference in meter reading may only be 1/2 a stop whereas at high light levels, it can be as much as 2 stops. Of all the "fixes" this ia perhaps the worst. If you do a search of the threads, you will find many discussions of the pros and cons of each method.

Kim