Weston Master V

[peter_n]

Great post, Denis!! Thanks for taking the time and trouble to document the innards of what I think is possibly one of the greatest meters ever made. Looks like you already got a couple of members enthused! 🙂

I love using this meter because the calculator dials show the full range of exposure possibilities unlike the modern LCD screen models.

My meter is the "modern" version made by Megatron. Megatron chose to print up the calculator dials in all-black characters and I think the original meter with it's red and black characters is much more readable.

The only other difference is the zero correction screw, which is at the bottom end of the meter. The instruction book that came with my meter was printed in 1980 and shows the zero correction screw in the same position as your meter... 🙂

This is a wonderful meter that I highly recommend to everyone, a pleasure to use, never runs out of batteries 😉, is sturdy and has terrific low-light sensitivity.

Thanks again, Denis!

 

[fraley]

Thanks Denis!

Great job of illustrating this. I just bought a Weston III and I'm waiting for delivery. But I don't think it will have an invercone! I should have read your article first. 😡 Oh that's right, it wasn't posted yet! 😉

 

[Gordon Coale]

Great job, Denis. This makes me want to throw away my Gossen Luna Pro! I feel there is a Weston in my future.

 

[taffer]

That's simply great Denis, thanks for sharing !!!!

Why is it that I'm now lusting after a Weston Master III ? 🙄

 

[peter_n]

Well, no excuse - there's about a dozen Weston Master Vs on sale at the auction site, one a real beauty with 6 bids on it already. Many of them don't seem to have an Invercone, but you could get one of those from Megatron.

 

[rover]

Peter you made me go look, again.

So, I assume the meter is giving an EV number, and between 14 and 15 sounds pretty good on a partly cloudy day in Las Vegas, right?

 

[denishr]

Peter you made me go look, again.

So, I assume the meter is giving an EV number, and between 14 and 15 sounds pretty good on a partly cloudy day in Las Vegas, right?

Ralph, check out www.westonmaster.com.

You'll find all the answers there.
As for EV, I think partly cloudy would be closer to EV 13... But, then, I could be wrong. Depends on what you mean by "partly cloudy".

Denis

 

[peter_n]

So, I assume the meter is giving an EV number, and between 14 and 15 sounds pretty good on a partly cloudy day in Las Vegas, right?

Well, the meter is at zero in the photo, and the EV scale showing 14 or whatever is probably just due to someone turning it to that value.

They don't have "partly cloudy" in Las Vegas do they? 😉

 

[aizan]

denis, where did you get a replacement cell? i've got a dead wm iv to fix up.

 

[denishr]

denis, where did you get a replacement cell? i've got a dead wm iv to fix up.

Hello, Aizan, and welcome to the RF forum!

As for the replacement cell, I got mine from Megatron in London - www.megatron.co.uk.
I got two cells (one extra, so I have a replacement when the next one kicks the bucket!) 🙂
I think they were about GBP 10 apiece - that's ten British pounds...
Check out their site, you can send them e-mail, and see if they have any left.
Another place (if you're in USA) is Quality Light & Metric in Hollywood, CA. They will also do a complete overhaul of your Weston.

Denis

 

[peter_n]

Welcome to the forum aizan! 🙂 How come it took you so long to post? 😉 😀

 

[aizan]

oh, i just forgot i had registered.

thanks for the link, dennis. qlm will fix up the meter for 64 bucks, so i just eb*ayed for another that's right on. getting a replacement cell is more affordable, though.

 

[Nick R.]

Back when these meters were more common, a rule of thumb was that while blocking light from the sensor to hold the meter horizontally and note its position, then take the meter and hold it vertically. The needle should come to rest in the same place. If it doesn't, then the spring-coil is shot and the meter should be discarded. I don't know if that's more of a wive's tale or not, but I've always followed it.
When I'm not using my camera's built in meter, I use my Sekonic L-28 C2. So I'm still a fan of Selenium meters.

 

[jlw]

Nice Weston info and nice pics. But I'm more a Ranger 9 kind of guy. Anybody else use one of these?

If so, any good thoughts on what to do about batteries? I'm down to the last of my stash of Varta PX14s.

 

[nikon_sam]

About Three weeks ago I was working in Rochester, MN and over the weekend there was a small Flea Market going on. I decided to check it out and look for any old cameras. I happened across a guy selling a few items for a friend, what I bought was a beautiful Kodak No.1 Pocket Junior w/ the original case (It even had a roll of 116 film in it) but missing the stylus, the other item was a Sekonic L-8 in the box with the Low Light attachment. Everything was in MINT condition the only thing missing was the manual, even had the silica pack in it. Original Price tag on it...$5.25
I paid $25 for both items...I was a happy camper...

 

[titrisol]

Excellent article!!!

 

[Paul Whiting]

Hello Denis,

Great thread you have there, on the Weston V. I was very glad to see it. Your instructions and photos are excellent but I am having a heck of a time getting that center screw loose. Tried everything you've suggested... put some rubber bands around the jaws of pliers, no luck, tried a rubber stopper, no luck there either. I do plan to go to the hardware store and look for a different stopper, maybe that will help. Any other thoughts? Thanks very much!

Paul

 

[T_om]

Nice Weston info and nice pics. But I'm more a Ranger 9 kind of guy. Anybody else use one of these?

If so, any good thoughts on what to do about batteries? I'm down to the last of my stash of Varta PX14s.

I have a couple of Ranger 9's myself. My everyday meter is a Ranger 9 that was calibrated by George at QLM...

As for the batteries, George can either convert the meter (because it has a completely adjustable linearity) or you can use 675 Zinc-air hearing aid batteries. They are cheap and available everywhere.

Here is one tip I learned from George. As the battery compartment is originally wired, the negative (-) terminal is uppermost. This was OK with the old batteries of the day, but with newer, and smaller, cells it will short out very easily. Just open the meter and unsolder the leads... swap them top to bottom and then the positive (+) terminal will be uppermost. This has a larger flat area and even the old, large original spring will not short the battery out. Use a very short piece of tubing as a 'battery holder' to keep the smaller diameter batteries stacked on top of each other and Bob's your uncle.

Tom

 

[stevesen]

Weston Master II

Weston Master II

Hi Denis,

I found this post while trying to google on how to repair my Weston Master II meter that I recently bought (I am reviving a three and a half year old post, thought to be more relevant than open a new post).

The problem seems to be with the zero corrector which is not working. The meter otherwise responds to light pretty well. Though your article is quite well written, but i cannot see the pictures you posted of the diassembly. Would appreciate if you can somehow show me those pictures if you still have them. I would be more confident to open the meter up if i have some visual reference.

Thanks

 

[denishr]

Re-attached the photos

Re-attached the photos

After a long absence from RFF, I realised that older posts have lost their attached photos... Luckily, I still had the original photos from this thread, and managed to "re-attach" them.
Otherwise, the whole thread is useless (without photos).
Rgds,
Denis