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Evand
Tinkerer
Username: Evand
Post Number: 7
Registered: 01-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 02, 2007 - 09:56 pm: | 
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This may not be the appropriate forum for this, but here goes:
I picked up an old Sekonic L6 meter for $30 Canadian. I'm wondering if I should rely on an old meter such as this or if its usefulness has probably degraded over the years. Especially for low light situations using fast film (ie Ilford Delta 3200), should I trust its readings for good exposures?
Thanks. |
Lucas
Tinkerer
Username: Lucas
Post Number: 10
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 01:00 am: |
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They can be accurate, but all of the sekonic L8 s I have ever come across measured all over the place. Check against a modern meter. I think the L 6 only has film speed setting up to 800 asa, so for really low light it would not be practical. Those little meters were only made for average light conditions. |
M_currie
Tinkerer
Username: M_currie
Post Number: 40
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 10:39 pm: |
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My luck with old meters has varied from perfect to wildly inaccurate, so do check it. Remember that an old hand held meter probably averages over a very large area, so it may give a different reading outdoors from that of a through-lens meter. If you can set it up to read a blank wall or the like, you can get a pretty good comparison.
For low light, you may be out of luck. But if the light is readable but the film speed is out of range, you can just compensate. For 3200 film, you can set it at 800 and just go two stops faster than the meter says. |
Markamra
Tinkerer
Username: Markamra
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 01, 2007 - 03:21 pm: |
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If you have the availabilty get it checked against a digital, yes I swore. I have a digital compact camera which I always take on a serious shoot because the light meter is very accurate. Especially useful in low light situations because it's easy to see. |
Alanstarkie2001
Tinkerer
Username: Alanstarkie2001
Post Number: 2
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 01:56 pm: |
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Just a point on Weston lightmeters. In my previous camera repairer days, I used to fix many Weston light meters - they are things of beauty but not very sensitive. Another problem is that the round cadmium cell degrades badly with age. I think cells are still available from Megatron - see http://www.westonmaster.com/
The one to avoid at all costs (IMHO) is the later model (Megatron I think) with the really thick needle and relatively crude galvo movement that is really sensitive to the angle you take the readings. To me the thin-needled Euromaster was the nicest they ever made.
I remember doing a night shot of the London skyline from Primrose Hill. I Tried taking a reading with my Weston - not a chance but an old 1960's Gossen meter did the job but needle was jumping around at one-second intervals. Then I noticed about a mile away - a flashing balisha beacon! |
M_currie
Tinkerer
Username: M_currie
Post Number: 75
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 04:26 pm: |
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WRT to the weston meters, I've found that both the Master IV and V are sensitive to the angle they're held at, which I find rather annoying, even though it would most likely become habitual to hold them in a consistent way. The battery-less meter I find more convenient is the Gossen Pilot. The Pilot II even has a little hidden adjustment screw for calibration (in addition to the ever-present zero adjust). |
