Not sure this belongs in accessories, but it is a necessary accessory for my use. It is as old as some of the Speed Graphics. I purchased it in 1947-49. Recently with some of my speed graphics photos it seems that I am under exposing the film by 1 to 2 stops or more. It is expensive to do this.

I faintly remember a way to check the old Sekonic Auto Leader Model 38 KI 289702 (or any meter) using the rule of Sunny F16. Is it setting the meter to ASA 100, take a reading on the 18% Gray Scale (Kodak) and the meter should give you are reading of shutter speed 1/100 at f16. Is this correct? (This old meter does not require a battery.) IF this is correct, then old selenium meter is failing. I get a reading of 1/50 on F16. This does not seem to be very bad, but I am not sure what the reading would be on a dark and cloudy day, it may not be a linear fall off. For I shot 50 ASA film on a dark gray day was so under exposed 2 - 3 maybe more f stops as the negs would only print a very dark image - barely viewable. I used the settings given by this meter.
Thanks for any input
Ed

On rechecking the negatives, the pictures made inside the house with a north light seem to be correctly exposed. But outside the negatives are very dark and the images printed out by the lab were also very dark.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ebrown27 on 2005-03-17 11:37 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ebrown27 on 2005-03-17 11:38 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ebrown27 on 2005-03-17 12:08 ]</font>

Quote:

On 2005-03-17 11:32, ebrown27 wrote: Not sure this belongs in accessories, but it is a necessary accessory for my use. It is as old as some of the Speed Graphics. I purchased it in 1947-49. Recently with some of my speed graphics photos it seems that I am under exposing the film by 1 to 2 stops or more. It is expensive to do this. I faintly remember a way to check the old Sekonic Auto Leader Model 38 KI 289702 (or any meter) using the rule of Sunny F16. Is it setting the meter to ASA 100, take a reading on the 18% Gray Scale (Kodak) and the meter should give you are reading of shutter speed 1/100 at f16. Is this correct? (This old meter does not require a battery.) IF this is correct, then old selenium meter is failing. I get a reading of 1/50 on F16. This does not seem to be very bad, but I am not sure what the reading would be on a dark and cloudy day, it may not be a linear fall off. For I shot 50 ASA film on a dark gray day was so under exposed 2 - 3 maybe more f stops as the negs would only print a very dark image - barely viewable. I used the settings given by this meter. Thanks for any input Ed <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ebrown27 on 2005-03-17 11:37 ]</font> <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ebrown27 on 2005-03-17 11:38 ]</font>

Ed, if you like the meter,

Quality Light Metric
7095 Hollywood Blvd.
Unit 550
Hollywood, CA 90028

can probably make it right for you.

Look them up in the phone book and call for advice.

The address above was correct in June '03 when I sent them my Master V for service. There are many other, older, wrong addresses for QLM floating around the Internet, so make sure you have the correct one if you send it to them.

Good luck,

Dan

After reading the message, I knew something was wrong other than the meter. I looked again at the negatives, sure enough they were over exposed and then so were the prints. Both were very dark. I just came back from then lab and they admitted it was their mistake and offered to remake the pictures from the neg. The fact that some pictures were normal actually just about absolves the meter. When I followed the meter I got good exposures. I must have over exposed or used a shutter speed that was slower than what it was supposed to be. And with these old shutters that is entirely possible. I will check the shutter speeds again. Thanks Dan.
Ed

I've got several meters including a Minolta Flashmeter III and a Lunapro...but I don't trust any of them unless they agree with the meter in my Canon F-1. Just got a nice little Sekonic..it disagreed with the Canon and the other two by the same amount...nearly an f-stop...so I just tweaked it with the screw in the back. What good's a meter without a screw in the back?

For those who don't know, Canon F-1 was where the mechanical camera buck stopped. Nothing before or since has been as closely machined or as rugged.