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Salzburg, Austria

"No place is boring if you've had a good night's sleep and a pocket full of film." - Robert Adams
​
"Tea first, then photography..." - Philip Lee Harvey

From an Article written by Philip Lee Harvey

Old Cameras Need Lightmeters

8/27/2016

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Picture
When you buy old cameras light meters become an iffy proposition at best. Most cameras made after the 1960's came with a built in light meter. This simplified the photographers job and reduced the cost outlay.

The challenge is that today, fifty years after many of these cameras were made, the built in light meters are failing. This can be due to age, most of the rest of the camera is mechanical and can easily be fixed, or due to a voltage disparity between the batteries it was designed to take, and those available today.

If you look at cameras pre-1960's you will not find built in light meters. Today a good light meter can set you back a few hundred dollars which is many times what many of these cameras go for.  Or you can try an app for your phone.


I purchased an app after reading most photographers condemn them as being untrustworthy.  Everything I read indicated that they only way to go was to drop USD500 on a light meter.  But I decided to try it as it was a little over a dollar.

I have used it countless times since then and have NEVER gotten a poor reading.  Every shot I took using it came our correctly exposed. I have since read some reviews and found that other photographers, who actually put these apps to the test, found that for general use they are indeed very effective. 

I suggest you give it a go.  Buy old cameras, if the light meter works great, if not then pull out the cell phone, take a reading and shoot away.  By the way unless the light changes a great deal you can take a single reading and use it for all shots.  No need to pull it out for each and every shot you take.

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    Patrick...confirmed film & digital photography addict.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from left-hand, Ant Jackson, Skley, mikecogh, Helen.Yang, TheeErin, Dean Hochman, CJS*64, DaveR1988, FootMassagez, Loco Steve, dmytrok, Christiaan Colen
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Vintage Cameras
    • Argus 75
    • Brownie Flash II
    • Contax G2
    • Ensign Selfix 820
    • FED-1 (PE0320)
    • Graflex Crown Graphic
    • Ihagee Exa
    • Leica M6
    • Nikon S2
    • Nikon F
    • Nikon F2
    • Nikon F3
    • Nikon FA
    • Olympus OM-1
    • Olympus OM-2 SPOT
    • Olympus Stylus
    • Pentacon Six
    • Pentax Spotmatic IIa
    • Rollei 35
    • Voigtlander 15mm ver III
    • Yashica C
    • Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2
  • Learning Composition
    • The Monochrome Diaries
    • Single & Multi Elements
    • Symmetry
    • Keep the Right Strong
    • Framing
    • Color in Composition
    • Deep Dive Bubble Man
    • Photo Assignments
  • Darkroom Lessons
    • Building a Sink
    • Air Ventilation
    • Analyser Pro
    • Development Hints
    • Primer for Film Photography
    • Bulk Loading Film
    • Pushing & Pulling Film
    • Color Development
    • Digital Contact Sheets
    • Stick to One Film Stock?
    • HP5+ Shot at 200 ISO
    • HP5 Shot at 1600 ISO
    • HP5 Shot at 3200 ISO
    • Medium Format
    • Washing Film
    • Split Grade Printing
    • Using Distilled Water in Film Development
    • Darkroom Paper
    • Foma100 EI 400
  • Photography Books & Films
    • Colin O'Brien
    • Lartigue Life in Color
    • Magnum Contact Sheets
    • Top Photography Movies
    • William Eggleston's Guide
    • Helen Levitt
    • Sally Mann Immediate Family
    • Saul Leiter Early B&W
    • Leica 100 yrs
    • Calendar Days of Asaya Hamaya
    • The Decisive Moment
    • Regarding Women
    • Robert Capa in Love and War
  • Single Image Deep Dive
    • Sergio Larrain "A Man After Dark"
    • Colin O'Brien 'Comings & Goings"
    • Erwitt Mother & Child
    • Man Running
    • Samuel Becket
    • Koudelka Wristwatch
    • Dovima with Elephants