Light Meter

[Yashica FX3]

Hi all. I have an MPP Microcord TLR. With regards to correct exposure, I can make some educated guesses according to ambient light conditions and depth of fieldI. n order to get good and consistent results, I could use another camera that has an inbuilt light meter but I actually now have a Weston light meter.
Are the Weston light meters suitable or were they meant for filming? Also.....any guidance on how to use a Weston light meter
I have taken a look at some YouTube videos for some idea but I am being a bit slow on the uptake.

 

[Nikon photographer]

Which Weston meter have you got ? as the earlier ones have their film speed measured in Weston speed and not ASA, I've still got my #2 and 1V, although I hardly use them these days, using them is pretty much the same as using any light meter, I've always pointed mine slightly down and took a reading from the ground, and not straight ahead, when I was using film and medium format (Mamiya C330s) I never got a bad exposure.

 

[Retune]

There were different models of the Weston designed for still photography (with shutter speeds on the dial) or cine (with frames per second). Which model do you have? In any case, check it against a camera meter of known accuracy as the selenium cells tend to lose sensitivity over time, especially those in the (apparently less well sealed) later models. For details of the models and instructions, see:

Weston Meter

www.westonmeter.org.uk

For the film speed issue mentioned above, see:

Speeds

www.westonmeter.org.uk

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Are the Weston light meters suitable or were they meant for filming? Also.....any guidance on how to use a Weston light meter
I have taken a look at some YouTube videos for some idea but I am being a bit slow on the uptake.

So far as I can recall, all the meters in the "Master" range were primarily for stills work and marked up accordingly. Some of the earlier ones also carried cine markings.

Which model do you have? This page will help you identify it: http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/other/weston-article.html

The later models all accepted the Weston Invercone. Did you get one with the meter? http://www.westonmeter.org.uk/westoninvercone.html

You can find several manuals here: http://www.westonmeter.org.uk/manuals.htm

 

[Yashica FX3]

Which Weston meter have you got ? as the earlier ones have their film speed measured in Weston speed and not ASA, I've still got my #2 and 1V, although I hardly use them these days, using them is pretty much the same as using any light meter, I've always pointed mine slightly down and took a reading from the ground, and not straight ahead, when I was using film and medium format (Mamiya C330s) I never got a bad exposure.

I have a Weston Master III.
I also have a Unittic model 80.

There were different models of the Weston designed for still photography (with shutter speeds on the dial) or cine (with frames per second). Which model do you have? In any case, check it against a camera meter of known accuracy as the selenium cells tend to lose sensitivity over time, especially those in the (apparently less well sealed) later models. For details of the models and instructions, see:

Weston Meter

www.westonmeter.org.uk

For the film speed issue mentioned above, see:

Speeds

www.westonmeter.org.uk

Thank you! I have the Weston Master III

 

[Yashica FX3]

So far as I can recall, all the meters in the "Master" range were primarily for stills work and marked up accordingly. Some of the earlier ones also carried cine markings.

Which model do you have? This page will help you identify it: http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/other/weston-article.html

The later models all accepted the Weston Invercone. Did you get one with the meter? http://www.westonmeter.org.uk/westoninvercone.html

You can find several manuals here: http://www.westonmeter.org.uk/manuals.htm

That's really helpful, thank you. Yes I had an invercone with it but I can't seem to get it to fit.

 

[soupdragon]

I lost my invercone mainly because I never used incident light metering.
They can be a bit confusing to use but I note someone has added a link to a user guide so that's your starting point.
Good luck.

 

[Retune]

That's really helpful, thank you. Yes I had an invercone with it but I can't seem to get it to fit.

The proper Invercone for the III and earlier is a flatter design than comes with a neutral density filter that you use with the baffle open. The later Invercone is more bulbous, doesn't have a filter, and fits over the closed baffle:

westoninvercone

www.westonmeter.org.uk

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

That's really helpful, thank you. Yes I had an invercone with it but I can't seem to get it to fit.

The invercone might not be the right fitting, they differ between the Weston master models.
The Weston 3 is a fairly old one and was also calibrated differently to the earlier ones. It uses Weston's own ratings instead of Iso, which is nearly 1/2 stop different.
Amongst my many meters I have a weston two, three and Five. Which I have all used in times past.

The invercone for the two and three are very different, as they are two part , there is the white plastic cone part and a black part with a neutral density filter built in, as you fit it it moves the meter scale to the high position. This is unnecessary with later models as they can be fitted over the grid or with it folded back.

The correct invercone for the 3 is rare as hen's teeth. Apart from my own I have never seen one.

 

[Yashica FX3]

I lost my invercone mainly because I never used incident light metering.
They can be a bit confusing to use but I note someone has added a link to a user guide so that's your starting point.
Good luck.

I'm not sure if the invercone that came with the meter is the correct one as it does not slot into place....I wonder if it was for an earlier model.

 

[Yashica FX3]

To answer my own question....and I now feel really stupid....I looked again at the Weston III that I have and I note that it is the cine version!
How slow am I? Oops

 

[Andysnap]

A bit more expensive but small, lightweight, accurate and more modern you should have a look at the Sekonic L-208 Twinmate. I've had one for years and they are simple to use and just work well.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

To answer my own question....and I now feel really stupid....I looked again at the Weston III that I have and I note that it is the cine version!

Never mind.

On the more serious side, I used incident metering most of the time. It provided me with the easiest negatives to print. The only problem with incident metering on the earlier Westons was the lack of a pointer lock, which meant you had to face away from your subject when taking the reading.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Incident light readings are the simplest and most accurate method of exposure evaluation.
They are used to measure the light falling on the subject rather than reflected from it.
They peg the exposure so that all the tones fall in their correct positions.
I have used them since the mid Fifties for analogue photography.

they are largely unnecessary in digital photography as a sensor can measure at every pixel in an image. And use of the histogram allows you to adjust for blown highlights or blocked shadows.

However incident meters with flash capability, are still very useful for balancing flash with daylight in the studio and for portraiture.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

To answer my own question....and I now feel really stupid....I looked again at the Weston III that I have and I note that it is the cine version!
How slow am I? Oops

The cine version takes the same invercone as the still version.
It also uses Weston film speeds not ISO.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

You can use the Cine version equally well for stills photography.

 

[Yashica FX3]

You can use the Cine version equally well for stills photography.

I will have a good read of the manual and figure it out

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I will have a good read of the manual and figure it out

I have seen somewhere a table that shows what the shutter speeds are that relate to the Frame speeds on the meters scale
On the earlier Weston 2 they had both scales. so it was easy.
In cine film work you did not often change the frame rate but controlled the exposure by aperture or filters.

 

[Yashica FX3]

I have seen somewhere a table that shows what the shutter speeds are that relate to the Frame speeds on the meters scale
On the earlier Weston 2 they had both scales. so it was easy.
In cine film work you did not often change the frame rate but controlled the exposure by aperture or filters.

Thank you, I will do some more research. Thanks.

 

[Retune]

A bit more expensive but small, lightweight, accurate and more modern you should have a look at the Sekonic L-208 Twinmate. I've had one for years and they are simple to use and just work well.

A modern meter might well be worth considering. The Weston meters, especially the older ones, are beautifully engineered, very nice to play with, and cheap to buy, but many of them won't be accurate at this point (my III is some way off, though my II is surprisingly good) and they aren't the easiest things to read. I like the recent Gossen Sixtomat Digital series (not be be confused with their similarly named vintage analogue meters). Nice big LCD displays, incident reading, and often on ebay at a reasonable price (some have gone for around £50 recently).

Depending on your phone, a light meter app may work well for reflected metering using the camera (they don't do true incident without additional hardware, though some apps have a pseudo-incident mode that uses the light sensor). These are a couple I have used:

Light Meter - Lite - Apps on Google Play

Professional Exposure Meter for Film & Digital Photography

play.google.com

LightMeter - Apps on Google Play

A light meter for true photographers.

play.google.com

 

[Yashica FX3]

A modern meter might well be worth considering. The Weston meters, especially the older ones, are beautifully engineered, very nice to play with, and cheap to buy, but many of them won't be accurate at this point (my III is some way off, though my II is surprisingly good) and they aren't the easiest things to read. I like the recent Gossen Sixtomat Digital series (not be be confused with their similarly named vintage analogue meters). Nice big LCD displays, incident reading, and often on ebay at a reasonable price (some have gone for around £50 recently).

Depending on your phone, a light meter app may work well for reflected metering using the camera (they don't do true incident without additional hardware, though some apps have a pseudo-incident mode that uses the light sensor). These are a couple I have used:

Light Meter - Lite - Apps on Google Play

Professional Exposure Meter for Film & Digital Photography

play.google.com

LightMeter - Apps on Google Play

A light meter for true photographers.

play.google.com

Thanks for the info. I like the idea of using a vintage light meter with my vintage camera but wouldn't be averse to using something more modern.

 

[Retune]

Thanks for the info. I like the idea of using a vintage light meter with my vintage camera but wouldn't be averse to using something more modern.

You can also get a fully serviced Weston with a new light cell (or have this done to yours), but it won't be cheap:

Weston Light Meter Repair and Restore Service

ian-partridge.com

Westons come up on ebay for a lot less than this, where the seller claims they are tested and accurate (and which you could always return if they turned out not to be). Meters that aren't claimed to be accurate probably aren't.