Save Money with a Busted Light Meter

[@PPISAFETY]

You're really right about this. I have a 1973 Nikon F2 with a DP-1 finder. The CdS cells are shot so the meter doesn't work, but the rest of the camera works fine. The price to repair it is insane, and there is an 18 month wait for the guy who knows how and has some cells which are themselves 10 years old. Used prices for finders with working meters start at $100 plus shipping, and the only thing you know for sure about them is that they are 40 years old and will eventually fail. So my thinking is, why not use a free app, which is at least as accurate as the in-camera meter ever was, or if you are really a stickler for accuracy, invest in a good, modern hand-held meter you can use with all of your cameras? I guess the only other thing to mention with the older, built like a tank SLR's is that they may well need new light seals. These are easy to do yourself, but if you don't want to try, there are guys on eBay who will do if for you for $50. Then you have a practically new camera. Good tip in this video.

[@robinj.9329]

Years ago (decades ago?) there was a very nice little exposure chart printed on the inside of every box of Kodak film. And I got along just fine, for many years, just using a handy chart or setting exposure by memory. Later, working for a Studio, I got to use "Meters" for the first time. Nice to have, but obviously not needed every time.

[@matteovrizzi]

Excellent point. It is very useful to get out with a meterless camera anyway and become familiar with sunny 16. The film's exposure latitude will take care of any small errors.

[@blacksheep6888]

I bought a Nikon FE, seems to work fine, yes i know its not all mechanical, i also picked up a Pentax P-30 and its excellent, light meters work fine in both. I have an Olympus 35 SPn range finder, the meter seems to work but i have not tested it with film yet, i am just about to, i have two external light meters so it dose not matter anyway

[@KimHojbergJensen]

You are right. I got a Nikon FE yesterday. It was not advertised with broken light meter. It looks like it is working, but the reading is obviously 3-4 stops off. Haven't got through first film yet, but use an appp in the phone until I get a "real" light meter. But the camera is beautiful.

[@luzernerschutze7564]

I just got my Grandfathers old King Regula LK. Everything works, except the Light Meter. I would like to start using it, but I have zero experience with classic Cameras and without a handy tool like the Light Meter I am a little intimidated by all the levers and numbers on there...

[@alexblaze8878]

Great advice.

[@sergeantcrow]

Welcome back...

[@Seele2015au]

The first Leica with built-in meter, rather than accepting an add-on one, was the M5, a much hated one because it used a different body shape that offended the purists.

[@itsallminor6133]

The cost of using the film is more a concern than saving $30 on the camera. Thats just 3 rolls, of film. Maybe 2 rolls. Does developing your own film save much money? That be a good video.

[@SuzukiC41]

If you shoot a lot, you can save a ton of money. I recently started home developing/scanning. 20 rolls to break even on initial development cost, 4 rolls to break even on each batch of chemistry which leaves me with about 10-15 free rolls Scanning can vary wildly though. I dropped $400 on a dedicated 35mm scanner to get consistent scans with scratch/dust removal. Worth it for me. Break even for highest quality scans vs somewhere like The Darkroom is about 50 rolls

[@itsallminor6133]

@@SuzukiC41 thank you. I'll have to copy and paste your reply or renember somehow. Good info. The scanner part, is throwing me off. Using a camera to scan, or buying a scanner. Just seems expensive and time consuming.

[@SuzukiC41]

​@@itsallminor6133 Developing and scanning are part of the fun for some, even with the cost and time spent for each. Quick turnaround on photos, push/pull as much as you want, scans come out how you want