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calibrating a photometer

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:14 pm
by delcairos
HI, everybody, this is my first post,

I wish someone could enlighten me...
I have a very very used Nikon F with the original photomic, and it seems to measure more light than the actual one. The ISO setting is manual, of course.

My feeling is that when I set it to ISO400 the photomic is measuring like if it was 3200. So I lower it to ISO 100 and I get the feeling I almost get to cheat on the photomic (well, he was the one who started cheating on me, so...)

My question is:
- Is there any practical way of cheking it out?

thanks

Re: calibrating a photometer

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:51 pm
by Ornello
delcairos wrote:HI, everybody, this is my first post,

I wish someone could enlighten me...
I have a very very used Nikon F with the original photomic, and it seems to measure more light than the actual one. The ISO setting is manual, of course.

My feeling is that when I set it to ISO400 the photomic is measuring like if it was 3200. So I lower it to ISO 100 and I get the feeling I almost get to cheat on the photomic (well, he was the one who started cheating on me, so...)

My question is:
- Is there any practical way of cheking it out?

thanks

Take it to a repair shop and have them set it up properly.

Re: calibrating a photometer

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:07 pm
by Keith Tapscott.
delcairos wrote:HI, everybody, this is my first post,

I wish someone could enlighten me...
I have a very very used Nikon F with the original photomic, and it seems to measure more light than the actual one. The ISO setting is manual, of course.

My feeling is that when I set it to ISO400 the photomic is measuring like if it was 3200. So I lower it to ISO 100 and I get the feeling I almost get to cheat on the photomic (well, he was the one who started cheating on me, so...)

My question is:- Is there any practical way of checking it out?

thanks
Colour reversal films are more critical of exposure than negative films, so shoot a roll and bracket the exposures to see how far out the meter is.
The Photomic is very old and your shutter speeds may be less acurate as well and these factors also need to be considered.

As far as light-metering goes, a good separate hand meter is a worthwhile investment with plenty of good brands and type to choose from.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutor ... ters.shtml

Re: calibrating a photometer

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:55 am
by delcairos
thanks for the tip, keith

I´ll just keep on doing my practical experiments and try to get to know the best I can this "old lady",
shooting and taking notes...


bye

Re: calibrating a photometer

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:34 pm
by Ornello
Honestly, I think there are better options than this particular piece of equipment. Many good used bodies are available from Leica, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc. This particular camera is very old and is known for meter problems.