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Old 3rd June 2020, 10:48 AM
Michael Michael is offline
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Default Meter for Continental f-stops

I have two Leica lenses with Continental aperture markings. They both share the range 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.5. In addition, my 1934 f2 Summar 5cm has the wider 2, 2.2 and 3.2; and my 1933 f4 Elmar 9cm has 4 and the smaller 18, 25 and 36. My Weston Master II covers all of these (and of course the standard stops) but doesn't use a battery. It could have a limited future.

Does anyone know of modern meters that include those Continental stops? I can of course approximate; but it would be more elegant not to have to.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 01:27 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I very much doubt you will find a working example of such a meter, you are talking about pre war lenses.and AFIK mostly Leica, I have several pre war lenses and only Leica have these F stops, so you would have to look, I think for a Leica meter, and they are very few indeed, I an not saying that there were no other pre war lenses with these, but I have never seen any, what I do is to use the nearest, 3.5 is 3.5,4.5 is 4,6.3 is 5.6,9.1 is 8,12.5 is 11 and 18 is 16, the stops are so close that it will make no difference to the exposure,
Richard
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Old 3rd June 2020, 01:46 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Michael, check out the Weston Master meters:

https://www.westonmeters.info/the-masters

A quick look here turned up models 748 and 715 as having the scales you're looking for. There may be others as well.

Hope this helps....
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Old 3rd June 2020, 02:09 PM
Michael Michael is offline
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Thank you both for those replies.

Richard - Yes, I already follow your approximation method. By the way, there's mention of a Balda folder with Continental stops in a 2010 thread on FADU. The standard stops weren't actually formally agreed until 1949 (though the RPS recommended them back in the 1880s).

Svend - I'm afraid that all the Weston meters (as far as I'm aware) were batteryless - and Megatron, who serviced my own meter about 15 years ago, ceased trading in 2010.

One of the Sektronic models which measure down to a tenth of a stop might get near to what I'm after, if anyone on here has experience of them.

Last edited by Michael; 3rd June 2020 at 02:10 PM. Reason: pedantry
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Old 3rd June 2020, 02:49 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Yes weston meters are all batteryless, but that does not seem to affect their working, I have weston 2.4.5.and Euromaster's and all spot on accurate, compared to a Sekonic that I use for studio work, and weston 4,5,and euromaster,s can be serviced and repaired, also bought in as new condition, from Ian Partridge , he services,repairs, renew.s the cell, and sells weston's that he has fully refurbished, expensive but get a weston in great condition and you have a friend for life, I have not used any other meter like forever, but AFUK thye did not use the European system America never adopted it,
Richard
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Old 3rd June 2020, 02:59 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I have had a look around and the only Exposure meters that use the oold system are things like extinction meters, I can find no electric type meters that use that system, remember that before the war, when this system was used, most amateur and many professional photographers would use the guesstimate setting's, unless of course you were a rich photographer and needed every thin possible thing, so I rather think unlesss you can find an extinction meter, or something like the Wat5kin's bee meter, that your search will be pretty fruitless, there would have beeen various charts Ect but no photo electric meters
Richard
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Old 3rd June 2020, 03:26 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Michael.
sorry but I was wrong about Weston Meters, but I have just studied the Weston master 4 and 5 that I have, and you need , or at least I do, a good magnifying glass to see it, but the F stop's you need are available on them, in between the main, modern stops, You need to look hard but there they are, so it seems that if you want to use the old system then get either a Weston master IV or V, you should not have any problem getting one that works perfectly, or if you want a really good, virtually new one give Ian Partridge . com a look
Richard
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Old 3rd June 2020, 04:41 PM
Michael Michael is offline
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Three useful posts, Richard; and thank you. Ian Partridge is good news to me. My own W M II is also working perfectly but is slightly heavy in the pocket. Yes, using it is also magnifying glass time!

I just feel that a battery-powered meter would be a handy back-up, if there were one on the market.

By the way, I have and occasionally exercise a Zeiss Diaphot extinction meter, whose stops are all Continental. I think it was made during the 1920s - must investigate that.

[Edit: Yes, I've had my W M II since about 1976]

[second edit: Correction. The Diaphot mixes the series]

Last edited by Michael; 3rd June 2020 at 04:53 PM.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 05:43 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I have had both my Weston IV and V from new, and have had them serviced by Ian Partridge, the 2 Euromasters were serviced by Megatron before I bought them the IV and v are not as heavy as the old ones, and feel just right in the hand, I will, if I can help it, never use anything else, I use a Sekonic for studio work as I needed a flash meter, but it never leaves the home,

Richard
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  #10  
Old 3rd June 2020, 08:17 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Michael, the scales on the WM-V (model 748) and Universal (model 715) seem pretty readable from the pics. Reading glasses should be all you need

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