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> Weston Photographic Analyzer Model 877 |
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Weston Photographic Analyzer Model 877
There are a surprising number of Weston 877 densitometers still on the market. This model dates back to around 1950 but the spare parts - bulbs basically - can be replaced without too much hassle.
When new, the 877 came with manuals and other bits that are usually lost when you buy it second-hand. The manual is available for free online and original copies are still found on eBay (usually in the USA). This is a 120V device, so you'll need a 240V to 120V transformer if you choose to buy one. The UK 50Hz and USA 60Hz difference doesn't seem to be an issue however. I was lucky to get most of the additional items when I bought mine in the UK, but one part was missing: the Multiplier Disc (used for contact printer measurements). I don't know if I will ever use this part but it fits over the photocell and reduces the light transmission tenfold. The Multiplier Disc looks like a black opaque disk with six holes, each of approximate diameter 5mm (I don't have an original item to check my measurements but I do have a photo of one). Since Multiplier Discs are practcally impossible to find nowadays, I decided to buy a 59mm push-on lens cap and drill six 5mm diameter holes to give the same effect. A single central hole with the same area would probably also suffice. I'll update this post when I've finished testing.
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Eddy Last edited by egrabczewski; 29th December 2021 at 11:43 AM. |
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So, I'm presuming that you are actually going to use this device?
I've looked at some links about it on ebay, but I'm still unsure of it's use, especially with the papers and chemistry available today. Can you enlighten me slightly? Terry S |
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Terry - I'm intrigued by densitometers and sensitometers too. The 877 manual gives quite a few ways in which it can be used.
I'm not convinced yet that I really *need* to use a densitometer unless the Ilfords, Kodaks and Fujis stop supplying film and paper or it gets so expensive that we eventually need to rely on cheaper unknown brands. Fingers crossed that will never happen. I was looking at the data sheets for Ilford B&W and Kodak colour Portra film and I see that Ilford supply information on reciprocity but Kodak say you should do your own tests. Thanks Kodak! So maybe there's still room for testing yet! One a more general note: as long as we have film and paper then we'll need to have ways of testing these for quality and performance. There is only one YouTube video on using a densitometer and sensitometer. There are no YouTube videos on using the Sinar SINARSIX measuring probe in large-format cameras. We need to document how these things were used because our skilled technicians are retiring and newcomers need the training.
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Eddy Last edited by egrabczewski; 29th December 2021 at 01:01 PM. |
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Replacement Bulbs
The following 120VAC incandescent bulbs are suitable modern replacements for the Weston 877:
Bulb D (User Manual): Ushio 1000062 Bulb T (User Manual): Philips 248351 The colour temperature of the original GE bulb D is 2830K. The Ushio replacement is 2850K. The colour temperature of bulb T is 2120K, but since it's only used to light up the meter then it's not critical. BTW I've just managed to buy a Multiplier Disc on eBay. When it arrives I'll do some tests and update this post.
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Eddy Last edited by egrabczewski; 30th December 2021 at 02:58 PM. |
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Quote:
When doing contact prints, or just making measurements of intense light sources, you need to push the disc onto the sensor head to reduce the light intensity by 10x. This means that any reading on the scale must be subsequently multiplied by a factor of 10. Because my disk was completely unused and still in it's sealed paper envelope then the disc was loose inside the sensor head until i pushed out the three cutout lugs to jam it in place. The Ushio bulb (Bulb D) arrived in the post from the USA too. It's a perfect replacement for the original GE bulb. Testing the readings on the densitometer - with and without the Multiplier Disc - I found the readings were only very approximately correct - not helped by unhelpful analogue meter scale divisions.
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Eddy |
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