analoguser Posted July 7, 2011 Share #1 Posted July 7, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Long ago (1980's) I used the MR4 to meter B&W shots and got very good exposers. Even my slides as I view them now look excellent. Of late I have had an old defunct MR 4 refurbished and have been trying to use it. The battery problem (voltage difference) was corrected in the refurbishment. But I don't trust the readings. They don't seen to be in the same ballpark as my trustworthy handheld Gossen or a late model Sekonic. I like the looks and Nostalgia aspect of using the MR 4 on my M3 and M4. I have the old instruction book for the MR 4 so advising me to look there isn't what I looking for. Does anybody out there have the same feeling about these meters? Any thoughts on how this meter is used effectively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 Hi analoguser, Take a look here MR 4 metering. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
bocaburger Posted July 7, 2011 Share #2 Posted July 7, 2011 I don't know what handheld meters you have or how you're comparing readings. The MR4 is a narrow-angle meter (roughly equivalent to the coverage of a 90mm lens...you hold the preview lever at the 90 position and use the framelines to aim the meter while pressing the meter button). A wide angle of acceptance on a handheld meter will give different readings if the scene isn't overall the same zone. Likewise an incident meter will give different readings in some cases than a reflected meter (neither is "wrong", they just require proper interpretation by the photographer). But if you've equilibrated those variables (such as taking readings from a solid-color wall so it fills the coverage of both meters) and the MR4 still reads significantly off, then perhaps it was not properly calibrated. I have four of these, all of which I re-calibrated myself for 1.55v PX625A batteries. I used a trusted Sekonic hand meter as my standard, and all my MR4 meters are quite nearly dead-on. One thing, with the PX625A you need to be sure the battery is fairly fresh. Unlike Hg and Ag batteries, alkalines drop in voltage progressively as they exhaust. The MR4 will grow decreasingly accurate over time as the battery ages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted July 7, 2011 Share #3 Posted July 7, 2011 The MR4 often develops corroded switch contacts, and even after cleaning and calibrating can develop more contact resistance which throws off the reading. I've had to pull off the cover and use a contact cleaner now and then. I keep the original calibration and use a CRIS battery adapter that holds a smaller 386 silver cell and lowers the voltage to the 1.35 level. These stay more constant than the 625A cells. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
analoguser Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks for your input. Perhaps my battery isn't fresh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.