Hot shoe respect

[BigBabyEarl]

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I just picked up the M A Titan set. I’m pretty impressed with the selection of hot shoe meters out there. Does using one mess up the hot shoe over time? The dealer said not to because of wear and tear. I want to use this camera, but I also want to be smart and protect it in case life happens and the resale is too good to ignore. So does anyone use one and can speak on it? Or is using a hand held a better move regardless? 

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[madNbad]

Not the prettiest but its 3D printed nylon base will never scratch the finish. The little Reveni works well, has a forty-five degree angle of acceptance and a OLED screen that can be read in any light. It may not be what you're looking for but I've been very pleased with mine.

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Congratulations on wanting to use it and not just stash it away. One question, is that weather sealing at the back of the lens?

Edited June 14, 2022 by madNbad

[Huss]

First off - wow! congrats!  I recommend the Voigtlander VC Meter II. The point of contact is under the hotshoe "ears" so any wear pretty much will be hidden. It also fits really well and is accurate.  Many of those new cheap hot shoe meters are very inaccurate.

I also had the Reveni light meter which is even better for wear as it is made of nylon.  Downside for me was it is fiddly to use in comparison, and seems to eat batteries.

https://www.reveni-labs.com/shop/p/lightmeter

[Huss]

Gotta ask BigBabyEarl - how did you manage to get one?

[250swb]

I prefer to keep the hot shoe for accesssory viewfinders and use a hand held meter, maybe a Sekonic 208 or 308. But if you like the idea of a meter in the shoe maybe an MR meter, they work perfectly well if you have a good one.

[BigBabyEarl]

5 hours ago, Huss said:

Gotta ask BigBabyEarl - how did you manage to get one?

I contacted Miami and was shut down. Contacted Los Angeles and was put on a list. 3 people passed. Got the call and said yes without hesitation. Tony Rose at Popflash was the one who suggested I call LA. He’s always been helpful. Feel very lucky. Tony also said not to use the shoe for wear. That’s what made me ask. Anyone use the Lime 1 or Keks? I think the Sekonic 208 or 308 seem like very good moves too. Just like the idea of this really accurate Oled meter that marries both analog and modern tech between camera and meter. 

[madNbad]

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I just looked at the specifications for the Keks and it looks like it’s shipped with a plastic shoe. If you don’t mind a hand held meter with a little extra size the Sekonic 308 offers everything you would ever need. Reflective, incident and flash, plus the meter even lights up when the EV drops below a certain level. It is all digital and only offers a LCD screen but one AA battery last a long time. Good luck with your search.

[LocalHero1953]

The advice you were given may have referred to a Leicameter, which connects with rather more of the body than these new Reveni-type meters. I’ve seen plenty of marks left on bodies from Leicameters, but unless you want to just treat your beautiful new Titan as just an investment preserved in pristine condition for ever, I can’t see the problem with a few marks on the hotshoe. 
They should have supplied it with a titanium Leicameter. 

[earleygallery]

I would use a handheld meter. Why? Because you can take incident light readings as well as reflective, and it doesn't upset the balance of the camera which I find the shoe mounted finders (can) do.

Edited June 14, 2022 by earleygallery

[madNbad]

The Reveni is tiny and light but the tiny buttons are fiddly and battery life is poor. I actually took it off the M4 and moved it to a wrist strap for convince. James has a point, why risk any damage a shoe mounted meter may cause when you can use a much more versatile hand held.

[Huss]

5 hours ago, 250swb said:

I prefer to keep the hot shoe for accesssory viewfinders and use a hand held meter, maybe a Sekonic 208 or 308. But if you like the idea of a meter in the shoe maybe an MR meter, they work perfectly well if you have a good one.

I have a perfectly working super condition MR meter that I never use (it even has been recalibrated to use modern batteries!) because I can see why so many Ms have scratches on the top of them.  Mounting this thing can very easily scratch the top plate if you are not very careful, and also scratch the shutter speed dial.

[Huss]

2 hours ago, BigBabyEarl said:

I contacted Miami and was shut down. Contacted Los Angeles and was put on a list. 3 people passed. Got the call and said yes without hesitation. Tony Rose at Popflash was the one who suggested I call LA. He’s always been helpful. Feel very lucky. Tony also said not to use the shoe for wear. That’s what made me ask. Anyone use the Lime 1 or Keks? I think the Sekonic 208 or 308 seem like very good moves too. Just like the idea of this really accurate Oled meter that marries both analog and modern tech between camera and meter. 

Congrats!  I didn't think about the LA store which is my local.  I got on the list with the Miami store via their email - which is how I heard about this thing anyway - but have heard zilch since.  Seeing you already received yours it looks like I'm outta luck.  And I was going to use it!  Poop.

[Matlock]

6 hours ago, Huss said:

I have a perfectly working super condition MR meter that I never use (it even has been recalibrated to use modern batteries!) because I can see why so many Ms have scratches on the top of them.  Mounting this thing can very easily scratch the top plate if you are not very careful, and also scratch the shutter speed dial.

Fully agree. I have an early M2 which is in almost mint condition apart from a badly mutilated top plate, probably caused by someone who was less than careful whilst fitting an MR meter. 

[250swb]

6 hours ago, Huss said:

I have a perfectly working super condition MR meter that I never use (it even has been recalibrated to use modern batteries!) because I can see why so many Ms have scratches on the top of them.  Mounting this thing can very easily scratch the top plate if you are not very careful, and also scratch the shutter speed dial.

The OP is already living in a state of jeopardy because the dealer warned him off from 'wear and tear' but like many things after the first scratch it's the preciousness that wears off. The lens mount is going to get some scratches anyway, as will the pressure plate, and dust will creep in somewhere for sure, and these things will separate it from a state of 'mint and boxed' immediately. OK, so maybe not an MR meter (although it could be protected with Gaffer tape), but every time a film is loaded something or other will get shiny, chipped, or worn.

 

[Fotoklaus]

The VC-Meter II matches an M- Camera very good in size and shape. It uses a metal part to fit the hot shoe, but it touches the shoe just undernath and on the inner sides.

The middle and the flash contact is not touched.

So I think you have to move it around a lot of times to have any wear on the hotshoe.

But for practical reasons i use a Gossen Digisix all the time. Incident and direct reading, small, quick and very accurate.

Out of the pocket, one click, setting the dials and I have perfect readings. Takes 3 seconds.

And to be honest: You just purchased one of the finest sets of equipment ever made. You really don´t want a cheap 3D- printed piece of plastic

put onto it, would you?

Edited June 15, 2022 by Fotoklaus

[Fotoklaus]

vor 41 Minuten schrieb Matlock:

Fully agree. I have an early M2 which is in almost mint condition apart from a badly mutilated top plate, probably caused by someone who was less than careful whilst fitting an MR meter. 

Same here. M2 with scratches from MR- Meter and a wonderful, almost perfect M4 with some marks.

[Eclectic Man]

Just wondering whether any metallurgists out there can let us know about wear and tear on titanium, which I was under the impression was a very hard metal and so much less prone to wear.

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Everybody,

MC, MR & MR4 meters have 2 small screws & 3 wide screws on the bottom attaching the foot to the meter.

The purpose of all of this is not only to help a person attach the foot to the meter so that the meter clears the top plate of the camera without scratching it. But, proper configuration of the 5 screws also allows that person to ensure the proper engagement of the linking pin on the shutter speed dial on the meter: When it moves over & then down when the the time wheel is rotated from 4 Seconds (Not 1/4) to "B". When the shutter speed dial on the camera is also set to "B". To dial shutter speeds longer than "B" on the meter the meter dial has to be set to "B" & then lifted up & turned in the direction of the longer speeds.

While this is being done the person doing it should also align all of the above in a manner so that: When any lens is focused to a certain distance (Some people choose Infinity): That the 90mm frame lines correspond with the coverage of the meter. Since the meter cells in both the MR & MR4 meter have an angle of coverage equal to the view inside of the 90mm frame lines (Almost). With the MC meter this means that the center of the 90mm frame (Diagonal crossing diagonal.) is the center of the meter field.

This is necessary to do because the portion of the scene delineated by the frame moves (Parallax compensation.) as the lens is focused but the meter cell stays in the same position

Best Regards,

Michael

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Michael Geschlecht

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[NextGen]

Dear Michael, 

Thanks so much for all your posts. On my Leicameter, the pin doesn't drop. It used to drop - and I think it dropped when I last put the camera away a few years ago, and I know how to operate it (just in the way you described in a post, and the way I'd learned from my dad years ago). But whether it's on the camera in the right position, or off the camera just holding it, I can't seem to get the pin to drop. It's stuck in the "raised' position.

Any advice?

Thanks very much!

Daniel

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Daniel,

Welcome to the Forum.

Don't forget to check all of the other things suggested above after we fix this (Hopefully).

With the meter off the camera:

What ASA/DIN speed is set. It might be better to set it to ASA 100 / DIN 21 while we are doing this.

In terms of the black pyramid which indicates the shutter speed set on the CAMERA shutter speed wheel (I know that the meter is currently NOT attached to the camera.): What range of shutter speeds are indicated at the black pyramid in full seconds or in fractional seconds, or both when the wheel is turned until it stops in both directions?

There will be more after we know this.

Best Regards,

Michael