horseman light meter

[darylkelley]

hi all,'m a newbie to large format, just picked up a horseman lxc, and a horseman light meter-alas no instruction manual. does anyone know where i might find a copy of one?i've been doing medium format for years and always wanted to go bigger, and here i am feeling like a beginner all over again, which is quite exciting.other question i have is, in looking for lenses some say "small dust in lens will not effect quality of photo-is this true? thanks, and glad to be here! daryl

[Corran]

I found one of those a while ago, if you are talking about the Horseman Exposure Computer, and made a video of how it is used. Perhaps it will help:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYGOXFkulc

Remember the meter is calibrated to mercury batteries so generally it reads one stop off when using newer batteries, on the side of overexposure. I found the exposure calculations to be pretty good, and I liked that it corrects for bellows extension automatically. I ran out of batteries and then I stopped using it, but did buy new batteries. You'll find suggested alternatives online. I haven't used it much since but I should - I have the smaller one that can work on medium format cameras as well as with 4x5 on the adapter.

Honestly I do have the manual somewhere but since I moved recently there's no way I'd be able to put my hands on it quickly, sorry.

As for small dust in lenses, no it doesn't matter.

[Greg]

Is the meter a Horseman "OPTICAL EXPOSURE COMPUTER"? Looks almost like a film holder with a round dial exposure meter attached to it? Meter slips into the film carrier just like a regular film holder does. Uses two small round batteries.

[Greg]

Is the meter a Horseman "OPTICAL EXPOSURE COMPUTER"? Looks almost like a film holder with a round dial exposure meter attached to it? Meter slips into the film carrier just like a regular film holder does. Uses two small round batteries.

I see it's the same meter. I have one and used it for determining exposures for shooting chromes with a Multiphot (Photomacrography) setup. Worked so consistently well that I did not need to bracket exposures.

Original batteries no longer available. On the back of my meter is written:
Battery A: 28A
Battery B: CNB-PX640 AB 1.5v Photo Alkaline.

If I remember correctly, when I was using the meter, the above batteries gave me the correct exposure as long as they were near new.

Will look for IB, but haven't seen it in years

good luck

[Bob Mann]

There are two basic meters - the older one takes two batteries that are no longer made - you can work around this with adapters and knowing how much the reading will be off. There is a newer model that has only one battery compartment - it takes a 4MR9 - 5.4 volt battery. These work really well when working close to a subject as they take care of the bellows length exposure factor. There is also a 4x5 adapter that will allow the 2x3 meter to be used with a 4x5 camera.

[darylkelley]

thanks all- will check out your video,Cortana.i did get a new battery from b&h,a s28px,which is supposedly the replacement for the old one.will be back and thanks again everyone!!

[ic-racer]

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/horseman_1.html

I use one of those. Not much of a 'computer' as it just shows the shutter speed to use for the light that will hit the film. Which is all you need to know.

[Phil Hudson]

There are two basic meters - the older one takes two batteries that are no longer made - you can work around this with adapters and knowing how much the reading will be off. There is a newer model that has only one battery compartment - it takes a 4MR9 - 5.4 volt battery. These work really well when working close to a subject as they take care of the bellows length exposure factor. There is also a 4x5 adapter that will allow the 2x3 meter to be used with a 4x5 camera.

I have the version that is factory supplied to work off a PX28 (4SR44) 6v silver battery. I also have the older one that used a 4MR9 5.4v mercury cell. They are otherwise identical in appearance.