Vivitar 43 keep it or trash it

[Ken Kapinski]

I found an old Vivitar 43 light meter while at my moms house the other day. The unit looks like it is in good condition. It had a #76 battery in it for who knows how long. I replaced it with an A76 battery. With the new battery, the battery check initially showed good level, however my readings in bright South Carolina sun didnt jive. Now, after only a few hours the battery level is showing low. I am not sure if this is even the correct battery for the unit. If it is the correct battery then I think the thing is junk. But if all I need is a different battery to make it work right, then I will keep it (not that I need it). Your thoughts?

Ken

[Greg Blank]

Selenium cells go bad over a time frame. Then it becomes costly by comparison to simply buying a new meter. After ten-fifteen years unless the meter is supported or you can find a reasonable repair service it should be considered non useable.

That is not to say the meter will stop working just that the cell becomes less accurate "usually".

I found an old Vivitar 43 light meter while at my moms house the other day. The unit looks like it is in good condition. It had a #76 battery in it for who knows how long. I replaced it with an A76 battery. With the new battery, the battery check initially showed good level, however my readings in bright South Carolina sun didnt jive. Now, after only a few hours the battery level is showing low. I am not sure if this is even the correct battery for the unit. If it is the correct battery then I think the thing is junk. But if all I need is a different battery to make it work right, then I will keep it (not that I need it). Your thoughts?

Ken

[John Koehrer]

The "76" you removed is a silver battery. The ''A"76 is Alkaline and will give up the ghost pretty quickly.
You're also correct in thinking it's not worth fixing if it's not just the battery. BTW it is a CDS meter.
Try it with the correct cell & you should be OK.

[Roger Cole]

Selenium cell meters don't use batteries, or at least I'm not aware of one that does.

I have an old selenium cell Sekonic that, back when I found it for next to nothing in the 90s, was accurate if insensitive in anything like low light. I just checked it the other day against my Luna Pro SBC and found it reading exactly two stops slow. I suppose it could be used in a pinch, knowing that. It's about ready for the trash.

[rdenney]

I found an old Vivitar 43 light meter while at my moms house the other day. The unit looks like it is in good condition. It had a #76 battery in it for who knows how long. I replaced it with an A76 battery. With the new battery, the battery check initially showed good level, however my readings in bright South Carolina sun didnt jive. Now, after only a few hours the battery level is showing low. I am not sure if this is even the correct battery for the unit. If it is the correct battery then I think the thing is junk. But if all I need is a different battery to make it work right, then I will keep it (not that I need it). Your thoughts?

Ken

I have one of those meters, too. I bought it new--it was a good value meter at the time. The LR44 is a silver-oxide battery that is the same as the old 76, and that's what I put in it. I did a round-up test of all my meters about 8 years ago, and found the Vivitar to be accurate at low EV's and a little low at high EV's. It measured a stop off in bright light. I was comparing it to my bevy of high-end meters, including an old Luna Pro (which is not longer that accurate), a Pentax Spot V and a Minolta Spot F. I use the two spot meters routinely and they are accurate.

Rick "this meter never used mercury cells" Denney

[Ken Kapinski]

Thanks for the help guys. I replaced the batteries with some Energizer 357's, silver oxide batteries, a replacement for the LR44/SR44. The meter still doesn't seem to be working all that well.....in the trash it goes.

Ken