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02-06-2011, 05:15 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by EyeSpy Quote
just a note. the clip on meter for my SV uses a mercury battery. Which means I have a non-working meter.
CRIS Camera Repair and Services - Mercury Battery Adapters

its a solid investment, and makes the problem with mercury batteries and 3.5v batteries non-existent. also much cheaper than continuing to pay for those expensive zinc air batteries. I have them in all of my Spotmatics and my SV’s clip-on meter.

02-19-2011, 08:23 AM   #17
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I currently have a Varta 625 in my SV meter.
06-21-2011, 01:54 PM   #18
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If I have a Spotmatic with a dead meter, is there any clip-on external meter I could attach to it? Sorry if somebody said that before, it's kinda late here and I'm tired so I didn't find the answer obvious.
06-21-2011, 02:17 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by kcobain1992 Quote
If I have a Spotmatic with a dead meter, is there any clip-on external meter I could attach to it? Sorry if somebody said that before, it's kinda late here and I'm tired so I didn't find the answer obvious.
Your best bet would be get an aftermarket shoe mount type meter for that. The problem is that your shutter speed dial won't be properly notched for any of the existing external Pentax meters. It would require a shutter speed knob from an SL in order to use the external meter from that camera. The SV etc have the wrong dimensions etc.

06-21-2011, 02:18 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by Blue Quote
Your best bet would be get an aftermarket shoe mount type meter for that.
Oh what does that look like?
06-21-2011, 02:44 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by kcobain1992 Quote
Oh what does that look like?

This is an example of one currently sold by Sekonic. Gossen has one as well.

Sekonic L-208 Twin Mate Meter 401-208 B&H Photo Video




I actually have a vintage Sekonic of that type in my collection of meters.
06-21-2011, 02:46 PM   #22
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Thanks. Sunny 16 is cheaper.

06-21-2011, 03:37 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by kcobain1992 Quote
Thanks. Sunny 16 is cheaper.
It is. I was just showing you what they look like. I got a vintage version of that for a few dollars 2 or 3 years ago. I don't know if you have an android phone, but if you do, there are some free apps that help with sunny16
06-21-2011, 06:59 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by asaru Quote
First post: hello, everyone. I've been a happy M-body series weekend shooter for going on 30 years, but recently I got infected by ancient-body curiosity and obtained a Pentax SL...

Does anyone know whether the SV/S1-2-3 clip-on light-meters fit the Spotmatic/SL/K-series body top? I ask because every clip-on meter I've seen on the market has been for the pre-Spotmatic bodies.
The clip-on meters for the SV and SL are not the same. The shutter speed dial on the Spotmatic/SL is about 1/8 inch further away from the prism than on the SV.

QuoteOriginally posted by kcobain1992 Quote
If I have a Spotmatic with a dead meter, is there any clip-on external meter I could attach to it? Sorry if somebody said that before, it's kinda late here and I'm tired so I didn't find the answer obvious.
A genuine SL meter would fit, but the Spotmatic's shutter speed dial lacks the notch for the meter to lock into. If you are really clever, you might be able to cut the notch yourself.

Someone pointed out a Sekonic meter that fits into a hotshoe. You could get the cold accessory show adapter for the Spotmatic and put the meter on that, but it would not be coupled to the shutter speed. On top of that, the meter was $126.

Genuine SL meters are pretty rare. In ten years of watching Pentax cameras and accessories on ebay, I think I've only seen two or three. I've seen quite a few SL cameras, but very, very few meters. They're even rarer than Spotmatic motor drive units. I see a couple of those every year.

I wonder how many SL meters Pentax really sold? If you wanted a meter, why not buy a Spotmatic in the first place? The SL was introduced as a low-cost alternative to the Spotmatic and Spotmatic F. I imagine it also appealed to old-school photographers who didn't see the advantage of an in-camera meter.

Your best bet would be any decent handheld light meter. There are tons of those on ebay, all the time. Decide how much you want to pay and take your pick.
06-22-2011, 03:10 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by kcobain1992 Quote
If I have a Spotmatic with a dead meter, is there any clip-on external meter I could attach to it? Sorry if somebody said that before, it's kinda late here and I'm tired so I didn't find the answer obvious.
unless that spotmatic is sentimental your real best bet would be to either have it fixed, or simply buy another spotmatic. both of these options will be cheaper than buying a new clip on meter such as the sekonic. or trying to track down a non-useable SL meter. my advice, simply get it repaired. because unless you buy another spotmatic that has been recently CLA'd you are taking a chance of something else being wrong with it. getting it repaired by Eric Hendrickson will probably cost you less than 100 bucks. more likely in the range of 60-70 to be more realistic. and then you will have a fully working spotmatic that will remain that way (sans being abused) for many, many years to come. a handheld meter could of course be bought for cheaper than a repair or a clip on meter, so thats always a good option, but if you buy a used one or an older model you have to make sure its accurate before using it.

or just limit yourself and sunny16 for free.
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