Topic: Zenit users question

[astrobeck]

Hello,
For the Zenit users here.....
Are most of you using a hand held meter to use with your cameras, or sunny-16-ing it?

I'm just curious as the Zenits I have, an E, a 122 and a 12 XP seem to have meters that are off a bit...
Well, the 12xp doesn't work at all really.
Also what is your favorite film to use in them?

[Pete_R]

When, years and years ago, I had a Zenit, I got in the habit of tilting it down a bit whenever I took a reading otherwise it took in too much sky and under gave underexposure.

[AJShepherd]

I've got a Zenit EM, with the built in selenium meter. In fact, the last time I used it I just used the inbuilt meter and that seemed to work out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajshepherd/albums/72157694292448942
Those were Fomapan 100 in Caffenol.

But that's the one with the 1980 Olympics logo I picked up for sentimental reasons as my first SLR back when I were a lad in t'seventies had also been a Zenit EM but I traded it in in the early 80s. Back in the day I shot slides (in retrospect, I so wish I'd shot Kodachrome instead of Agfachrome, but then Agfachrome was way cheaper and I was poor) and I used a Leningrad IV meter to do incident light metering. Still have the very same Leningrad IV  and I'm horribly shocked to contemplate I've had that about 40 years!! Augh!

I'd have expected the TTL ones to be better than the selenium cell ones, though maybe there PeterR's idea to tilt it down a little would work there too.

[Bryan]

My Zenit B doesn't have a meter so I use sunny-16 or the meter app on my iPhone.  I do what Peter said about tilting down regardless what meter or camera I'm using.  It helps to get an idea of the lighting of the entire scene.  I started doing that shooting reversal movie film, overexposing a bit in bright sunlight helps with the shadows.

[chris667]

I have literally never had a Leningrad meter that worked for more than a couple of weeks.

However, I have the (top of the range) Sverdlovsk-4.

It's a brilliant meter. Spot and incident readings, and you can recalibrate it for different batteries, so no problems using it with modern batteries.

The Sverdlovsk-6 is supposed to be as good, but it doesn't do spot readings. So it's out.

Oh, and some of them use an obsolete measuring system called GOST. It's nearly the same as ASA.

I'd go so far as to say I don't want any Japanese or German meter over the Sverdlovsk-4.