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Standalone shutter tester without computer with LCD display.
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Is anybody willing to order it ?
yes
73%
 73%  [ 11 ]
no
26%
 26%  [ 4 ]
Total Votes : 15



PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:53 pm    Post subject: Standalone shutter tester without computer with LCD display. Reply with quote
Florin did make me a standalone shutter tester which is works up to 1/2000 and don't require computer. You can read value on built-in LCD display. Final price will be around 100 USD. (This is just my guess not decided yet)

I am curious , this is one of the most important thing if you would like to shoot with old film camera bodies.
Stand alone version with LCD is more pleasant and more accurate perhaps due no user error on diaphragm reading than computer version.

Last edited by Attila on Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:10 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, I'd be interested. does the LCD show the actual shutterspeed?


PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Xpres wrote:
Yes, I'd be interested. does the LCD show the actual shutterspeed?


First quick shoot from tester. 1 sec test was done , you can read value on LCD.



PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice looking unit!

Only 1/2000 sec. ? A photo diode circuit should be plenty fast enough for 1/8000. Designer might look at (Sharp) Photodiode/Phototransistor Application Circuit.


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
Nice looking unit!

Only 1/2000 sec. ? A photo diode circuit should be plenty fast enough for 1/8000. Designer might look at (Sharp) Photodiode/Phototransistor Application Circuit.


to me 1/500 enough Laughing 1/2000 more than perfect.


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Looks interesting but what is it for exactly? Why do you need to test your shutter with one of these?


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
my_photography wrote:
Why do you need to test your shutter with one of these?

A) To see if your shutter speeds are accurate
B) To see if your shutter speeds are consistent

Once you know the answer to these two questions, you can make the necessary adjustments - such as having the camera repaired or calibrated, manually adjusting exposures to account for consistent inaccuracies, or avoiding shutter speeds which are inconsistent. Cool


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Voted no :
- I don't care if my body does 1/900 instead of 1/1000, the error if far from exposure errors, lens light transmission error (f/1.4 lenses barely transmit a real f/1.4 for example), and very far from B&W film tolerance. Big errors on speed can be heard, or seen, at least for low and medium speeds.
- If I need a quite accurate measurement, I use a digital body with a 105/2.8 (49mm filter thread), reverse adapter and mount the whole on the body. Digital camera and lens set to get the right exposure for a given speed, then Bulb mode launched on the digital. I use the film body to get the speed, if the image is rightly exposed, the speed is right enough, no need to know it Smile


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
CarbonR wrote:
Voted no :
- I don't care if my body does 1/900 instead of 1/1000, the error if far from exposure errors, lens light transmission error (f/1.4 lenses barely transmit a real f/1.4 for example), and very far from B&W film tolerance. Big errors on speed can be heard, or seen, at least for low and medium speeds.
- If I need a quite accurate measurement, I use a digital body with a 105/2.8 (49mm filter thread), reverse adapter and mount the whole on the body. Digital camera and lens set to get the right exposure for a given speed, then Bulb mode launched on the digital. I use the film body to get the speed, if the image is rightly exposed, the speed is right enough, no need to know it Smile


Nice idea, but that's a more expensive shutter tester than $100 Smile

BTW: I already have a shutter speed tester so I cannot vote on this topic ("No, I already have one" is not an option).


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
my_photography wrote:
Looks interesting but what is it for exactly? Why do you need to test your shutter with one of these?


If you use old cameras where is shutter frequently not reliable , folders, range finders . Frequently happen 1/400 value on 1/125 1/100 only 1/125 . If know it you can use right value and even with slides your exposure will correct.

If you use more modern bodies newest SLR, digital body , don't need.
There is also an option to use simple tester , price 15 USD only and measure speed with your computer sound card. I am using this method now. I'd like to have a more pleasant method a standalone version even if more expensive. Money is easily return back if I not make badly exposed frames and don't need to pay cla'd for every camera what I like to try it out.


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
Nice looking unit!

Only 1/2000 sec. ? A photo diode circuit should be plenty fast enough for 1/8000. Designer might look at (Sharp) Photodiode/Phototransistor Application Circuit.


Hello,

I'm the guy that made the tester for Attila. Very Happy

The tester will do at least 1/2000th of a second. I don't have any means of testing faster speeds. This is why I say it does 1/2000th of a second tests. Theoretically it can do 1/8000th of a second. In fact, when I programmed the microchip I took the 1/8000th of a second speed as a benchmark.

my_photography wrote:
Looks interesting but what is it for exactly? Why do you need to test your shutter with one of these?


Your question has already been answered. A simple answer would be to see how well your camera is working (the shutter).

CarbonR wrote:
Voted no :
- I don't care if my body does 1/900 instead of 1/1000, the error if far from exposure errors, lens light transmission error (f/1.4 lenses barely transmit a real f/1.4 for example), and very far from B&W film tolerance. Big errors on speed can be heard, or seen, at least for low and medium speeds.
- If I need a quite accurate measurement, I use a digital body with a 105/2.8 (49mm filter thread), reverse adapter and mount the whole on the body. Digital camera and lens set to get the right exposure for a given speed, then Bulb mode launched on the digital. I use the film body to get the speed, if the image is rightly exposed, the speed is right enough, no need to know it Smile


That's a good tip! Laughing
This tester is for people who have lots of old cameras and can't afford to have all of them sent to a professional repair shop. Sometimes the cost of a good CLA exceeds the cost of the camera. I have a nice Exa Ia that I sent for for a CLA job. Paid $30 for the CLA. The camera changes hands at about $40 in Bucharest. I don't regret the money spent because I really like that camera. If you have 20-30 cameras the costs can rise quite a lot.

The tester helps you compensate for the shutter speed error if the shutter is in decent shape. Or it can tell you to have it sent to the repair shop if something is really wrong with it. Laughing

Price will be about 60 euros or $80 plus shipping.
It can be used with cameras with bellows
The LCD has a back light so you can read it easier.
It has an on/off button and a reset button.
The tester is powered by a 9 volt battery.

I will ship Attila's tester next week. If he thinks everything is OK I will offer it to people who are interested.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
Florin Wink

Last edited by vfmoto on Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:27 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Since I often wear a hat or cap indoors I will raise my hat for this project. Very handy, and much more easy to use than my existing method, which is microphone recording of physical shutter voice, and recorded WAV file analysing with audio editing software. More accurate as well Laughing


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
CarbonR wrote:
lens light transmission error (f/1.4 lenses barely transmit a real f/1.4 for example)

True, and ? I mean so ... ?
Most of the cameras measure TTL, doesnt really matter if the 1.4 on the lens is truly 1.4, the system measures the light that came thru the lens, not the amount that "might" come.
CarbonR wrote:
and very far from B&W film tolerance.

Really depends on the speed and the emulsion of the film.


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Esox lucius wrote:
Since I often wear a hat or cap indoors I will raise my hat for this project. Very handy, and much more easy to use than my existing method, which is microphone recording of physical shutter voice, and recorded WAV file analysing with audio editing software. More accurate as well Laughing


You should try the photocell and Audacity method. You can find tutorials on the web. The microphone one that records sound is not that accurate.

Cheers,
Florin Wink


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
vfmoto wrote:
You should try the photocell and Audacity method. You can find tutorials on the web. The microphone one that records sound is not that accurate.


Actually, I already use Audacity and a Sennheiser microphone Very Happy

I don't have enough film cameras that would require shutter calibrating. They're all very accurate, even with ISO 50 slide film.


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
vfmoto wrote:
visualopsins wrote:
Nice looking unit!

Only 1/2000 sec. ? A photo diode circuit should be plenty fast enough for 1/8000. Designer might look at (Sharp) Photodiode/Phototransistor Application Circuit.


Hello,

I'm the guy that made the tester for Attila. Very Happy

The tester will do at least 1/2000th of a second. I don't have any means of testing faster speeds. This is why I say it does 1/2000th of a second tests. Theoretically it can do 1/8000th of a second. In fact, when I programmed the microchip I took the 1/8000th of a second speed as a benchmark.

[...]

Price will be about 60 euros or $80 plus shipping.
It can be used with cameras with bellows
The LCD has a back light so you can read it easier.
It has an on/off button and a reset button.
The tester is powered by a 9 volt battery.

I will ship Attila's tester next week. If he thinks everything is OK I will offer it to people who are interested.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
Florin Wink


Excellent! Nice work Florin! (I say that as son of EE and myself formerly an ET/EA in instrumentation) Price considering cost of components (but not all your work designing!) is very reasonable. I would purchase without hesitation except I am working on a design of my own. Wink


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just like to say thanks to Florin. I won't be ordering one myself as I already have a tester which I built myself, but this instrument will be extremely useful for anyone with an old camera who doesn't already have any way of testing the shutter speed.

For example, I found one of my Spotmatics was very accurate at slow speeds up to 1/30 but progressively over-exposed as the shutter speed increased. At 1/1000 it measured only about 1/300, almost two stops out. Of course the camera meter thinks the shutter is accurate, so it won't compensate by itself. If you know the true value of the shutter speed you can adjust the aperture to suit.


PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
peterqd wrote:

For example, I found one of my Spotmatics was very accurate at slow speeds up to 1/30 but progressively over-exposed as the shutter speed increased. At 1/1000 it measured only about 1/300, almost two stops out. Of course the camera meter thinks the shutter is accurate, so it won't compensate by itself. If you know the true value of the shutter speed you can adjust the aperture to suit.


I have same expereince with my latest measured camera a Praktica VLC.
Accurate at slow speeds and not works well at 1/500 1/1000.

Right exposition is best PP tool LOL. A cable tester only 15 USD from Florin that is affordable for every one, this is a bit 'luxury tester' , but compare with other prices what we pay for our hobby this is an affordable price I think. I found pretty awful to see if every second frame is badly exposed, I made a cable tester by my self too it is works well and accurate, my dream was this LCD tester and thanks for Florin now it is available for me. Many thanks again!


PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I voted "yes", looking forward to the next steps now.


PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I got it today, well made , accurate instrument. It is very handy I just simple keep camera in my hand with open back and keep photo transistor below shutter with my fingers. I use a desktop lamp as light source above camera one click on reset button and wait for 10 seconds and measured value is displaying. Super simple I write values into an Excel sheet as record and Excel convert time to shutter speeds. Great!


PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
I got it today, well made , accurate instrument. It is very handy I just simple keep camera in my hand with open back and keep photo transistor below shutter with my fingers. I use a desktop lamp as light source above camera one click on reset button and wait for 10 seconds and measured value is displaying. Super simple I write values into an Excel sheet as record and Excel convert time to shutter speeds. Great!


I was a little nervous wondering if Attila will like the tester. I am happy to hear all the kind words.

Here is a table with the times. No need for Excel. Very Happy



If anyone is interested in a tester don't hesitate to contact me. Final price will be 60 euros plus shipping. That's about $80.

I will also make an ad in the New marketplace soon.

Cheers,
Florin


PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've added it in the New marketplace.

http://www.mflenses.com/mfl-ebay/LCD-camera-shutter-tester.html


PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you!


PostPosted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Works well with any light source even with available light in room , very simple to use just keep camera and light sensor in one hand and press shutter release button with other. Couldn't be happier with a new tools.
This tool + Sekonic digital light meter , my success rate near 100% with any old cameras Shocked this is awesome without this combo my success rate was pretty low with freshly purchased cameras.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Works well with any light source even with available light in room , very simple to use just keep camera and light sensor in one hand and press shutter release button with other. Couldn't be happier with a new tools.
This tool + Sekonic digital light meter , my success rate near 100% with any old cameras Shocked this is awesome without this combo my success rate was pretty low with freshly purchased cameras.


Thank you for the kind words, Attila. The light source and light intensity are quite important if you do tests at fast speeds. For slower ones most light sources will work.

Cheers,
Florin Wink
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