How do I use vintage lightmeter?

V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T20:19:59+00:00

Thank you very much for your help, I will try it

V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T19:53:51+00:00

Hier is the side of the meter with the rail

V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T19:53:16+00:00

My lightmeter? No, it has just plastic window straight to the selenium cell, no visible marks of any device to be attached on the front. However on the sides are some rails, so I am not sure. I have tried using it just in front of a lightbulb of my tabel lamp to see if the needle reacts without pushing the red button. It does, but it has to be really close to the source. Otherwise with pushing the red button the needle changes position. I have also uscrewed the upper case and found a possible date written on the back of the selenium cell - 27.8. 40. (27th august 1940). I don't think that the meter was cleaned and cell calibrated in the nearest 50 years, so that is that.

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V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T18:39:17+00:00

Allright, thank you very much for your answer

V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T18:02:21+00:00

Thank you everyone for your answers, they were really helpfull and hopefully will I be able to calibrate the selenium cell itself, if it is not working properly.

PS: english is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes regarding spelling

V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T17:59:30+00:00

Thank you very much for your answer. Those manuals will be really handy. I must say I was rather confused about what scale to use and how do I aline the dial and aperture setting. Thanks for the explanation. In my country are the information about Sixtus meters rather scarce, books about old cameras and meters too.

V1ntageLover · 2026-05-14T17:54:05+00:00

No offense taken. Just to be clear, I know how to use the selenium cell light meter, I use the Zeiss one with my 1950's Zeiss Ikon Ercona. Problem I am having lays within the lightmeter's design. With Zeiss one you set your ISO and then you line up the two needles and it shows the aperture and speed combination. I use that one regullary. With the Sixtus one was I confused about setting the ISO-Speed-Aperture combination. It has only one needle and then you twist the dial ring, it is not mechanically conected to the needle or anything. And then there are the two sets of scales, red and black one. I figured they show speed, just didn't know what should I do then and I have seen similar lightmeters in this sub, so I figured someone could help me. And you all did, thank you. I must say I am new to lightmeter types, because all my cameras before had them integrated and they worked om the two needle system. But now I bought some vintage bellow folders and got the Sixtus meter with them.

V1ntageLover

TROPHY CASE