My favorite magazine, the late, great Modern Photography, used to run a column called Coffee Break where they would talk about whatever was going on regarding the magazine. I thought I'd do something similar here myself. The newest items will always be on top.
Oops
I have a lot of files here, between this and the other areas that make up the entire site. (You haven't seen the rest of the site? You might find something interesting...) Organization is a real chore, especially when I want to have different areas share the same files, like the instruction manuals or the advertisements. Some time ago I moved some things around behind the scenes and did not realize the links had broken. Thank you to those who emailed me to alert me. Plus it let me know that people are actually finding and using them, which is nice to know. Especially when I'm scanning stuff. It isn't hard work, but it's boring drudgery and after awhile you wonder if there will be any value in it whatsoever. (7/2010)
Flaky
A couple months ago my desktop computer died, and I've been making do ever since. The laptop I've got is fine but it wasn't meant to be the main-line computer; it was just supposed to get-by while travelling. So now I'm bogging it down with all sorts of things while I save up for a new desktop.
The largest problem is just loading software and getting things reconfigured. You never realize how much software you were using until you have to reinstall it again. And stuff that was set up years ago and taken for granted—now I have to remember how to do it again.
So if you notice that things are particularly whacked-out, that's probably the reason. I am trying to roll out new additions and clean up or improve the old stuff, but it's all taking a lot more work than it would have six months ago...(5/2010)
Slowing Down, but Not Stopping
The website hasn't changed much recently because I haven't been acquiring meters as fast as I was before. It's due partly to money (I've had other expenses which rate a higher priority), but largely due to the fact that I have picked most of the low hanging fruit already. I have almost all of the meters I originally set out to buy, and a lot of others I picked up simply because they were inexpensive. If you read the notes (particularly with the camera collection), I often buy broken stuff because it's the only way I can afford it. The only way I could jusitfy my SEI Photometer, for instance, was because it was screwed up by a previous owner.
Now I'm mostly left with things which are either tiny variations of things I already have (e.g. a British Weston Master II with a white face), modern high-end meters which are expensive if they work and impossible to repair if they don't (anything digital), or expensive rarities like a Rhamstine DHA, which would probably cost more than my car.
So I'm still on the hunt, but purchases are fewer and farther between. But these days I'm spending more money and attention on the documentation side, trying to hunt down manuals, articles, and such. And that's even harder to find than most meters. (1/2010)
Gee Mr. Spicoli, I Don't Know
If you haven't noticed, a lot of what I write is speculation. I'm fortunate enough to have a roomful of old photo magazines and books, but information is still sparse. I am always on the lookout for information on light meters. If you have something on the history, or repair, or how to calibrate them, whatever—please drop me a line and let me know. Ideally it would be something I can share here on the website (like a document), but I'll take what I can get. I'll be happy to give you credit on my ackowledgement page.
Things I'm particularly interested in (but not limited to): anything about J. Thomas Rhamstine and the early years of the Expophot; anything about Donald Norwood and what went on between him, Photo Research and Brockway; and what went on in the late 1960s with the plastic, Japanese Weston meters. I'm also very interested in any repair/calibration manuals, particularly for the older (pre-1970s) makes. (9/2009)