Light metering question

[compur]

Hi there,

just bought a Yashica Mat 124G.
The owner said the light meter is broken.

The previous owner may be mistaken about the light meter being broken. The 124G viewing hood has a switch that turns on and off the meter by raising and lowering it. People are often unaware of this and think the meter doesn't work because they try it with the viewing hood in down position (meter turned off).

Another thing to check is the battery compartment. Try cleaning it out (with vinegar if corroded or with alcohol if not) and then install a fresh battery and try the meter.

The 124G meter is not sophisticated but it is all you really need for most situations, especially if you are shooing color negative film.

 

[NER]

Furthermore, the 124G was designed to use a mercury cell battery that has since been discontinued. See www.buhla.de - Mercury-Oxyde Battery Problem for a brief discussion of ways to work around this problem.

N. Riley
photographs by norman e. riley