[Leica] Old Luna-Pro, was meter recommendation: polaris $250

[Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Kyle says:

>someone asked about a meter -- & recently being in the same boat, i feel
>confident in recommending the polaris flash meter which has incident and
>reflected metering as well as flash metering cordless and corded. it's
>$250 price tag was a little steep considering it's build quality, but one
>thing's for sure, it's a heck of a lot more accurate than my gossen luna
>pro (the old one)

Kyle:  Are you sure your Luna-Pro is inaccurate?  I haven't had much 
trouble with mine (a Lunasix III, the same thing with a European 
label).  The trick is that the CdS cells in those old beasts have a 
"memory."  If they've been in bright light, they take a while to drop down 
to the correct value when you read a shadow, so you have to watch the 
needle and let go of the switch only when the reading stops dropping.

Mine has read exactly 1/3 stop high since I got it in 1970, so I just set 
the ASA one dot lower.  It still works fine, but there's something rattling 
round inside it, and the battery test switch is intermittent.  I'm 
agonizing about whether to replace it with an instantaneous-read Luna Pro 
Digital, or just give it a CLA.   Quality Light Metric wants $70 for a CLA, 
and it uses those Dreaded Deadly Toxic Mercury Batteries You Supposedly 
Can't Get Anymore.

Just to be even more anachronistic, my other meter is a Weston Master 
VI.  Broad as a barn door, and not very good in low light.  But the 
calculator dial on that old thing is probably the best one I've ever seen, 
complete with Zone System markings.  I haven't used it in years, but I love 
to take it out every once in a while and look at the dial.

- --Peter