Arriflex SR I light meter malfunction - am I doing something wrong?

[Sebastian Bock]

Hello!

I received an Arriflex SR yesterday (Yay!) and it seems to work ok. Except the light meter is not doing what I expect... 

When the camera is powerless, the meter needle is in its center position. As soon as I attach a battery (camera still turned off), the needle jumps down to the over exposed marking (+).

When I turn the camera into "metering mode", the needle stays where it is. Adjusting the aperture doesn't affect the needle, also turning the ASA knob has no effect on the light meter.

Am I missing something? Can I do something to get the light meter working as it should?

 

And another question regarding the viewfinder: I adjusted the tension of the left/right rotation with the help of an Allen key, also the 25° in/out move of the eyepiece by cleaning the mechanism under the two round cover plates. But I didn't find a way to adjust the tension of the up/down axis of the viewfinder. This is very stiff and needs a lot of force to be moved. Forcing things is never good, so where can I service or adjust this?

 

Thanks for your help,

Sebastian

[Dom Jaeger]

It’s been a long time since I looked at an SR 1, and most of the ones I’ve seen had the light meters removed or disabled, so I don’t remember exactly how the needle should behave. But I do recall that the needle is very easily bent if someone has tried to clean the glass surface just above where the ground glass sits. I also thought the light meter circuit only comes on once the switch is in the half down (standby) position. Have you read a manual? 

Is yours an original Bayonet mount camera or has it been converted to PL? Pics would help. Personally I would stick to using an external light meter anyway.

Regarding the viewfinder, please be careful fiddling with screws if you don’t know exactly what they do. SRs have numerous adjustment points and some screws should really not be touched. There is only really one screw that adjusts the tension where the viewfinder meets the camera body, which is the 190 degree rotation from left side to right. You need to loosen the outer lock ring half a turn before adjusting the inner Allen screw though. It’s here:

Without dismantling the viewfinder, which has rotating prisms inside set to maintain a level image, there aren’t any other user adjustments. If things are very stiff the grease probably needs to be cleaned out and replaced, which is not really a DIY job.
 

 

 

 

[Sebastian Bock]

6 hours ago, Dom Jaeger said:

I also thought the light meter circuit only comes on once the switch is in the half down (standby) position. Have you read a manual?

 

Hi Dom!

Thanks for taking the time to answer. You are right, the meter should only be activated, when the main switch is half down (metering position), not when a power supply is attached.

My problem is definitely not a bent needle - it is moving without any distractions from zero position (no power supply) to the "+" section, as soon as a battery or power cable is attached. 

My camera has not been converted - it is still the bayonet mount. It is the version with auto exposure functionality.

I disassembled the light meter today, to see, if I could do something. It's a very interesting construction with two gradual ND glass discs that affects the amount of light falling onto the light sensor regarding to the film speed and fps set on the dials. But this is only mechanical - nothing that gives me a clue about the malfunction of the meter. 

So I assume, my problem sits somewhere on the electronics board and since I am not familiar with electronics, I assume, I have to leave it as it is... although it bothers me... ?

6 hours ago, Dom Jaeger said:

There is only really one screw that adjusts the tension where the viewfinder meets the camera body, which is the 190 degree rotation from left side to right. You need to loosen the outer lock ring half a turn before adjusting the inner Allen screw though.

Yes, that is what I already adjusted. Still, the up/down tension is not affected by this.

Thanks for your warning. I am aware, that some adjustments are not meant to be done by the user, but since it is nearly impossible to find a service technician in Germany who is still in business, I don't have much other options to get the camera serviced. And I am so fascinated by the machanical mastership of these old cameras that my curiousity almost always wins over the worry to damage something. If there's a screw easily accessible, I want to see what's behind it - this is part of me since my childhood...

But I don't touch screws or levers that are sealed with a protection varnish.

 

Edited February 1 by Sebastian Bock