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Re-calibrating the Spectra Cine IV-A light meter


Iggy Heringa

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Does any one here know how to switch the Spectra IV light meter to a factory mode so I can re-calibrate it?

 

I got one from Ebay, which is as good as new, but the metering is completely off and I Really would not enjoy sending this in to spectra to have them re-calibrate it since I've heard they charge way too much money for thast.

I assume this is something that I could easily do myself if I would have another correctly calibrated meter at hand. Even if I'd calibrate it according to the sunny 16 rule, the metering would be be better than what it's showing right now...

 

...I really hope the calibration isn't done with some "special in-house proprietary cable device machine/computer thing" that only exists at the spectra labs....

 

If somebody knows something, anything, please let me know :))

 

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  • 3 years later...

I'm resurrecting this thread because it deals with an issue I'm having. I'd like to get the input of other users of the Spectra meter because I'm not sure if mine has a problem or not.

I bought a used Spectra IV-A off of eBay last year. It was in good condition and from the original owner, but when I compared it to my analogue Sekonic L-398A, I saw that they drastically disagreed. I sent the Spectra off to be re-calibrated, and was very curious to see which meter had been more accurate now that I was going to have a freshly calibrated meter. Upon receiving it back I discovered that my Sekonic had actually been spot on!

I learned that Spectra recommends having your meter re-calibrated every year, but I quickly noticed that mine's readings starting shifting compared to the Sekonic months before the one year mark. To keep it accurate, I'd need to send it off to be re-calibrated after just a couple of months, which I just can't do. I've resorted to just using my trusty analogue Sekonic all over again. Sometimes I'll take readings with both meters, note the difference between them, and then adjust my Spectra's readings accordingly, but this is pretty annoying and I still can't trust its footcandle readings using this method.

Is this is amount of re-calibration just common for the Spectra meter? Am I just expecting an unrealistic level of accuracy? Or might mine just be old and becoming less reliable with age? Based on my experience, it's quite hard for me to believe Spectra's claim that it's the "most accurate meter ever built" when my cheaper, analogue Sekonic gives me more reliable exposures.

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