I recently acquired a 500 C as a companion for my trusty 500 EL/M. It came with the rapid winding crank. I don't know what is rapid about it. I find myself having to unfold the crank before every shot and then folding it back. I suppose that one leaves the crank unfolded for "rapid" work. For me it seems like a hassle. As a result I now find myself coveting the regular knob. The ones with the built-in light meter look nice. I do not have a metering prism and it would make a nice addition to my kit. The thing is, they are quite expensive and I have recently blown the budget on a Manfrotto tripod. Non-metering knobs are more reasonably priced but not cheap. I do have two handheld selenium meters. They are quite cheap if you know where to look (old school camera repair shop, hehehe).
Is it worth switching from crank to knob? Is the metering variant worth the money? I also wonder about how repairable they are when something goes wrong. We are talking about very old items after all. Any thoughts on all this?
Is it worth switching from crank to knob? Is the metering variant worth the money? I also wonder about how repairable they are when something goes wrong. We are talking about very old items after all. Any thoughts on all this?