2026-04-07 The strato Model 31 Lightmeter

 

This strato Model 31 meter came in a leather case, but lacking its neckstrap. It still works! It was made by Showa Koden Co. of Japan (1926-1989)  sometime in the mid 1950’s. It was also sold as a “Sunset Unittic”. Earlier the same company made light meters labelled Novar. There were two models, a Novar II and a Novar Mascot available in 1955.

Looking at the meter scale and starting from the left—
1) That white line on black is the meter zero mark. If you cover the selenium cell with your hand while holding the meter level to the ground the red needle should fall exactly on the white line.

2) If it doesn’t there is an adjustment on the backside of the meter marked “zero adjust”.
3) The red needle is the light meter reading the light level.
4) Finally the white open-circle needle can be adjusted to exactly center the red needle. You turn the large yellow dial and the reading circle will move left and right.         The white open-circle can only move so far to the left. At ASA 100 with the reading circle adjusted as far left as it will go—you can get a reading of 1 sec at f/5.6. At the other end of the dial—in really bright circumstances at the same ASA 100—the meter will show 125 sec at f/32. The meter’s needle will not be that close to the left side of the scale, but the whole meter scale dial depends on the ASA you set for the range it can read.
    I found outside in bright sunlight pointing at an average scene with the sun behind me the meter was reading 30 sec at f/16 (using the rule of f/16 the meter should be showing 125 sec—so the meter seems to be overexposing by at least two stops). It probably isn’t even close to that far out, as back in 1955 the setting of film’s exposure called for twice as much exposure as we have accepted now. 
    You can note the damage to the metal face plate at both ends of the reading window. The metal is buckled for some reason.

There is also a pretty fair chunk missing from the plastic case at one end.

    Now back to the meter dials. Directly above the f/5.6 towards the hub there is a clear plastic dimple you can use to slide the center of the dial to adjust the ASA/DIN settings.
    As you can see when the LV is close to 7 (in the image) you can set 15 sec at f/2.8 and equivalents as slow as 1 second at f/11.
    You simply chose the suitable combination from the shutter speed/ f/stop in black around the bottom half of the dial set. The tiny black speeds at 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5 are shutter speeds marked on older shutters.
    Below the shutter speeds there are Movie frames per second marks at 64, 32, 16 and 8.  If you were shooting 8mm film the frame rate was usually 16 frames per second. Sound was usually at 24 fps. Slow motion was at 64 fps. Comedic jerky speeded-up motion could be 8 fps, although you could also use a locked down shot of something still because you needed the extra exposure.

Then there are two reading points at the far left (L.ight V.alue NEW POL) in red. 

Far right POLAROID in black.
    Hasselblads and Kodak Retina cameras delighted in Light Value single numbers for setting their cameras. Polaroid also used a combined number, but changed it over time—hence the multiple reading points.

The leather case is typical Japanese quality—and by that I mean a quality design faultlessly executed.

Note the inset metal tabs holding the leather securely to the front of the meter. You don’t have to do this, but you do if you really want the best job to last for close to 65 years, and counting.