Incident mode, Minolta Flash Meter IV vs. Sekonic - oooooh!

[eumenius]

Hello friends,

today I went to our photo store with clear intention to get a Digiflash as a small nice gift to myself. I ended up with a second-hand Minolta Flash Meter IV with lumisphere and 10 degree spot attachment, $75 the whole deal It looks very well, and works within 1/5 (maybe) stop with my old Sekonic L-418 in reflected mode. Almost exact match, always. But the Lumispheres seem to be confusing the poor machines - when they're on, the incident readings of both meters under artificial light can differ up to almost 1 stop, with "faster" speeds/apertures on Minolta. Should it mean an underexposure? I am usually happy with incident exposures my Sekonic gave me before, so what meter should I believe? I think this question is as old as the world itself, but I was just unable to get the whole idea from the big heap of whining about C differences etc. available online The calibration screw inside is on 0, so the previous user didn't need to turn it (or didn't know what it does ). Minolta is definitely fresher and pro-looking than my Sekonic, but still, the old guy worked and would work for me? What a confusion

Cheers, Zhenya

 

[firecracker]

Hello friends,

today I went to our photo store with clear intention to get a Digiflash as a small nice gift to myself. I ended up with a second-hand Minolta Flash Meter IV with lumisphere and 10 degree spot attachment, $75 the whole deal It looks very well, and works within 1/5 (maybe) stop with my old Sekonic L-418 in reflected mode. Almost exact match, always. But the Lumispheres seem to be confusing the poor machines - when they're on, the incident readings of both meters under artificial light can differ up to almost 1 stop, with "faster" speeds/apertures on Minolta. Should it mean an underexposure? I am usually happy with incident exposures my Sekonic gave me before, so what meter should I believe? I think this question is as old as the world itself, but I was just unable to get the whole idea from the big heap of whining about C differences etc. available online The calibration screw inside is on 0, so the previous user didn't need to turn it (or didn't know what it does ). Minolta is definitely fresher and pro-looking than my Sekonic, but still, the old guy worked and would work for me? What a confusion

Cheers, Zhenya

I have the same Minolta and have used it for almost ten years, and it still works fine with me. I wouldn't know it doesn't read nearly as accurate as it should since I have nothing compare with, but that's okay.

As far as I know, there's always been a talk about which company products are better or worse, and that has to with the differences in their readings, which could be as great as 2 stops. If it goes 5 stops, there's gotta be something wrong with the light meter, but if not that, I will just test out more under different light sources and in different conditions.

Also, try near a radio, air conditioner, and anything that's radioactive, because that could be a problem sometimes.

 

[tigerbox]

You could allways get a new dome for your minolta. The domes are compatible along the whole auto/flashmeter line. You could also adjust your minolta to your sekonic if it has given you reliable readings in the past.

 

[benjiboy]

Have you actually made any exposures using the lumisphere on your Minolta meter Zhenya ? Because I have three light meters a Western Euromaster, a Gossen Profisix, and a Gossen Lunalite,I have just compared the incidental light reading I get from all three, and they differ by up to almost a stop, but I know since I have been using them all for more than fifteen years that that each one used individualy gives acceptable results, its very dificult to get , in my experience to get any two meters to agree.

 

[avandesande]

I would get a grey card and normalize the incident reading against a spot reading of the card. Even if you replace the dome this is something you should do.

 

[Helen B]

How does the variation between the meters change with light intensity and colour? Do the meters agree in daylight? I have a heap of meters, and if I ever make the mistake of comparing them the biggest differences occur in comparatively low light, and in artifical light. Different meters have different corrections for spectral response. Different domes seem to have different behaviours in directional light as well. For consistency I try to stick to one meter for one particular application.

Best,
Helen

 

[eumenius]

Yes, my friends, I already gave my Minolta a try under both daylight and artificial light. Result? A perfect exposure in all cases. Including flash metering. So the differences between it and Sekonic are not worth a penny in terms of picture quality, so I am to use my Minolta everywhere with no fear I want to buy a flat diffuser, holed reflected view disc, 5 degree spot add-on viewfinder, and maybe a booster - but no one seems to have it for sale on APUG, and I'm perhaps going to ask for a helping hand...

Cheers, Zhenya

 

[benjiboy]

Enjoy

Yes, my friends, I already gave my Minolta a try under both daylight and artificial light. Result? A perfect exposure in all cases. Including flash metering. So the differences between it and Sekonic are not worth a penny in terms of picture quality, so I am to use my Minolta everywhere with no fear I want to buy a flat diffuser, holed reflected view disc, 5 degree spot add-on viewfinder, and maybe a booster - but no one seems to have it for sale on APUG, and I'm perhaps going to ask for a helping hand...

Cheers, Zhenya

I'm glad you feel happier about it now Zhenya, I hope you enjoy your new meter

Best wishes.
Ben.