Minolta Automate V F for reflective light?

[Gerry M]

What attachment/accessories do I need to use my Automate VF in the reflective mode? I bought a "Reflective disc" on ebay, but it gives crazy readings, way over exposed. Do I need something besides this disc?
Thanks,
Gerry

 

[bigspecbear]

I don't have a Minolta Auto Meter V F. But if it's like my Minolta Auto Meter IV F, to measure reflective light, you need a "reflected-light attachment" which is a simple piece of black plastic, with a hole in the center. The reflected-light attachment is included with the meter.

I also have a 5-degree viewfinder, but it costs extra, and may be difficult to find.

You can download the manual from here.

 

[Gerry M]

I don't have a Minolta Auto Meter V F. But if it's like my Minolta Auto Meter IV F, to measure reflective light, you need a "reflected-light attachment" which is a simple piece of black plastic, with a hole in the center. The reflected-light attachment is included with the meter.

I also have a 5-degree viewfinder, but it costs extra, and may be difficult to find.

You can download the manual from here.

The disc with a hole in it is the piece I just bought. I wondered if the 5' finder was necessary to make the disc work properly. I do have the users manual. Maybe there is a problem with my meter, but it has been OK in the incident mode. With the disc in place, the readings are so far out from my Luna Pro SBC that I'm sure there is a problem somewhere (maybe the user?). Anyway, Thanks for your input, it is appreciated.
Gerry
Gerry

 

[jglass]

Those buggers are hard to find; I lost mine and now just use it as incident. Gerry, one thing you probably already know is that the attachment is a 40 degree reflective meter, as I recall, which means you gotta be pretty careful what you point it at! That's a pretty wide range and if you have something very bright or very dark w/in that 40 degrees it'll throw the reading off.

Incident is king for me although there are times when I'd like to take a spot reading.

 

[CGW]

Is their a manual in your life? Check the butkus site--probably one there.

 

[Gerry M]

Is their a manual in your life? Check the butkus site--probably one there.

Yep, got the manual.

 

[Gerry M]

Those buggers are hard to find; I lost mine and now just use it as incident. Gerry, one thing you probably already know is that the attachment is a 40 degree reflective meter, as I recall, which means you gotta be pretty careful what you point it at! That's a pretty wide range and if you have something very bright or very dark w/in that 40 degrees it'll throw the reading off.

Incident is king for me although there are times when I'd like to take a spot reading.

Jeff,
I'll give it another whirl. Maybe I expect too much from a 40' reading. I think my LunaPro is 30'. I usually use the incident reading, but like you, sometimes a spot or semi-spot reading would be good.

 

[bigspecbear]

The disc with a hole in it is the piece I just bought. I wondered if the 5' finder was necessary to make the disc work properly.

Gerry,

You don't need the 5 degree viewfinder. In fact, you can use only one attachment at a time.

Can you post a photo of the disc you bought. Based on your statement ("I wondered if the 5' finder was necessary to make the disc work properly."), I have a feeling that the disc is not the correct one.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

The disc for reflected light has REF printed in white on the front. I have a couple of them. It gives a very wide angle of view, nearly useless in my opinion. Get the 5 degree or 10 degree (easier to find) viewfinder, it is put on instead of the REF disk and gives reflected readings in a narrow angle of view with a viewfinder you can use to aim it. Even though they're a lot wider than a true spotmeter, both are much more usable than the REF disk. The 10 degree goes for about $40-50 on ebay. I paid $75 for mine new back in the old days when Minolta still made meters, so the ebay price isn't bad today. The 5 degree goes for about $80 on ebay but I got lucky and snagged mine for $45!

 

[Gerry M]

Minolta AuotoMate V F ref disc

Maybe these will help?

 

[Gerry M]

The disc for reflected light has REF printed in white on the front. I have a couple of them. It gives a very wide angle of view, nearly useless in my opinion. Get the 5 degree or 10 degree (easier to find) viewfinder, it is put on instead of the REF disk and gives reflected readings in a narrow angle of view with a viewfinder you can use to aim it. Even though they're a lot wider than a true spotmeter, both are much more usable than the REF disk. The 10 degree goes for about $40-50 on ebay. I paid $75 for mine new back in the old days when Minolta still made meters, so the ebay price isn't bad today. The 5 degree goes for about $80 on ebay but I got lucky and snagged mine for $45!

I wonder how the 10' vf would compare the 7.5-15' attachment I have for my LunaPro SBC? It's not very accurate, in my opinion.

 

[wiltw]

Gerry, when you remove one of the incident light attachments (flat disk or hemisphere), and replace it with the reflected light disk (with the hole in it), the Autometer IVf had a metal pin in the head which detected which type of attachment which was in place. Defection of the pin would alter the sensitivity of the meter...if you removed the attachments and actuated the pin while taking a reading, you could see the result change on the displayed suggestion for exposure. The Autometer IVf might have issues, with the pin deflection not working properly at times, so if you actuated the pin by hand a few times, that would usually restore correct pin function. Sometimes such manual actuation was not sufficient, and the meter needed to be sent back to Minolta for service.

The Autometer Vf does not have this metal pin in the head, but instead has what looks like a plastic attachment rotational-stopping feature at about 5 o'clock position. If you actuate this (push it down, flush with the surrounding surface) it should change the reading about 5EV when working correctly.

The reflected light attachment as an angle of acceptance which is equivalent to using a normal lens with a camera...about 45 degrees.

I have the 10 degree spot meter attachment (purchased when I had an Autometer IVf) and it is quite accurate.

 

[Gerry M]

Gerry, when you remove one of the incident light attachments (flat disk or hemisphere), and replace it with the reflected light disk (with the hole in it), the Autometer IVf had a metal pin in the head which detected which type of attachment which was in place. Defection of the pin would alter the sensitivity of the meter...if you removed the attachments and actuated the pin while taking a reading, you could see the result change on the displayed suggestion for exposure. The Autometer IVf might have issues, with the pin deflection not working properly at times, so if you actuated the pin by hand a few times, that would usually restore correct pin function. Sometimes such manual actuation was not sufficient, and the meter needed to be sent back to Minolta for service.

The Autometer Vf does not have this metal pin in the head, but instead has what looks like a plastic attachment rotational-stopping feature at about 5 o'clock position. If you actuate this (push it down, flush with the surrounding surface) it should change the reading about 5EV when working correctly.

The reflected light attachment as an angle of acceptance which is equivalent to using a normal lens with a camera...about 45 degrees.

I have the 10 degree spot meter attachment (purchased when I had an Autometer IVf) and it is quite accurate.

BINGO!!! That was the problem. There is no auto engagement on the disc to depress the pin. I can live with that. A big Thank You for your help. I'll still look for the spot attachment.
Gerry

 

[wiltw]

BINGO!!! That was the problem. There is no auto engagement on the disc to depress the pin. I can live with that. A big Thank You for your help. I'll still look for the spot attachment.
Gerry

The reflected light attachment for the Autometer Vf is different than for the Autometer IVf...I had noticed different model number designations in the past, but had never tried to use the reflected light attachment with my Autometer Vf before! It was an unused accessory. On the Autometer Vf the spot attachment causes a little 'reflect light' indicator to show itself on the LCD.
The reflected light attachment from the Autometer IVf does not cause that reflected light indicator to show up (the diameter of the attachment reflected disk is too small to deflect the plastic pin.

However, in putting on the reflected light disk and deflecting the switch manually, I did not get the same reading as with the 5 degree spot attachment, nor did it match my camera's meter (target...plain white wall).


In reading a Konica Minolta PDF on the newly announced Autometer Vf, it mentions the 5 degree spot attachment and a '4 degree' attachment called the 'Reflected Light Attachment II' --which I wonder if they made a typo in their PDF intending to state '40 degree'. Interesting the 5 degree spot attachment works fine on both Autometer IVf and Vf, while the reflected disk does not.
Autometer Vf is marketed now under the THK banner with the Kenko KFM1100 model designation. and the reflected light attachment option KFM400 is available for it http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...00_KFM400_Reflected_Light_Attachment_for.html