New Minolta Luminance meters - for cash rich people with very bad GAS

[RobC]

just look at the size of the thing in the following pdf. I think you'll realise its not suitable for photography.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...CS-150_CS-160/PDF/cs-150_catalogbflpk_eng.pdf

 

[MattKing]

It isn't small, but 71mm x 214mm x 154mm isn't gargantuan either.

As a comparison - the Pentax Spotmeter V: 62mm x 163mm x 127mm

 

[DREW WILEY]

Duhhh..... And in this town, where scientific measuring instruments are abundant, they wouldn't call it a serious laser meter either. More of a compact
industrial utility toy.

 

[BrianShaw]

"Toy"... I beg your pardon, sir. Could be a very useful instrument for engineering practitioners. Certainly not a toy.

 

[DREW WILEY]

In THIS town it would be considered a toy, or maybe something for an HVAC type with too much cash on hand. I realize that in LA it is important to
have instruments that can detect IR wavelenths that an engineer can interpret as implying something beyond a brown atmosphere hypothetically exists, or detect a flame source anywhere within a twenty mile radius so the atmosphere doesn't explode when somebody lights up a cigarette. I remember when my brother once got thrown out of a nature photo contest down there for displaying a picture with a blue sky. That was long before Photoshop and the LA judges had apparently never seen a blue sky. But up here further north we ignite subatomic particles with lasers, so nobody believes in purchasing anything that doesn't cost a few hundred million dollars. Probably the thickness of the Dixie cups at the Lab are measured
in angstroms. I have none of that snootiness myself. I'm perfectly happy with my little Pentax spotmeters, but otherwise know exactly the placement of exposures for blue skies from sheer memory; and the only laser I own is so an overweight house cat can get exercise chasing the red beam.

 

[Kilgallb]

I have used this one and its previous model for years at work to measure projector screens and LCD panels. It cost about $4000 USD. it is useless for photography as it has a response the same as your eye, not film. I compared readings to my Canon SLR and my Pentax spotmeter. The variation in daylight and indoor lighting was up to two stops.

Do not use it for film.

 

[RobC]

must be variations in flare

 

[KenS]

If I remember correctly the 110 (which this new model replaces) was somewhere north of $3,000 US (a few years ago) so figure the new version is more.

Actually as far as scientific photometry equipment goes, these are pretty cheap.

I have an SEI meter but I'm sorry to say that I don't feel I really 'need' the accuracy it is capable of providing. On top of that, it adds 585g+ to the mass of my camera bag. I find that my Pentax spot-meter does an 'adequate' job. I've come to the conclusion it might be 'better off' in someone else's camera bag. I have been giving some consideration to putting it up for sale.

Ken

 

[benjiboy]

If someone gave me one of these as a gift I would probably never use it.

 

[Chan Tran]

If someone gave me one of these as a gift I would probably never use it.

I would use it more often than my exposure meter. Actually should get a pair. One luminance and one illuminance meter.