For Sale Pentax Digital Spotmeter

FS – Pentax 1 Degree Digital Spotmeter
An excellent meter in excellent condition. Fully operational, accurate, with clean glass. Purchased new in 1990 and treated kindly by its one owner (my wife). Some slight abrasions on the Pentax label from the zipper of the leatherette carrying case (see photos). This has the Zone VI zone sticker but is not the “modified version.”
$350. (My normal 10% to the good folks at APUG. )
PayPal or CC. Includes shipping via USPS Priority Mail. US customers only.

Might I impose on you to ask: What does the modified version have that the meter for sale lacks?

Thanks.

Elliot

No imposition... it is a valid question.

The flip answer would be "a higher price and a sticker on the outside that says it is modified." ;-)

That's on the outside. The changes to the internal workings would include:
- Calibration of the meter to 1/16 of a stop of linearity over its entire range.
- Installation of baffles to reduce flare
- Installation of infra-red absorbent coating to eliminate reflections
- Installation of four filters (infra-red, ultra violet, and visual range packs) to match the meter response to film
- Installation of superior photo-electric cells

Those changes, if my memory serves me, would have added an additional 30% to the cost of a new meter.

For the pros and cons of modified vs. unmodified meters, you can google "what is a zone VI modified meter" and you'll find numerous responses on this forum, the large format forum, luminous landscape, etc. with folks weighing in about their experiences.

This unmodified meter always served my honey well. She stored it with the battery out, never dropped it and I know it will make somebody very happy.

And while not modified, it does have the Zone VI zone reference sticker which makes using the zone system of exposure a little quicker.

Thanks for the complete response. Those who are interested in the "non difference" ( sic ) between the modified and non-modified meter might find reading the referenced link extremely interesting. As you gather, I had little knowledge about the differences between the two models. I tend to use incident metering, but wondered if there was anything "special" about the Pentax digital meters that might suggest that broadening my metering technique to utilize reflected metering with the Pentax meter might be useful. When developing by inspection, I will utilize reflected metering-but use my Sekonic. One might consider reading the first part of the article in which the Sekonic is compared to both Pentax models. The Pentax unmodified meter is a very good piece of equipment.

Elliot

Enjoy what I consider to be a very interesting and well written bit of "photographic science".

http://www.butzi.net/articles/zone VI reprise.htm

It's entirely possible that Zone VI built a reputation for useful modifications of light meters in the CdS age. CdS cells are notoriously prone to the kind of problems which the modification addresses at the expense of a reduced sensitivity in low light.

After many years of this work it is conceivable that Zone VI had a patrimony in brand and fame which rested on serious ground and which was not any more subject to scrutiny.

Enter SBC or GaSP cells in the late '70 more or less. They don't suffer (or suffer much less) this kind of problems. But photographers who don't read this forum are not very technically inclined or interested, and might spend their entire life up to the grave without ever discovering the difference between a SBC and a CdS cell.

On the other hand, it's easy that some of their friend or somebody in their club mentioned the Zone VI modification as a valid one and the past fame make the producer trusty to most people.

Zone VI will try to sell its modifications as if SBC never replaced CdS.

Some photographers, some of them known and even in good faith, might endorse the modification, citing better linear response that "their Minolta spotmeter" (the old CdS version presumably) or their unmodified Pentax version (the old one, again).

If that is the case, I think that Zone VI crossed the line within admissible dolus bonus in advertising and snake oil practices.

Fabrizio