spotmeter

[johnnywalker]

I've been looking at getting a Minolta spotmeter. Is there any real advantage to the F over the M aside from measuring flash? I have another meter that could do that. Anylthing I should watch out for?

 

[CGW]

For starters:

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00Cm14

 

[Kevin Kehler]

Get the F; my biggest pet peeve about the M is every time it shuts off, it forgets the ISO setting so you are inputting the ISO on a all-too-often basis. I also found the screen of the F somewhat easier to read but that might have just been the sample; accuracy wise I have found them to be the same.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Another vote for the F, but just because I have one and like it a lot.

 

[johnnywalker]

Thankis guys. The F it is.

 

[Lee L]

There were a couple of versions of the M. Mine is the earlier version, before the F was available, and takes the 6 volt 544 (4SR44) battery (a stack of four SR44/A76/357 button cells in a metal jacket). This version retains the film speed setting unless the battery is removed, and automatically turns off the LCD display about 2 minutes after the last button press. It has a measure lock switch where the later M has the on/off switch, and retains all settings properly when switched to the locked position. The later M uses a single AA cell, and I haven't used it or the F. Does anyone with instructions for the later M know whether the off switch is expected to be used routinely, or only for long term storage?

There was also a test in Camera & Darkroom (at least in one of its incarnations) that showed the Minolta to have significantly less flare than the other spotmeters at that time, including IIRC the Soligor and Pentax 1 degree spotmeters, which is important when metering a very small area.

Lee

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The F takes a single AA battery, and it has the on/off switch, which means the AA lasts a lot longer than the ridiculously expensive SR44. And if it conks out on you in the field, it's infinitely easier to replace if you're not near a camera store.

 

[johnnywalker]

I bought a LN- Minolta Spotmeter F from KEH, and it arrived today. It looks brand new. One of the many things I'm impressed with is the quality of the Owner's Manual. I can actually understand it - unlike the book received with my new cell phone (fortuantely for that I found a 143 page manual on line).
It was shipped UPS, which will never, ever, happen again. The F has seen more places in B.C. and the U.S. than I have. Definitely took the scenic route, including some back and forth trips between some cities in B.C.
In any case, I've been playing with it this evening and believe I'm going to love it.

 

[stillsilver]

I bought my F on eBay about 8 years ago and have never looked back.

Mike