AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 1 Instruction Manual Please read this manual thoroughly before using this product.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 2 Thank you for purchasing the MINOLTA AUTO METER VF. The MINOLTA AUTO METER VF offers the following features: ● Exposure meter with a built-in microprocessor for flash light and ambient light measurements for a broad range of shooting conditions ● Separate measurement modes for flash light and ambient light, for calculating and displaying the proportions of flash light and ambient light.
AutoMeter_0704_rw2.qxd 02.7.8 0:02 PM ページ 4 CAUTION indicates a danger that improper use of the instrument will lead to injury to the user or to property damage ● Do not use any batteries other than those designated for use with the instrument. Do not mix new batteries and old batteries, or batteries of different types. When fitting batteries, make sure to align them according to the polarity shown on the instrument (plus "+" and minus "-").
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 4 Names of Parts and Displays Names of Parts and Displays Data panel displays For the purpose of explanation, the diagram below shows all indicators that light up on the LCD. 1 2 2. Analog scale Pointers mark FNo. (f-number) values. F-numbers are displayed by pointers, to the nearest 0.5 stops. 3. Shutter speed/frame rate display Displays the current shutter speed or frame rate, which is set with the up/down key. When shutter speed is between [1 stop: 1 sec.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 6 Names of Parts and Displays Names of Parts and Displays 8 7 9. Measuring mode indicators Press the mode button repeatedly to select and display one of the three measuring modes: AMBI, CORD or NON CORD. The measuring mode changes in the following order each time the mode button is pressed: AMBI ➞ CORD ➞ NON CORD ➞ AMBI ... 10.Reflected-light indicator This indicator lights up when you use a reflected-light attachmentⅡ or Viewfinder 5°. 11.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 8 Preparations Preparations Battery 1. Preparing The instrument uses a single AA dry cell. ● Manganese dry cell (R-6) ● Alkaline-manganese dry cell (LR-6) ● Nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery ● Lithium-manganese dry cell ● Nickel-manganese dry cell Any one of the above types of batteries can be used. 2. Inserting 1 8 Remove the battery chamber cover by sliding it lightly in the direction of the arrow.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 10 Preparations Preparations Custom settings mode (Alt mode) 3. Checking If you turn the power on when there is not enough battery power to take measurements, or if the battery runs low during measurement, a blinking "bo" will display for approx. 1 min. and then the display will switch off. If this happens, replace the battery with a new one. The instrument automatically checks the battery when power is on.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 12 Preparations Preparations 4) TIME/CINE setting 2) Shutter speed increments Switches between shutter speed and frame rate in AMBI mode Note that it is not possible to switch to another measuring mode (CORD or NON CORD) while the frame rate setting is active. Choose between increments of 1/2-stop, 1/3-stop and 1-stop, according to the shutter speed settings your camera. 1 Turn the power on while pressing the ISO button, or press the ISO button in Alt mode.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 14 Preparations Setting film speed Preparations Selecting a measuring method You can choose between two measuring methods—incident-light reading and reflected-light reading, according to the shooting conditions or purpose of the image. To set the film speed, use the up/down key while holding down the ISO button. ● Each time you press , the film speed increases by 1/3-stop. Holding down the button increases the value continuously.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 16 Preparations Preparations 2. Reflected-light readings To use a meter for reflected-light measurements, you need to use one of the attachments for reflected-light measurements (40° acceptance angle). The exposure is based on the average of the light reflected from all subjects within the meter's field of view (approximately 40°). If you need to do selective metering or take spot measurements of specific parts of a subject, use the Viewfinder 5° (5° acceptance angle).
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 18 Difference between incident-light and reflected-light readings Exposure can be measured in two basic ways. One way is to measure the light incident on the subject, i.e. the brightness of light illuminating the subject (illuminance) (see Fig. 1); the other is to measure the light reflected by the subject, i.e. the intensity of the light reflected from the subject in the direction of the camera (luminance) (see Fig. 2). Fig. 1 Incident-light method Light source Fig.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 20 Reflected-light readings Reflected-light exposure readings directly measure the amount of light (luminance) reflected from the subject to the camera. Unlike the case of incident-light readings, this method does not rely on the assumption of a standard subject reflectance of 18%. Based on the measured amount of light falling on the subject, the meter calculates the appropriate exposure value for reproducing the subject on film at a suitable medium density (midtone).
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 22 Basic Operation Basic Operation Here we explain the basics of using the MINOLTA AUTO METER VF to take exposure readings. Select a measuring method ● Flash light refers to artificial momentary lighting from light sources such as electronic flashes, strobe flashes, and speed lights. ● Ambient light refers to continuous lighting from sources such as natural light (sunlight) and electric lights (including fluorescent lights).
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 24 Basic Operation Basic Operation Display example Dispaly units are FNo. 3 Use the up/down key to set the desired shutter speed. ● Shutter speed can be set within the range of 30 min. to 1/8000 sec. ● Each time you press , the shutter speed increases. Holding down increases the value continuously. The shutter speed cannot be increased to above 1/8000 sec., even if you continue pressing. ● Each time you press , the shutter speed decreases.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 26 Basic Operation Basic Operation 2. With a cine camera Battery (p. 8) ↓ CINE (p. 13) ↓ Film speed (p. 14) ↓ Incident-light reading and reflected-light reading (p. 15) Display units are EV If the reading is outside the measurement range of this meter, E (error) will be displayed on the digital readout, and (over) or (under), and or on the analog scale, will blink to indicate that the measurement is out of range.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 28 Basic Operation 3 Use the up/down key to set the frame rate of the camera you are using. ● Eight frame rates can be set: 8, 12, 16, 18, 24, 25, 30, 32, 64, and 128 frames/sec. (The appropriate shutter speed, corresponding to a shutter opening of 180°, is set automatically by the exposure meter.) Basic Operation If the opening of your camera's shutter is not 180°, the film speed should be adjusted as follows.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 30 Basic Operation Basic Operation Measuring flash light 1. With a sync cord Battery (p. 8) ↓ Shutter speed increments (p. 12) ↓ FNo. display (p. 12) ↓ Film speed (p. 14) ↓ Incident-light reading and reflected-light reading (p. 15) 1 30 Prepare the meter to start taking readings. 2 Press the mode button to switch the mode display to CORD. ● When the measuring mode is changed, previous readings and values in memory are deleted.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 32 Basic Operation Basic Operation Display example 5 Press the measuring button to take a reading. ● The flash light is released and the meter takes a single reading and displays the result on the digital readout. The reading is also displayed on the analog scale. The proportion of flash light illuminating the composition is shown on the quadrant proportion indicator.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 34 Basic Operation Basic Operation 2. Without a sync cord ★ When measuring flash light using a sync cord (CORD mode), the flash may fail to fire (e.g. if the trigger voltage of the flash is too low). In this case, take a reading without sync firing the flash (NON CORD mode). ★ Taking readings of M-bulb flash guns: 1. Prepare the meter to start taking readings. 2. Press the mode button to switch the mode display to CORD. 3.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 36 Basic Operation Basic Operation ● If the flash does not fire within approx. one minute after the meter goes into flash waiting mode, or if you press any button other than the measuring button during this time, the NON CORD mode symbol will stop blinking (stay on). Then, even if you fire the flash, no reading will be made. To change back to flash waiting mode, press the measuring button again.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 38 Basic Operation Basic Operation Measuring the proportion of flash light and ambient light When making flash light readings, the MINOLTA AUTO METER VF is able to calculate the proportion of ambient light and flash light in the total illumination. The proportion of ambient light and flash light can be checked on the quadrant proportion indicator of the display.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 40 Basic Operation ● Using the up/down key to change the shutter speed to 1/40, we can see how this change will affect the mix of ambient and flash light. The aperture has changed to F2.89 (almost F4.0) and now, only one quadrant is lit up. This indicates that the proportion of flash light is now only 25% (ambient:flash ratio = 3:1).
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 42 Special Functions Special Functions S/A/H (Shadow/Average/Highlight) calculations 3 Press the memory button to store the second measurement value in memory. ● The data panel turns off for a moment as the value is stored in memory. Now a second pointer appears at the right of the analog scale to indicate that two values are stored in memory.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 44 Special Functions Special Functions ● When you press the S/A/H button, the average value of the two memory values is displayed on the digital readout, and both the memory values and the average value will be displayed on the analog scale for FNo. If you press the S/A/H button again, the values will be erased from the display.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 46 Special Functions Special Functions ♦ When you press the S/A/H button, the aperture required for proper exposure of the shadow area will be calculated, and the result will be displayed on the digital readout and on the analog scale for FNo. If you press the S/A/H button again, all values will be erased from the display.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 48 Special Functions Special Functions ♦ When you press the S/A/H button, the aperture required for proper exposure of the highlight area will be calculated, and the result will be displayed on the digital readout and on the analog scale for FNo. If you press the S/A/H button again, all values will be erased from the display.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 50 Special Functions Measuring brightness difference relative to an exposure reading 1 Take a reading and then press the S/A/H button. Fixed measurement value ● 50 turns on to indicate the measurement value is fixed. (In this case, the fixed measurement value is F8.0+0.9-stops.) Special Functions 2 Current measurement value (In AMBI mode, measurements are made continuously while the measuring button is pressed. The positions of the pointers change accordingly.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 52 Special Functions Measuring brightness difference after an averaging calculation 1 Take two readings and store them in memory, then press the S/A/H button. Fixed average value (average of F5.6 and F11) ● 52 turns on and the averaged value is displayed on the digital readout and fixed. (In this case, the fixed average value is F8.0+0.0-stops.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 54 Measuring lighting ratio using the Flat Diffuser The lighting ratio is the brightness ratio between the highlight and shadow areas of a composition. For example, if the difference in measurement values (exposure difference) obtained by an incident-light reading is one stop, the lighting ratio is 2:1; if it's two stops, the ratio is 4:1.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 56 5 Set the display units to FNo. 6 Position the meter by the subject, and take a reading with the Flat Diffuser facing towards the main (key) light source. 7 Press the memory button to store the measurement value. 8 Next, position the meter by the subject and take a reading with the Flat Diffuser facing the fill light source.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 58 Using the brightness difference function of the instrument, the lighting ratio can be read with an accuracy of 0.1 stops. Alternatively, instead of storing the readings in memory, as explained in step 7 on the previous page, the following method can be used: 7 Press the S/A/H button. A is displayed on the data panel, and the exposure reading for the main light source is fixed. 8 Take a reading with the Flat Diffuser facing towards the fill light source.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 60 Special Functions Accessories ● EV-lx conversion table (with Flat Diffuser attached) Decimal .0 .1 .2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8 .9 Integeral 60 -2 0.63 -1 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 -0 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.3 +0 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.5 3.8 4.1 4.4 4.7 1 5.0 5.4 5.7 6.2 6.6 7.1 7.6 8.1 8.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 62 Accessories Sync Cord III Care and Storage 1. Care 1) If the meter gets dirty, it can be wiped with a soft, dry cloth. Do not use solvents such as thinners or benzene at all. 2) If the Spherical Diffuser becomes stained, remove it from the meter, wash the diffuser carefully in water with a mild detergent, and rinse and dry the diffuser thoroughly before reattaching it to the meter. 3) Never attempt to disassemble the meter if it becomes damaged or faulty.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 64 Handling Instructions Handling Instructions 1) Do not remove the cap from the accessory receptor jack, except when using the Mini Receptor. 2) If the accessory receptor jack is touched while measurements are being taken, static electricity or induction may result in faulty measurements. 3) If the meter is used in the rain, at the seashore, or near a volcano, it may become rusty or corroded due to water or corrosive gas.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 66 Specifications Specifications Display range Type Reception method Receptors Receptor element Measuring modes Measuring range (ISO100) Repeatability Calibration coefficient 66 Hand-held exposure meter for measuring ambient and flash light Incident-light and reflected-light readings * optional accessory.
AutoMeter_VF.qxd 02.7.8 1:31 PM ページ 68 Minolta Co., Ltd. 3-13, 2-Chome, Azuchi-Machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-8556, Japan 9222-8058-11 ©2002 Minolta Co., Ltd.
