Light meters
Minolta Color meter IIIF User manual
User manual for Minolta Color meter IIIF. 33 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
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Document details
- Brand
- Minolta
- Model / document
- Minolta Color meter IIIF
- Document type
- User manual
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 33
- File size
- 3.3 MB
- Category
- Light meters
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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MINOLTA
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E INSTRUCTIONMANUAL
E] ]I'IOOED'EMPLOI
IView original page 2Page 3 · Read text
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(English) MINOLTACOLORMETERIIIF I@II@I -* sry..#i
The Minolta Color Meter lllF helps to ensure consistentresultswhen taking color photographs
usingeitherambientor flash light. lt measuresthe light illuminatingthe subjectand determinesthe
filtrationrequiredto reproducesubjectcolorscorrectly.Readingsare providedfor both light-balancing
filters (as requiredmired shift or Kodak Wrattenfilter numbers)and color-compensatingfilters (as
density).In addition,the photographiccolor temperatureof the illuminationcan also be displayed.
The metercan be set to determinethe requiredfiltersfor any of three film types: Daylight(balanced
to 5500K),Type-ATungsten(balancedto 3400K), or Type-BTungsten(balancedto 3200K).
Eitherambientor flash measurementscan be taken.Ambient measurementscan be taken under
illuminationlevelsfrom EV3 to EV16.3at ISO 100.Flash measurementscan be taken for flash power
levelscorrespondingto apertures(at the meter position)of from 112.8to f/180(at ISO 100);they can
be taken with or without a sync cord, and shutterspeeds from 1/500to 1 sec. can be selected.For
flash measurements,the meter measuresthe mixed flash and ambientlight,since this is what will
actuallyilluminatethe subject,at the selectedshutterspeed. After measurement,the shutterspeed
can be changed, effectivelychanging the ratio of flash to ambient light; by noting the change in
requiredfiltration,you can predictthe effecton the imagecolor.In addition,the Color MeterlllF can
subtractout the ambientlightto displaythe resultsfor only the light from the flash.
To allow you to adjustthe meter to your color preferences,correctionvalues can be set in any of
the meter's nine memory channels.Once these values have been set, the meter will automatically
adjustmeasurementcalculationsto ensurethat colorsare reproducedaccordingto your expectations.
Please take a moment to read this manual before using the Color Meter lllF for the first time,
and keep it handy for future reference.
STATEMENTOF FCC COMPLIANCE
This device complieswith Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operationis subject to the followingtwo conditions:
(1)This device may not cause harmful interference,and (2) this device must accept any interferencereceived,
includinginterferencethat may cause undesiredoperation.Changesor modificationsnot approvedby the
party responsiblefor compliancecould void the user's authorityto operatethe equipment.This equipment
has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digitaldevice,pursuantto Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. These limits are designedto provide reasonableprotectionagainst harmful interferencein a
residentialinstallation.This equipmentgenerates,uses and can radiateradio frequencyenergy and, if not
installedand used in accordancewith the instructions,may causeharmfulinterferenceto radiocommunications.
However,there is no guaranteethat interferencewill not occur in a particularinstallation.lf this equipment
does cause harmful interferenceto radio or televisionreception,which can be determinedby turning the
equipmentoff and on, the user is encouragedto try to correctthe interferenceby one or more of the following
measures:
Reorientor relocatedthe receivingantenna.
Increasethe separationbetweenthe equipmentand receiver.
Connectthe equipmentinto an outleton a circuitdifferentfrom that to which the receiveris connected.Consult
the dealeror an experiencedradio/TVtechnicianfor help.
STATEMENTOF DOC COMPLIANCE
This digital aparatusdoes not exceedthe Class B limits for radio noise emissionsfrom digital apparatusas set
out in the Radio InterferenceRegulationsof the CanadianDepartmentof Communications.
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DArAFeNeu
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1 Display-modeindications
2 Measuring-modeindications
Indicateselectedmeasuringmode.
"TIME" display (Not displayed in "AMBI" measuring mode)
Indicatesshutter speed for flash measurementsin fractionsof a second (for 1 second,value is
followedby "S"); "F" indicatesflash analyzefunction(see p. 18).
4 Measured values/stored correction value
5 Memory-channeldisplay (Not displayed if memory channel 0 selected)
Indicatesselectedmemory channel.
Over-/Under-range indications
O indicatesmeasurementis over the measuringor displayrange.
U indicatesmeasurementis under the measuringor display range.
Flash-rangeindications (Not displayed in "AMBI" measuring mode)
Indicatesselectedflash measuringrange.View original page 7Page 8 · Read text
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Over-/Under-RangeI ndications
OVER/UNDERMEASURINGRANGE
The meter'smeasuringrange is EV3 to EV16.3in AMBI measuringmode andtl2.8 to f/180(at the
meter position)in CORD or NON.C measuringmode. lf the illuminanceis over or under this range,
O or q will blink respectively(Display-modeindicationswill not blink).
Over measuringrange Under measuringrange
L B FILTER T'ildiEI
c-c
ilME
;#
. lf O blinks: In AMBI measuringmode, move away from the light source and take another
measurement.
In CORD or NON.C measuringmode with the flash-rangeswitch set to Lo, set
the flash-rangeswitch to Hi and take another measurement.
lf the indicationcontinuesto blink, move away from the flash and take another
measurement.
'lf U blinks: In AMBI measuringmode, move closer to the light source and take another
measurement.
In CORD or NON.C measuringmode with the flash-rangeswitch set to Hi, set
the flash-rangeswitch to Lo and take anothermeasurement.
lf the indicationcontinuesto blink, move closer to the flash and take another
measurement.View original page 8Page 9 · Read text
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OVER/UNDERDISPLAYRANGE
The meter'sdisplayrangesare as follows:
Photographiccolor temperature: 1,600to 40,000K
LB index: -500 to +500
CC index: 200G to 200M
LB filternumber: 80A+80Dto 85B+81EF
Photographic Color Temperature,LB Index, or CC Index
lf the calculatedvalues would be over or under the display range or ranges for photographic
color ternperature,LB index, and/or CC index, the display-modeindicationswill blink togetherwith
e i t h e r O o r U .
-rLl lB -
/ l \
_ \ r /
LB/CCLB/CC indexesindexes LB filter number/CO Photographiccolor
index temperature
Measurementsoutsidethese display ranges would also be outsidethe more limiteddisplay range
for LB filter number.
LB Filter Number
lf the calculatedvalueswould be over or under the displayrange for LB filter number,the value
for LB filter number will be as shown below.
In this case, althoughthe LB filter number cannot be displayed,valuesfor LB index, CC index,
and photographiccolor temperaturecan be displayedby changingthe displaymode (see p. 10).View original page 9Page 10 · Read text
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The Color Meter lllF is poweredby two AA-size1.5Valkaline-manganeseor carbonzinc,or 1.2Y
nickel-cadmiumbatteries.
INSTALLINGBATTERIES
Removethe battery-chambercover by pressingon the cover's
ridged portionand sliding it in the directionof the arrow.1
lnsert the batterieswith the polaritiesas indicatedinside the
batterychamber.
'Do not mix batterytypes or ages.
Replacethe battery-chambercover.
lmmediatelyafter the batteriesare installed,all of the meter's displays and indicationswill
appear for a few seconds,and then the data panel will change to one of the measurementdisplays.
'h.P."rll'dl,.flfl# LB wEl ffi -+> Acc cc FrlJFiE Y
lnitial displaysettings:
Displaymode: LB and CC indexes
Measuringmode: Accordingto settingof measuring-modeswitch
Memorychannel:0 (no memorychannelnumberdisplayed)
Flash range*: Accordingto settingof flash-rangeswitch
Shutterspeed*: "60" (1/60second)
.Flash range and shutterspeed are not shown in AMBI measuringmode.View original page 10Page 11 · Read text
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SWITCHINGPOWERON AND OFF
To switch on the Color Meter lllF, press the POWER button; the
valuesfor the last measurementwill appearin the display.(lf the setting
of the measuring-modeswitch,or of the flash-rangeswitch in CORD or
NON.Cmeasuringmode,has beenchangedsincethe last measurement,
no valueswill be displayed.)The meter is then ready to take measure-
ments.
To switchoff the meter,press the POWER button again.
AUTO POWER OFF
To conservepower,the ColorMeterlllF automaticallyswitchesoff if you do not take a measurement
or operateany of the switchesor buttonsfor four minutes.To switch the meter back on, press the
POWER button. The display shown in the data panel just before the meter was switchedoff will
reappear.
. lf the settingof the filmtype switchis differentfrom the settingwhen the meterautomaticallyswitched
off, the displayedvalues will be those for the new setting.
. lf the setting of the measuring-modeswitch, or of the flash-rangeswitch in CORD or NON.C
measuringmode, is differentfrom the setting when the meter automaticallyswitchedoff, no data
will be shown in the data panel when the meter is switchedback on.
LOW.POWERWARNING
When the powerof the batteriesbecomesloq all displayedvaluesand indicationswill blink. The
meter'sbatteriesshould then be replacedwith new ones.
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Setting Film-TypeSwitch
To obtain correct results,the filmtype switch must be set to the glrL
positioncorrespondingto the film to be used. 1rt .U B: Type-Btungstenfilms balancedfor 3200K 'lt, E"
A: Type-Atungstenfilms balancedfor 3400K *'
D: Daylightfilms balancedfor 5500K g l
' :Fh lf the settingof the filmtype switch is changedafter a measure- r t d
ment has been taken, the displayedvalues will be recalculated
for the new setting.View original page 12Page 13 · Read text
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Selecting Display Mode
The Color Meter lllF offers three different display modes: LB N'fi
index/CC index, LB filter number/CC index, and photographiccolor (t
temperature. Eljr
To selectthe desireddisplaymode, pressthe DISPLAYbutton.The tlll
displaymodewill change in the followingorder each time the DISPLAY
button is pressed.
K Le+ Etrl [strl EEI f\ fl ih frlll n "LR. cc cc /o lo
LB filternumber Photographic
CC index color temperature
Displayedvalues will be recalculatedand displayedin the new display mode when the display
mode is changed.
DISPLAYMODES
LB and CC Indexes
+ lEts re ,:r5
cc LB index; mired shift value of requiredlight-balancingfilter lo
CC index; nominalvalue of requiredcolor-compensatingfilter
LB Filter Number and CC Index
Etr Wrattenfilter number. hR_ri ih Kodak
cc (lf two filter numbersare shown, use both filterstogether) ln
CC index; nominalvalue of requiredcolor-compensatingfilter
. For KodakWrattenfilter numbers,"b" indicatesB (as in 808), "d" indicatesD (as in 80D),and "E"
indicatesEF (as in 81EF).
Photographic Color Temperature
K EEEI * E:li n Photographiccolortemperature in Kelvins * Photographiccolor temperatureis determinedbased on the spectral
responseof colorfilm. See p.25 tor furtherinformation.
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'When taking a measurement,be carefulto avoid the influenceof reflectancefrom objects,such as
your body or clothes,which will not affectthe light illuminatingthe subject.
'The receptorhead can be rotated90o to right or 1800to the left.
In general,measurementsshould be taken with the meter facing the light source and positioned
close to the light source.This methodwill providesatisfactoryresultsin many situations.
However,in some cases, the light illuminatingthe subject may not be the same as the light
emitted by the light source.This is especiallytrue if the subject is near an object, such as a wall,
which will reflectlight onto the subject;the light which illuminatesthe subject after being reflected
by the object takes on the color of that object. In such a case, better resultsmay be obtainedif the
meter is aimed either at the object or at the camera from the subject'sposition.
11View original page 14Page 15 · Read text
www.orphancameras.com Whenthe subjectis illuminatedby multiplelight sources,correctioncan be performedin one of the followingways,dependingon the particularsituation. 'lf the lightsourceswill be filtered,measureeach light sourceindividuallyand add the filtration indicatedby the meterto the lightsource. ' lf the lightsourceswill not be filtgredbut are all the sametype of lightsource,eithermeasureeach lightsourceindividuallyand determinethe approximateaverageof the meterreadings,or take the measurementwiththe meterfacingthe camerafromthe subjectposition,and usethe corresponding filtrationover the camera lens. ' lf the fight sources will not be filteredand are of different types, take the measurementwith the meter facing the camera from the subject position and use the correspondingfiltrationover the cameralens. In this case, color bracketingis also recommended. The Color Meter lllF will provideaccuratefiltrationrecommendationsbasedon the sensitivity correspondingto the settingof the film+ypeswitchin most situbtions.However,undercertainlight sources,accurateresultsmay be impossibleto obtain;see p. 26 tor a descriptionof such light sources.lf the resultsare not exactlywhat you wouldprefer,the displayedvaluescan be adjusted to matchyour preferencesusingthe meter'smemorychannels;see p. 19 for moreinformation. 12View original page 15
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AmbientLight Measurements
Check that the filmtype switch is at the correct position(p. 9), the desired display mode is I
selected(p. 1O),and the desired memory channel is selected(p. 19; if no memory channel I r numberis shown,the selectedmemorychannelis 0).
'AMB|" Slide the measuring-modeswitchup to the position.
'lf the settingof the measuring-modeswitchis changed,the
previouslydisplayedvalues will disappear.
Aim the Color Meter lllF's receptortoward the light source
and press the measuring button to take a measurement.
Measurementswill be takencontinuouslywhile the measuring
button is held pressed;the latest measurementresults will
be held in the displaywhen the measuringbuttonis released.
' + rB
'iE,": cc , ,
' lf the over-rangeindication( O ) or the under-rangeindication( U ) blinksin the display,see p. 5.
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FlashMeasurements
WITH A SYNC CORD
J Check that the filmtype switch is at the correct position(p. 9), the desired display mode is
I selected(p. 10), and the desired memory channel is selected(p. 19; if no memory channel
I numberis shown,the selectedmemorychannelis 0).
Slidethe measuring-modeswitch to the "CORD" position'
'lf the setting of the measuring-modeswitch is changed,
the previouslydisplayedvalues,willdisappear.
L B G @
cc Hi
ilME 1fr
Set the flash-rangeswitch accordingto the aperture which
would be used at the meter position:For aperturesfrom f/2.8
to f122,set the switch to Lo; for aperturesfrom tl22 to f1180,
set the switch to Hi.
@
Lo
Use the up/downcontrolto selectthe shutterspeedto be used.
' Shutterspeedsfrom 1 to 1/500sec. can be selectedin 1-stop
increments.
'Be sure that the shutter speed is set within the camera's
X-sync range.
'The shutter-speedsetting "F", which is the setting above
1/500sec., sets the meter to analyzemode (see p. 18).
L B @
cc
TIME fi fl Lo
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Attachthe flashsync cord to the ColorMeterlllF's sync terminal.
'The flash may fire when you attachthe cord.
Aim the Color Meter lllF's receptortowardthe flash and press
the measuringbutton; the flash will fire and a measurement
will be taken.
'The triggervoltageof some electronicflash units may be too
low for the Color Meter lllF to fire them in cord mode. lf this
is true of your flash, use non-cordmode (see p. 16).
' lf the over-rangeindication( O ) appearsin the displayand the flash-rangeswitchis set to Lo,
set the switchto Hi. lf the under range indication( g ) appearsand the flash-rangeswitch
is set to Hi, set the switch to Lo. lf either indicationreappears,see p. 5.
'lf ambient light is present,the measurementresultswill be the filtrationrequiredfor the
combinationof flash and ambientlight. 1lcobtain measurementresultsfor only the light from
the flash,see p. 18.
' lf the shutterspeed is changedafter measurement,the displayedvalueswill be automatically
recalculatedfor the new shutterspeed.
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WITHOUTA SYNC CORD
Check that the filmtype switch is at the correct position(p. 9), the desired display mode is I
selected(p. 10), and the desired memory channel is selected(p. 19; if no memory channel I
I number is shown,the selectedmemory channel is 0).
Slidethe measuring-modeswitchto the "NON.C" position.
'lf the settingof the measuring-modeswitchis changed,the
previouslydisplayedvalues will disappear.
Set the flash-rangeswitch accordingto the aperture which
would be used at the meter position:For aperturesfrom f/2.8
to 1122,set the switch to Lo; for apertures from fl22 to f/180,
set the switch to Hi.
Use the up/downcontrolto selectthe shutterspeedto be used.
'Shutter speeds from 1 to 1/500 sec. can be selected in
1-stopincrements.
'Be sure that the shutter speed is set within the camera's
X-sync range.
'The shutter-speedsetting "F", which is the setting above
1/500sec., sets the meter to analyzemode (see p. 18).
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Press the measuringbutton."NON.C"will start blinking,indi-
cating that the Color Meter lllF is in stand-bymode, waiting
for the flash to be Tired.
' Stand-bymodewill be automaticallycanceledafter 16 seconds
if no flash is fired. lf the measuringbutton is pressedwhile
the meter is in stand-bymode, the 16-secondperiod will be
restarted.
Aim the Color Meter lllF's receptortowardthe flash and fire the
flash. The measurementwill be taken when the flash is fired
and stand-by mode will be canceled ("NON.C" will stop
blinking).
' lf the over-rangeindication( O ) appearsin the displayand the flash-rangeswitchis set to Lo,
set the switchto Hi. lf the under range indication( l! ) appearsand the flash-rangeswitch
is set to Hi, set the switch to Lo. lf either indicationreappears,see p. 5.
'lf ambient light is present,the measurementresultswill be the filtrationrequiredfor the
combinationof flash and ambient light. To obtain measurementresultsfor only the light
from the flash, see p. 18.
' lf the shutterspeed is changedafter measurement,the displayedvalueswill be automatically
recalculatedfor the new shutterspeed.
1 7View original page 20Page 21 · Read text
www.orphancameras.com ANALYZE FUNCTION: MEASURING ONLY FLASH IN MIXED LIGHTING By using the Color Meter lllF's analyze mof,e, the photographiccolor temperatureof only the lightfrom the flashor the filtrationrequiredfor the flash alonecan be determinedwithoutthe influence of the ambientlight. To take measurementsin analyzemode, follow the procedurefor flash measurementswith a sync cord (see p. 14) or without a sync cord (see p. 16), but set the shutter speed to "F" (the setting above 1/500sec.).The effectiveshutterspeed when "F" is set is 1/15sec.View original page 21
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ffi
The filtrationvalues determinedby the Color Meter lllF are intendedto be suitablefor as wide a
varietyof films as possible.However,photographstaken using the unadjustedmeter readingsmay
not reproducescene colors exactlyas they are or as you would prefer.The Color Meter lllF has nine
memory channels in which you can store values to adjust the meter readingsto your preferences.
Correctionvalues for LB index and CC index can be input separately,and the stored correction
valuesare used for all filmtype settings.
'The Color Meter lllF has ten memory channels in total; however,values in memory channel 0
cannot be changed.
'Correction valuesin all channelsare set to 0 at the time of shipment.
Selecting Memory Channel
Set the displaymode to LB/CCindexesor LB filter number/CCindex by pressingthe DISPLAY
button (p.10).1
Pressand hold the memory-channel(M-CH)button."CH" will
blink in the displayand the presentlyselectedmemorychannel
numberwill be shown.
LB EEl
cc
rHtii
While continuingto hold the memory-channelbuttonpressed,
use the up/downcontrolto selectthe desiredmemorychannel
number.
LB @El
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SettingCorrectionValues
Selectthe memorychannelto set correctionvalues in (p.19).
'Correctionvalues cannot be set in memory channel0.1
Press and hold the memory (M) button. Either " /LB" or
" ACC" will blink in the displayto indicatewhich value can
be changed.2
'To change the value which is not presentlyblinking,releasethe memory button,and then press it
agarn.
While continuingto hold the memory button pressed,use the
up/downcontrol to set the correctionvalue.
'Correction values will be added to the initial measurement
resultsto obtainthe displayedmeasurementresults.
.)L ; / t \
cH Lf
'Correction values can be determinedas follows:
a Measurea test scene using the Color Meter lllF set to memorychannel0 (no correction)
and note the measurementresults.
b Takea seriesof color-bracketedtest photographs,with the measurementresultsobtained
in (a) as the center of the color brackets.
c Evaluatethe photographsand select the one with the best color.The filtrationused for
this photographwill then be used to determinethe correctionvalue. (lf none of the test
photographshave exactly the right color, repeat (b) with the filtration used for the best
photographas the center of the color bracket.)
d Once an acceptabletest photographhas been obtained,the LB correctionvalue can be
determinedby subtractingthe LB index measuredin (a) from the mired shift value of the
filtration used for the test photograph.The CC correctionvalue should be adjusted
repeatedlyuntil measurementsunder the conditionsin (a) give values correspondingto
the CC filtrationused for the test photograph.View original page 23Page 26 · Read text
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:l
ObtainingConsistentlyGood lmage Color
A color image and how it is perceivedby the vieweris the final resultof the interactionof various
factors,includingfilm, lightingconditions,processing,and viewingconditions.These factorscan be
consideredas tfe parts of an overallsystem;to obtainconsistentlygood image color,all parts of the
system must be kept consistent.To do this, follow the steps below.
Purchasea quantity of film from the same emulsion batch and store the film under optimum
conditionsuntil use.
Find a high-qualityprocessinglab that produces consistentresults and use only this lab for
processing.
3 Balance your viewing system to photographicdaylight (5500K)and check it periodically.
'Because the spectralsensitivityof the Color Meter lllF correspondsto the sensitivityof photo-
graphic film and not to the spectralsensitivityof the eyes, it is not recommendedfor use in
. balancingyour viewingsystem.For such purpose,a colorimeterwith spectralsensitivityclosely
matchingthat of the eyes (such as the MinoltaChroma Meter CL-100)should be used. Further,
since photographiccolor temperaturealone is insufficientto exactlyspecifya color,it is recom-
mendedthat the viewingsystembe balancedusing the x and y chromaticitycoordinatesof the
standardilluminantcorrespondingto 5500K.These coordinatesare 0.332,0.348.
The abovethree steps,togetherwith using the Color Meter lllF to controlthe color of the lighting,
will provideconsistentresults.However,the resultingcolor may be somewhatdifferentfrom the color
resultsyou would like. lf this is the case,the systemshould be finetuned by adjustingthe correction
values in the memory channelsof the Color Meter lllF accordingto the procedureon p. 19.View original page 26Related documents and language editions
From the M. Butkus archive. Original publisher and archive notices are retained.
Check the model and edition against your equipment.
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