Sekonic Microlite meter User manual

Digitally signed by Mike Butkus
                                   DN: cn=Mike Butkus, o=Butkus camera
                                      manuals, ou=butkus.org,Mike Butkus email=mike@butkus.org, c=US
                                         Date: 2021.07.19 19:23:29 -04'00'

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rl
 I  I          The Microlite Meler, lhe world's first exposure meter using Codmium Sulfide, hos been
      I          perfecled ofter long yeors of reseorch ond development by Sekonic Compony, lhe oldest
  t        ond lorgst exposure meter monufoclurer in Jopon. This epoch-moking meter mokes  it possible
I          lo meosure light intensity 5 f-stops lower thon lhe minimum convenlionol selenium photo-cells
         con register os low os (LVSI No. I with ASA lO0.film.
                . ln lhe Microlite, o reflected light type meter, lhe use of Codmium Sulfide enobles its
              light input ongle to be norrowed from the usuol 650 down to 40o, ihereby obsorbing  less
          unwonled side light in order to ensure more occurote meosuremenl.
                 . The Microlite uses lhe follow-the-needle principle, ond is odiustoble for high or low
             light conditions merely by turning o diol, to indicote correct exposure eosily ond quickly.
                . Film speeds ore shown in ASA ond DIN numbers.
                . LVS (or EVSI reodings for comeros hoving this colibrotion.
                . Speciol scoles for movie filming ore provided, os well os shulter speeds in bolh new
         ond ofd scqles (in 1.,2, 4,8, etc. ond l, 2, 5, 10, etc)
            Caution: As the Guide Mork, which follows the Exposure Needle, connot come lo
         the 0 position, do not fry to move  it for this purpose.

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     First, oscertoin the speed of the film you use in your comero. indicoted in ASA numbers
ior DIN numbers) on the film pockoge. Nexl, lurn the tronsporent diol of the Meter with
its ASA Setting Button, uniil the some ASA number os your film shows up in the ASA
Window (or DIN number ot DIN Windowl.
    film speeds difier with eoch monufoclurer, but usuolly Grode S is ASA 50, ond Grode
SS is ASA 100. 8ut, os eoch film reocts differently in sunlight ond under ortificiol  light,
reod fhe film moker's instructions before-rsing the meter.
  When the meter hos been sel to fhe required ASA number, press lhe Current Switch
on the left side. Aim the Light Window squorely qt the subiect, ond the exposure needle
will frovel relotive to the brightness of light conditions of the subiect. lAiming under difter-
ent condiiions ore exploined lqterl.




              ON-oFF

Undei conditions of extreme brightness, the Exposure Needle moy swing out of sight.
                                                                                Redln such coses, lurn fhe tronsporent diol cover lo bring lhe Diol Cover Bulton to the
Mor[ on fhe right top corner. This outomoticolly  switches the Meter to high light ronge,
ond the Exposure Needle will now moye lo indicote lhe correcl exposure. Next, lurn
the outermost diol by meons of its serroled ASA Selting Bullon until the Guide Mork
 tforked needlel overlops fhe Exposure Needle.
   With only these simple operolions, you immediotely know the correcl lens stop ond
 shuller speed combinotions for the picture you wonl to loke lincluding lhe number of fromes
                                                                                            volues per second for the movie comerosl. Then, select lhe most suitoble combinolion of
 for selfing your comelo.

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              ln vcry dim light whcn thc Exposurc Needle foils to respond, bring the Diol Covcr
         Bulton to thc Blue Mork on lhe left top corncr, fhe Exposure Nccdlc will thcn bcgin
        to movo. Bring thc forkcd Guidc Mork ovcr this Necdle os beforc, ond you will obtoin
         thc correcl sxposurc combinotions.
          As describcd previously, the Microlite con be switched to high or low light conditions
         merely by turning q diol. Aftcr this, it is only necessory to tum fhe outermost diol to
          olign thc Guide Mqrk with thc Exposure Necdlc, ond sincc h works even in such on
         extrcmcly low light ronge os LV No. |  (l sec. ot tll,1 wirh ASA 100 filml, rhi Microlire
          will show corrsct cxposure under procticolly ony dim light conditions.





L

I
 light Vofue System (Exposure Votue Sysrem)                                           I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           I
                                                                                                                                                                        IiI   Jse the LV scole if your comero is equipped with on
lV (EV) shufter. Work fhe meter in fhe some woy os
 Lelore, ond toke the number which oppeors in the LV
Win!9e7 f9r ygur comero seiling.
   How does the Light Volues Sysrem, known os Exposure
 rolue Sysfem in the U. S., work ?   lf you ore using ASA
i00 film ond the LV Window shows 14, sef your comero
shulfer to LV   'l 4. lf you decide to chonge the lens-srop to
I 8. rhe shuiler speed ouromoficolly moves up fo                                                                                                                                                                                                     ,l /l2S
second, er if you closed ir down to  l/ll,   the shufter
'lli  outomoricolly slow down ro I/60 second. On fhe
cther hond, if the shutter speed is slowed down to l/60
:econd, the lens will close down to l/15, or if it is speeded
up to l/500 second, the lens will outomoticolly open our
ts I/5.6.

                                            SEKONIC

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Color Pictures


           An occurote exposure merer is o must for toking color pictures. Block.
          ond'white film usuolly hos o wide lotirude which covers oil but very gloring
            mistokes in exposure. 8y controsl, color film hos on exfremely norrow lolitude
         ond will not reproduce nolurol color foithfully if there is even slighr oveE
         or under-exposure. The Microlite is used for color photogrophy in the
        scme woy os lor  block-ond-white, except thot the comero seltings musf
          te mode occurotely occording to the fitm seniitivity os exploined in lhe
            film moker's brochure.
            with color film, the bright ports of the subiect become the stondord,
         ond to obtoin good colors, rhe controst between light ond dork musr be
          reduced to within o  |  : 4 rorio by odiusting rhe lighting or using o reflector.
          Getting light bolonce is the most roportont point.
             For exomple, when roking portroirs, if the highlighr requires l/250 sec
          ot I/8. the shodows will need ot leosr l/4 ot this speed, otherwise lhe
           colors in the shodows well be lumbled. Therefore, poy os much o[ention
          to lighr bolonce lcontrosrl os to ths ocfuol exposure  irself. qnd you witl
         gel pictures of greot beouty.

The Microlife Meler indicofes exposure {octors by
  meosuring the light reflecfed from lhe subiect. When it is
  direcfed from the comero's position,  il con nol indicote the
  correcl exposure becouse other light is olso getting inlo
  fhe Light Window. such os light from fhe bockground
  ond the sky, light reflected from the ground, etc. To
  ovoid this, bring fhe Meler os close lo the subiect os
  possible so os fo loke in no light excepl lhet reflecied
  from the subiecl. The besl dislonce is oboul lOcm with
  the Microlile oimed oi the point you etpeciolly wonl lo
  slress, Lul be coretul not ?o lef the meler's shodow
 fo ll on the subiect.
        lf only lhe dork porfion or only the brighf Porlion
   is meosured.  it will couse lhe olher porfs of lhe piciure
  lo be over or under exposed. Therefore, we use fhe
  meon volue of the lwo. In lhe cose of porlroits; however,
  since fhe foce is lhe mosl importonl point, lhe exposure
  must be set for the foce ot the exPsnse of everyihing
  else. In cose you connol ge? close enough, you con
  pul your hond in fhe some light condition os the subiect,
  ond meosure lhe light intensity of your polm from o
  dislonce of oboul lOcm.
I

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            In londscope shols, cs it is impossible to get close enough, lhe phofogropher  is opf
        lo oim from lhe comero's posifion directly oi the middle of the scene or ot the whole scene
        ol rondom. In lhis cose. lhe mefer will receive too much light from the sky ond result in
 1     on under-exposure. Therefore, lhe Light Window should be directed ot o poinl midwoy
        belween the horizon ond your own feei. However,  if the shot is of on open londscope or of
          dislont ntounloins, the reodings obloined under these conditions should be reduced by one-
         hoif. This is becoUse the light in fhe oir ond fhe sky brightness brighfen the dork portions
        of the subiect ond decreoses the conlrosl.
           For exomple, if fhe meler diol gives lf2SO sec, ot 1122, set the comero controls ot
          holf the volues, l/500 sec. ot l/22.

A) iloklng Agotnrt-thc-llght
    Sllhouetter
   Aim the Light Window ol lhe sky or bright
bockground, ond fix lhe fhe cqmerq seltings os
 indicqled by lhc meler reodings. lf lhe brigtt?
bockground is correcfly exposed, lhe subiecl will
be under-exposqd lo yield o good silhouette.

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                                                   ?-




B )  Deroiling the Subiecr         C) Deroiling borh Subieci ond
    ogoinst rhe Lighr                Bockground in Agoinst-the
   Brrng the Microlite close lo lhe dork             light Scene.
o{  lhe subject. Be core{ul not  fo  gef   lhe         Get fhe exposure for the dork ports ol tne
                                                                      -!-he       :ublect ond olso for lhe  brrghf bockground.
bockground light info the Lrght Window.         The iotler  s obtoined in the some woy os Ior
.neter reodings wiil  give detoil fo   the           ondscopes. T he meon volue belween  these
                                             two  !t,ves detorl fo bolh the subiect ond  ihesublect ond dorken the bockground.                                                bocrqround.  However,  if  lhe  conlrosf  rol;o
                                           oetween the two r5 qrsqlgr lhgn  |,16,   .l  wrll
                                            ce oSaul   ro -ole  o qood p,cutre.

Exposure foctors for movie comeros ore
   obtoined in the some woy os for  ordinory
  comeros. But os the meter gives the lens
  ond speed combinotions tor 8, 16, 32 ond
  61 fromes per second, select the f-stop
   indicoted ogoinst the speed of your cqmercr
  which in lhe cose of 8mm's is usuolly 16
   fromes per second, with qn effective shutter
  speed of obout 1/35 second. The reodings
   for movie comeros ore indicoted qt  lhe
  top of lhe Meter Diol.





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                       Indicotcd focol length of  lenc
When moking close-ups of still life, commerciol photogrophy,  o;rd similor work wilh lhe oid
of intermediole rings or bellows. it is necessory to use o reflected lighl lype exposure meter.
However,  i.ls reodings should be revised occording lo lhe obove formulo. Suppose lhe focol
lenglh is 50mm ond the lensfilm dislonce l00mm while the meler shows l/4 sec, ot ll4.
According lo the obove formulo, lhe eff ective F-volue will be 1}i9 = 8, which meons thol
it ocluolly works oul os only f/8 olthough lhe operfure is ll1. BV increosing it 4 times, you
get o suiloble exposure of I  sec. ot ll4.

When copying books ond doto, bring the Microlite
to within obout  | Ocm of the obiect, toking core
lhqt lhe ligth Window is in porollel wilh fhe plone
of the obiect. Use the exposure reodings os indi-
coted  if lhe obiecl os o while bockground, but if it
conloins mony blocl porlions, first ploce q white
poper in the position of the obiect qnd meqsure
occordingly.

The Microlite Metel hos no Filter Scole, so when
filtcrs ore used, the meler reodings will hove lo
bc multiplied by lhe filter mqker's Filter Foctor.
For exomple, if the meler gives l/250 sec. ot Il8,
ond lhe Y2 Filler hos o filter foctor of 2x, lhe
correcl exposure would be l/125 sec. ot f/8.

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As the Microlite Meter, os olreody exploined,
uses Codmium Sulfide,  il requires o mercury
bottery of  l. 3V  f o operote it. Unlike the
ordinory dry cell which drops in voltoge os
il is used up, the mercury bottery yields o
conslonl level of power output unlil lhe end
of ils operoting  life, *hen  it foles o sudden
drop ond gives prociicolly no reoction when
it is swilched on. To reploce, open ihe slotted
screw-door by turning  it wifh o coin ond the
botlery will pop oul. Reploce it with o fresh
bof tery.
lf the Exposure Needle foils fo come bocl
fo the Zero posilion even when the Lighl
Window is effectively closed, it  requires
Zero Adiuslmenl. Turn off the swilch, turn the
smoll Zero odiustment screw with q screw-
driver, working genlly lo lhe left or lhe right
until lhe Exposure Needle comes to lhe Zoro
position.

HOW TO REPTACE A MERCURY
                                                                  EATTERY




           Pleosc lurn onti-cldckwlsc the slotted
      screw-door with o coin, hoving o boyo-
       net mount.





l8

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    Plcosc rcplocc fhc mcrcury botlcry with o frcch onc which hos lhc cquivolenl copocity
relerring lo fhe obove specificolions. lMollory RM-640 or Evereody E640 in U.S.A.l





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