Minolta VI vs. Sekonic L608 flashmeter

Pabletto

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I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
I would say the perhaps main differences are:

Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability

Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
How would you compare the Minolta VI and the Sekonic L-508, since they are better within eachother's price range. I am making a similar consideration as the poster, only between the 508 and the VI, it seems unfair since the VI is Minolta's top of the line all-in-one, and the 508 is only Sekonic's second in line. I am concerned with the complaints I've heard (maybe rumors?) of sketchy readings off Sekonic meters.

-Drew
Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability
Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional
accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering
capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta
readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in
Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
Even the Sekonic L-508 still has some features the Minolta Flashmeter VI doesn't have such as, 1-4 degree spot (the Flashmeter VI has a fixed 1 degree spot) The L-508 still has a retractable spherical diffuser that allows flat incident diffuser metering (Flashmete VI requires that you remove the spherical incident diffuser and attach a flat incident diffuser)

All of my personal meters are Minolta and I have kept them calibrated while I worked at Minolta, I have a Flashmeter V and a Spotmeter F, I am interested in the Flashmeter VI because of its all-in-one (when I just want to carry one meter) and its direct readouts to match digital camera settings.
-Drew
Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability
Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional
accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering
capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta
readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in
Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
This would be my first experience with such a handheld meter, is the time for recalibration based on usage, or just age (not usage)?

I also noticed the Minolta meter only has a shutter priority mode, I often use aperture priority in outdoor photography where quantity of light is not an issue, is there some kind of work around with the meter that I haven’t realized?

You obviously have some valuable insights, your opinion is appreciated.
All of my personal meters are Minolta and I have kept them
calibrated while I worked at Minolta, I have a Flashmeter V and a
Spotmeter F, I am interested in the Flashmeter VI because of its
all-in-one (when I just want to carry one meter) and its direct
readouts to match digital camera settings.
-Drew
Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability
Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional
accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering
capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta
readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in
Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
Sometimes both age and usage. Sometimes it's just a variable resistor drift that put the meter off a couple of tenths of a stop. Sometimes it's just the incident/reflect changeover switch in the head being dirty that puts the meter off by 3 stops. Minolta's newer meters use a gold-plated inc/ref changeover switch which addresses the 3 stops off issue. Also Minolta's high end meters such as the Flashmeter V (hopefully the Flashmeter VI) and Colormeter IIIF use a different calibration procedure that does away with the variable resistors for calibration and tend to hold calibration longer.

Regarding the aperture priority feature, a feature I have on my Flashmeter V, I hope they didn't do away with it on the Flashmeter VI, but I don't know for sure, I haven't had a Flashmeter VI in my hands to be sure nor have I seen an owner's manual or official brochure, and don't always trust specs on the web. However, it is possible they could have done away with it espeically if they feel it wasn't a feature that real popular, personally I hope they didn't.
I also noticed the Minolta meter only has a shutter priority mode,
I often use aperture priority in outdoor photography where quantity
of light is not an issue, is there some kind of work around with
the meter that I haven’t realized?

You obviously have some valuable insights, your opinion is
appreciated.
All of my personal meters are Minolta and I have kept them
calibrated while I worked at Minolta, I have a Flashmeter V and a
Spotmeter F, I am interested in the Flashmeter VI because of its
all-in-one (when I just want to carry one meter) and its direct
readouts to match digital camera settings.
-Drew
Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability
Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional
accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering
capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta
readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in
Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
I'd concur on the comparison between the meters. I do find it interesting that you indicate you'd still get a Flashmeter VI; maybe it's a familarity issue.

That said, I have the Sekonics L-608 which replaced an aging Minolta Flashmeter III. Probably the two feature I find most useful on the L-608 is the switchable spherical/flat diffuser and the wireless (Pocket Wizard) sync. Both are significant time savers when shooting. The switchable diffuser allows me to take both, overall and lighting ratio measurement without having to switch diffuser heads. It also mean you don't have to worry about losing the diffuser; always a problem on the Minolta. I have wondered whether the retractable spherical dome, however, causes any light reading inaccuracies when retracted; I'd suspect the problem would be most pronounced with specular lighting hitting the dome an an oblique angle. In practice, I haven't found this to be an issue.

The Pocket Wizard interface (at least when using the Pocket Wizard Multimax transceivers) also allows you to program up to four individual channels simultaneously (A, B, C, & D). This allows me to quickly check the flash contribution from up to four different banks of strobe units by individually firing them and do this without cords running all over the place.

For quickly setting up strobes in a location lighting situation, these two help a lot.

The built in spotmeter is a nice to have (difference between the Flashmeter V and VI), but I generally use the spotmeter for different shoots than the incident metering. The occasional use I've had for a spotmeter in an incident situation is when I'm also using light diffusing panels outdoor with strobes. I can use the spotmeter (incorrectly) to measure the ambient light off the light diffusers to see whether the sun contribution has shifted, then compensate (remembering to divide my results by about 2 1/2 stops to convert the reflected light measurement to an incident light source). This is usually pretty rare, though.

James
 
I've had three, they all agreed with each other within a 1/10 of a stop. The 608 can be custom calibrated to your own specs if you feel the urge.

To be perfectly honest though, the feature I appreciate the most about the 608 is the radio triggering of the flash units. The pleasure is much like that obtained by ceasing to bang one's head against a wall. ;)
-Drew
Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability
Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional
accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering
capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta
readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in
Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
Thanks for the info, I'm pretty sure they've eleminated aperture priority -- so far I've narrowed (hardly) my choices. I think I've pretty much crossed off the Minolta meter, but I've added the Gossen Starlite to my list. For now wireless flash triggering is not an issue for me, the zoom spot meter on the Sekonic seems attractive over the Gossen, however.

-Drew
Regarding the aperture priority feature, a feature I have on my
Flashmeter V, I hope they didn't do away with it on the Flashmeter
VI, but I don't know for sure, I haven't had a Flashmeter VI in my
hands to be sure nor have I seen an owner's manual or official
brochure, and don't always trust specs on the web. However, it is
possible they could have done away with it espeically if they feel
it wasn't a feature that real popular, personally I hope they
didn't.
I also noticed the Minolta meter only has a shutter priority mode,
I often use aperture priority in outdoor photography where quantity
of light is not an issue, is there some kind of work around with
the meter that I haven’t realized?

You obviously have some valuable insights, your opinion is
appreciated.
All of my personal meters are Minolta and I have kept them
calibrated while I worked at Minolta, I have a Flashmeter V and a
Spotmeter F, I am interested in the Flashmeter VI because of its
all-in-one (when I just want to carry one meter) and its direct
readouts to match digital camera settings.
-Drew
Flashmeter VI =

Fixed 1 degree spot
No wireless capability
Spherical incident dffuser must be replaced with an optional
accessory to have flat incident diffuser metering capability

Sekonic L608 =

1-4 degree spot
Wireless Capability
Retractable incident diffuser to allow flat diffuser metering
capability

People have stated Sekonic readings slightly differ from Minolta
readings due to differences in calibration. I have no experience in
Sekonics only Minoltas while working in their service dept.
I need a flashmeter and have narrowed it down to:
1) Sekonic L608
2) Minolta VI

The second one is very new, but this does not necessarily mean it
is the best. Or so I think. :-)
Prices I think are more or less the same, which makes my choice
harder.
So, I would appreciate any opinions/comments either good or bad for
each.
Does anyone know what the major differences between the two are?

As always, any help is appreciated.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
Also Minolta's high end meters
such as the Flashmeter V (hopefully the Flashmeter VI) and
Colormeter IIIF use a different calibration procedure that does
away with the variable resistors for calibration and tend to hold
calibration longer.
Does the meter have to be returned to MINOLTA service for calibration? If so, do they charge for it?
Regarding the aperture priority feature, a feature I have on my
Flashmeter V, I hope they didn't do away with it on the Flashmeter
VI, but I don't know for sure, I haven't had a Flashmeter VI in my
hands to be sure nor have I seen an owner's manual or official
brochure, and don't always trust specs on the web. However, it is
possible they could have done away with it espeically if they feel
it wasn't a feature that real popular, personally I hope they
didn't.
Same here. I hope they didn't. I do not think they would have, as it is a widely used feature. I have an official press release copy from Minolta about the VI flashmeter. If you want, I can scan it and e-mail it to you. Just let me know. In the meantime, I will have a look and check whether the Aperture priority is still there or not.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
Thanks for the info, I'm pretty sure they've eleminated aperture
priority -- so far I've narrowed (hardly) my choices. I think I've
pretty much crossed off the Minolta meter, but I've added the
Gossen Starlite to my list.
If they have wiped out the Aperture priority, then I think I may as well wipe out the Minolta meter. Why did they do that really?

As for the Starlite, I have also had a look at this one, but there is something I do not like about it. I do not know what, but something is there that bothers me.
For now wireless flash triggering is
not an issue for me, the zoom spot meter on the Sekonic seems
attractive over the Gossen, however.
Same here, not really interested in wireless, as setting it up would probably cost more than the meter did! Zoom spot meter certainly looks like it has much to offer, along the fact that you can see the readings in the spot viewfinder (which I think you can not do with the Minolta VI).

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
I've had three, they all agreed with each other within a 1/10 of a
stop. The 608 can be custom calibrated to your own specs if you
feel the urge.
Does this mean that the VI can NOT be custom calibrated? I thought it could.... Am I wrong?

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
Many thanks to anyone who offered to help so far. I am sorry I responded late, but I hope you can still asnwer some more questions that I posted above.

From what I read till now, it seems most (actualyl everyone I think) are in favour of the Sekonic L-608. So, doesn't the Minolta VI have anything worth buying it that the Sekonic does NOT offer? For example, how about the latitude feature? Is this any useful?

Finally, can both meters analyze contrast/brightness in a scene and expose for shadows. midtones or highlights?

Thanks for any comments again.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
I have no knowledge of the VI beyond a quick look at the specs. Since I don't have one of those, and have no need to switch from what I do have, I haven't bothered learning the details.
I've had three, they all agreed with each other within a 1/10 of a
stop. The 608 can be custom calibrated to your own specs if you
feel the urge.
Does this mean that the VI can NOT be custom calibrated? I thought
it could.... Am I wrong?

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
My minolta IV has an adjustment knob to change and finetune the calibration.
I've had three, they all agreed with each other within a 1/10 of a
stop. The 608 can be custom calibrated to your own specs if you
feel the urge.
Does this mean that the VI can NOT be custom calibrated? I thought
it could.... Am I wrong?

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
Without ever using the new Minolta, I feel safe in saying it's a top quality product that is at least on par with the Sekonic.

The only major benifit the Sekonics offer is the PocketWizard module. I love this feature, but if you don't use PocketWizards, the Minolta is more compact. We owned several Minoltas, but replaced them with Sekonics for this feature only. We have two incident only & two incident/spot Sekonics. Unless you use spot metering alot, get the incident only ones since they are much more compact.

The Minolta Spotmeter (only) is better than the spotmeter in the 608.

Regards,
Bern Caughey
 
Regarding the Flashmeter V, to calibrate it you need to know how to put the meter into service calibration mode and have a calibrated light source that can be set to different EV levels, and you need to know step-by-step procedure. With the Colormeter IIIF you need Colormeter IIIF Calibration Master body, a data transfer cable, calibration filters and calibrated light source. I assume the Flashmeter VI has a calibration method similar to the Flashmeter V. Minolta has a flat charge for meters, in the case of the Colormeter IIIF it is over $100, I don't recall the flat rate charge for the other meters.

Regarding the Flashmeter VI, I'll just go down to my local dealer when I get a chance and check it out. I am going to miss my 50% Minolta employee discount if I decide to purchase one.
Also Minolta's high end meters
such as the Flashmeter V (hopefully the Flashmeter VI) and
Colormeter IIIF use a different calibration procedure that does
away with the variable resistors for calibration and tend to hold
calibration longer.
Does the meter have to be returned to MINOLTA service for
calibration? If so, do they charge for it?
Regarding the aperture priority feature, a feature I have on my
Flashmeter V, I hope they didn't do away with it on the Flashmeter
VI, but I don't know for sure, I haven't had a Flashmeter VI in my
hands to be sure nor have I seen an owner's manual or official
brochure, and don't always trust specs on the web. However, it is
possible they could have done away with it espeically if they feel
it wasn't a feature that real popular, personally I hope they
didn't.
Same here. I hope they didn't. I do not think they would have, as
it is a widely used feature. I have an official press release copy
from Minolta about the VI flashmeter. If you want, I can scan it
and e-mail it to you. Just let me know. In the meantime, I will
have a look and check whether the Aperture priority is still there
or not.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
Alll Minolta's meters have had user calibration override dial, I would be suprised if they didn't have it on the Flashmeter VI
I've had three, they all agreed with each other within a 1/10 of a
stop. The 608 can be custom calibrated to your own specs if you
feel the urge.
Does this mean that the VI can NOT be custom calibrated? I thought
it could.... Am I wrong?

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 
I've recently bought a Minolta VI. I'm very happy with it and I use te latitude function a lot. very handy for digital where overexposure is killing.

And I do miss the Aperture-prio function... or i'm to dumb to find it, its not in the manual.

The sport meter is exelent, and has a diopter adjustment on the back.

If I ever have enough money to buy the pocketwizard sets then I will use velcro to stick to to the back.

Regards Marnix van Wijk
http://www.marnixvanwijkfotografie.nl
Many thanks to anyone who offered to help so far. I am sorry I
responded late, but I hope you can still asnwer some more questions
that I posted above.

From what I read till now, it seems most (actualyl everyone I
think) are in favour of the Sekonic L-608. So, doesn't the Minolta
VI have anything worth buying it that the Sekonic does NOT offer?
For example, how about the latitude feature? Is this any useful?
Finally, can both meters analyze contrast/brightness in a scene and
expose for shadows. midtones or highlights?

Thanks for any comments again.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
 
"If" the Flashmeter VI has aperture priority mode, it's probably called "Ambi FNo." or "FNo. Priority" mode or something similar as was it was called on their other Flasmeter series.
The sport meter is exelent, and has a diopter adjustment on the back.

If I ever have enough money to buy the pocketwizard sets then I
will use velcro to stick to to the back.

Regards Marnix van Wijk
http://www.marnixvanwijkfotografie.nl
Many thanks to anyone who offered to help so far. I am sorry I
responded late, but I hope you can still asnwer some more questions
that I posted above.

From what I read till now, it seems most (actualyl everyone I
think) are in favour of the Sekonic L-608. So, doesn't the Minolta
VI have anything worth buying it that the Sekonic does NOT offer?
For example, how about the latitude feature? Is this any useful?
Finally, can both meters analyze contrast/brightness in a scene and
expose for shadows. midtones or highlights?

Thanks for any comments again.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Look! Zee money is in zee eye!
--
Tphoto
(see profile for equipment)
 

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