Exposure meters

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Minox exposure meters. Other small pocket exposure meter

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 21, 1998

Answers

MinoSix meter was designed in 1951 for Minox A camera. It had a selenium meter made by Gossen.

MinoSix dimension 5.3 x 3 x 1.8 cm. It has a viewfinder (with or without frame ) It comes with a chain and a case.

To use MinoSix, set the ASA/DIN number with the thumb switch at the back. View object through viewfinder as if through Minox A, press the button on top of meter to measure light, release the button to lock reading. Then read off the shutter speed from the meter.

Since Minox A camera's COMPLAN lens is always set at f3.5, there is not need to change aperture.

However,Minox meter can be used on other cameras with variable apertures. Through a coversion table at the back of MinoSix, the meter can be use for aperture from F2 to F8; addition table in the instruction allows it to be used from F1.4 to F32

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 21, 1998.

After 1954, Minox changed the engraving on the exposure meter from MinoSix to miNox mouse logo. The functions are essentialy the same. Some Minox meter has only ASA numbers, some with ASA and DIN. MinoxSix and Minox meters are collector items.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 21, 1998.
I use rather a Sekonic Auto Leader model L 188 battery operated exposure meter. It is quite light, and more sensitive, allows ASA from 6 to 128,000 instead of only ASA 25 to 200. One downside of Sekonic L 188: it has no expousre lock, it moment you release the button, the meter needle springs back to zero.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 21, 1998.
When I am using Minox IIIs with a 35mm camera with meter, such as Minox GTE, Rollei 35 etc, I just use the 35mm camera meter.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 21, 1998.
The selenium exposure meter of Minox B is a Gossen There are two version, the first version of early Minox B has a windwon screen type grid; second version of Minox B has a honeycomb grid selenium meter.

-- marti tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 25, 1998.
Minox B exposure meter is coupled to the build in ND filter ( operate by the milled filter rod in viewfinder window ) such that when you pull out the ND filter to cover the lens, the exposure meter needle will point to a lower reading. Minox B has a built in ND filter and a green filter. However, the green filter is not automatically compenstated. When you use the green filter in Minox B, do not use the triangular pointer /\ on the meter, instead use the little dot '.' at its left hand side to align it with the meter needle (by turning the speed dial ).

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), December 31, 1998.
A question related to the miNox meter: what is shutter speed range shown on meter? Are parts available for these meters?

-- Daryl Jorud (djorud@prtel.com), February 19, 1999.
miNox meter shutter ranges: For other ASA NUMBERS multiply or divide accordingly For lens other then F3.5, use table at back of meter( f2,f2,8, f4 f5.6,f8)

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 20, 1999.
I don't think parts are available of Minox/MinoSix meters.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 20, 1999.
When using MinoSix/Minox meter or the built in meter on Minox B, you must point the camera or meter at the object, be careful that the meter window is not accidentally blocked by a finger, then you must press the meter read button of the meter. Otherwise the meter will not move. When you switch in an ND filter of Minox B, you must also press the READ button to see the difference in meter readings

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 20, 1999.
EI range of Sekonic L188 meter: 6 to 12,500. This suits Minox 8x11 camera just fine. At one end, EI 6 covers the high resolution microfilm Fuji Super HR, at the other end, 12,500 covers high speed film Kodak TMAX P3200 pushed to 12,500 with Tmax developer.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 26, 1999.
Something I am curious about is how does the meter come apart..mine has a broken glass,so I found a peice of slide glass that fits, but I Suspect that to fully dismantle the meter one must FIRST remove the chart decal from the back of the unit, risking damaging the decal.I even called minox in GERMANY,and they said the no longer carried any technical or servicing information for these meters...oh well

-- DAVID GENSER (DARKERWATERS@POWERSURFR.COM), October 16, 1999.
David -

The meter I just purchased has a loose back plate. The "label" on mine is actually a rather thick (.005?) metal plate secured with the brass screw and also glue. You should be safe to remove the screw and slip an X-acto blade under the plate - the glue on mine is quite brittle. Good luck!

-- Ken Ford (kford@Ameritech.net), March 03, 2000.

Martin, are you aware that there are several different versions of the later (non-Minosix) meter? These are differentiated by the marked ASA range on the scale. The three that I know about are:

ASA 10,20,40,80 Picture

ASA 12,25,50,100 (As shown in Moses' Spycamera book) ASA 25,50,100,200

-- James Jones (jaj01@home.com), March 04, 2000.

My meter (S/N 84 1xx) has the 25/50/100/200 scale. It must be a later one...

-- Ken Ford (kford@Ameritech.net), March 05, 2000.
I some times use a Leudi extinction meter for my Minox IIIs

Leudi meter was made in Austria. It is still the smallest and lightest exposure meter, weight only half oz, including the box.

Look through the Leudi window, there are numbers from 1 to 8, point the Leudi to the object, indentify the dimest number you can still see, then turn the Leudi celloloid belt to align the number with the environment, (sunny, hazy, indoor, etc ) and read off the shutter vs aperture.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), June 06, 2001.
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