Minolta Exposure Meters

Please note that this page only provides technical information. This is not an online shop. Don't send requests for price quotes etc. I can not sell you anything that's listed here.

This is supposed to be a tech data sheet of all Minolta exposure meters. My goal is to list all meters, including older versions.

Meters are color-coded as follows:

Announced meter

Current meter

Discontinued meter

Brands are highlighted as follows:

Minolta, Konica Minolta

Whenever there's a “?” or empty space in the table, I do not know the data. If you have that specific meter, or when you have a model not listed yet, and you can provide the data, please contact me and I'll update the table as soon as possible.

Data for announced products should be considered preliminary. Exact data often isn't known until after the actual release. You should not rely on data for announced products to be correct.

Contributors

The following people have contributed to this page:

Kees Beets, Klaus Ipsen, Mathias Schwenke, Lennart Sjöberg

Thanks to all!

Last update: April 29th, 2014

Exposure meters

Minolta Flash Meter Ⅵ

Minolta Flash Meter Ⅴ

Minolta Flash Meter Ⅳ

Minolta Auto Meter Ⅴ F

Minolta Auto Meter Ⅳ F

Minolta Auto Meter Ⅲ F

Minolta Auto Meter Ⅲ

Minolta Spot Meter F

Color meters

Minolta Color Meter Ⅲ F

Minolta Color Meter Ⅱ

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Readers' comments

#1: Comment posted by Lennart Grahn on April 12th, 2008 - 02:14:21 PM:
The 'Minolta Spot Meter F' has also a 1 degree spot meter.

Michael Hohner answers:
I know. I've added this now to the comments field because there's no extra field for this.

#2: Comment posted by Walt Byrnes on March 4th, 2009 - 03:30:30 AM:
Very nice. Thank you

#3: Comment posted by Wolfgang Herdrich on February 13th, 2011 - 11:16:23 AM:
Flash Meter IV fehlt in Ihrer Liste. Es wurde wahrscheinlich ab 1988 hergestellt.

#4: Comment posted by Dimitri on September 19th, 2012 - 05:00:37 PM:
Hi there, i want to ask you please something. Is the Viewfinder 5° accessorie for Minolta Flash Meter IV, suitable also for Minolta Auto Meter IV F? Thank you very much, Dimitri. Hallo, ich möchte Sie bitte etwas fragen. Ist das Viewfinder 5 ° Accessoire für Minolta Flash Meter IV, geeignet auch für Minolta Auto Meter IV F? Danke sehr, Dimitri.

Michael Hohner answers:
Unfortunately I don't know.

#5: Comment posted by Luff on October 8th, 2012 - 08:48:03 AM:
To Dimitri, Yes it also works on the IVF. : )

#6: Comment posted by Ruth on August 20th, 2013 - 01:00:03 PM:
Hello, This is a wonderful page! I was wondering which reflective light attachment for the Minolta 4f would work better for reading accurate exposures of landscape and or city scapes? I was thinking of purchasing a 5degree or 10 degree attachment to help with a city scape light assignment for a photography class. Thank you for your help, Ruth

Michael Hohner answers:
I have not personally used these devices, so I can't give a recommendation.

#7: Comment posted by J. McGraw on November 12th, 2013 - 10:37:13 PM:

To Ruth
Yes I quite agree that this is a wonderful page.
Boy! U may not be aware of what a complicated question U asked. It's now ~ 3months since U posted here, so by now U may have gotten the answer, I hope so b/c if not U could be battling a lot of frustrations. Also I hope U get this post. Perhaps the moderator could contact U. When U say U have a 'Minolta 4f' I'm inclined to think U mean an Auto Meter IVF. Does your meter look like the picture of the Auto Meter IVF, or does it look like the picture of the the Flash Meter IV. This may or may not be important. Pleas read on. At some time Minolta / Kinko changed the design of the reflected disk. Not all reflected disks are compatible w/ all Minolta / Kinkos. The difference is that the newer disks have a clear covering over the diaphragm &, most importantly, they have a different interface w/ the meter that gives a 2 or 4 stop different reading The older disks diaphragms are totally open (one could pass a paper clip through the hole).
But there is much more to your question. A 5° attachment would help, but in this day & age the best answer, for city & landscapes is to get a true spot meter w/ a 1° angle view. I know Ansel Adams used a ~ 45° Weston meter (which is ~ the same angle as your reflected light disk) But he also used the incredibly complicated SEI meter which was the only spot meter available until around the '60s or '70s. And he was a genius.
If U get this post, please email me so I might go over more options for U.
J. McGraw
P.S. If anyone knows exactly which models mark the change between the 2 types of reflected disks, would they please post it here.
Thanks

#8: Comment posted by Rene on April 5th, 2014 - 02:46:31 PM:
Do you know whether any of the Kenko spot viewfinder attachments fit the Minolta Autometer IVF, as Kenko. Thanks, Rene

Michael Hohner answers:
I am not sure. Better to ask Kenko.

#9: Comment posted by Heiko Herrmann on December 25th, 2014 - 08:00:57 PM:
What is the difference between Minoltas "Flash Meters" and the Minolta "Auto Meters"? Seems like they have similar functionality and both were produced and update around the same time.

Michael Hohner answers:
Yes, there seems to be a large overlap, at least for the Auto Meters with flash metering feature.

#10: Comment posted by QUEVAL HERVE on November 11th, 2020 - 09:46:38 PM:

I am a fan of Minolta 35mm.
Some information to complete your web site:
About Auto Meter III, it exist a first version, old logo, 1980 same caracteristics but powered with 1 x AA batterie only.

I have a picture of the back and confirmed by Joe McGloin web site, following this link:
http://www.subclub.org/minman/meters.htm

I will be able to send you a picture of the Auto Meter IIIF.

Best regards.

Michael Hohner answers:
Thanks for the hint, I've corrected my table.