Color Temperature Meter

[neil poulsen]

What is a good serviceable color temperature meter that can be used for architecture.

For example, I see ebay auctions for a Minolta II, but it apparently requires a flash accessory for strobes. Assuming one has the accessory, is this a suitable meter?

[Walter Glover]

Minolta III F has served me well since its release. Flash, ambient — it's all a breeze with the III F. I previously had the II F and it could prove a pain with switching receptor modules — there are times when one needs to know the ºK of both the ambient and the flash.

I have also had the Gossen and the Broncolor meterts but the Minolta takes the prize.

[Frank Petronio]

FWIW, unless you have a really good client, you can shoot Polaroids and use some common sense - along with Photoshop color adjustments and retouching, which you will probably need to do anyway - and save the $1000 the Minolta Color Meter costs. I sold mine during a slow spell years ago, and haven't missed it since. But I am not a full-time architectural photographer. Even if I was a full-time archy photog, I'd probably spend the $1000 on ten other more useful things before that color meter...

[David du Busc]

One thing to consider is whether the older II is supported by Minolta. If it can't be repaired .... it won't even serve as a boat anchor at that weight. I love it when service say... "...well it's old [what do you expect], buy a new one, they're really nice."

[Frank Petronio]

Just to pile it on (it's quiet here) - you can get too anal about color balancing if you read the books. Those guys like to brag about how perfect they get everything, all the gear they used, how complex it all is, etc. What they don't show is the ten thousand mediocre exposures of construction progress shots they made beforehand. The reality is that you have to learn how to get acceptable if not great shots within 15 to 60 minutes, rather than spending eight hours on lighting, with a crew of three assistants, to get one shot. You'll never get to the point of doing the big time shoots unless you can master doing really good "cheap, quick, and dirty" shooting on smaller projects.