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Thread: The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

  1. #1
    Photographer, Machinist, etc. Jeffrey Sipress's Avatar
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    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    Is the Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter worth it? It seems to always be in such demand and highly rated. How much different can it be from, say, a Minolta F?

  2. #2

    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    I cant speak from experience about the Zone VI modified version, but my non-modified Pentax digital spot is worth twice what I paid at $250. The analog calculator on the pentax works seamlessly for users of the Zone System. A friend of mine has a Sekonic with a spot and it is a bit convoluted to use for zone metering.

  3. #3

    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    When I purchased mine, I looked at othe others available and none had readings visable in the viewfinder. That means you have to keep removing it from your eye.

  4. #4

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    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    I've used one for many years and it's very accurate. The design was modified to reduce flare and to make the meter cells respond to light the same way film does (reducing IR, etc.) THE best tool for zone-system work. I wouldn't want to go back to a Luna-Pro. Of course it has no incident or flash-metering capability so I have a Sekonic for that.

  5. #5

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    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    Are you asking whether the Zone VI modifications are worth the added cost or whether the meter itself is worth its cost?

    I've used the modified version for about ten years. It's an excellent meter, very simple to use, sturdy (I've dropped it several times and it keeps on ticking), and if you add a belt strap to the holder that comes with it then it's very easy to carry (almost any decent shoe repair store can add the strap for you). It does only one thing - read in EVs - but it does that very well. Whether you buy the modified version or not, you should get the little zone system sticker that Calumet sells (I assume they still sell it) for $5 or so, it makes using the meter a lot easier especially if you use the zone system.

    Whether the cost of the modifications is "worth it," who knows. There's been a lot of debate over the years about whether the modifications really do what they are claimed to do and/or whether it makes any real difference even if they do. I bought mine modified because I figured the modifications couldn't hurt, might help, and I'd probably be buying only one in my lifetime so the added cost wasn't that big a deal.

    I also owned a Minolta Spotmeter F for a while. It's a nice meter, very different from the Pentax because it has a lot of options and features that the Pentax doesn't have. That's fine if you need or want those features but if you don't then they just clutter up the meter and make it more complicated to use. I didn't need or want those features so I sold mine and bought the Pentax. If you're debating between the Minolta and the Pentax you need to do some reading about the Minolta to see if its extra options and features are things you would use.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  6. #6

    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    Every time this questons has been asked (and it is a very comon thread) the words "worth it" come into play. Looking into the archives the subject draws a polarized response as one would expect as value is a relative term completely subjective to the user. What you need to ascertain is if the Minolta F has a "K" factor built into it (Adams The Negative pg 66) that would affect the results the meter would give you. My two modified Zone VI meters read linear from the low end to the high end of the scale and give me accurate colored filter readings 100% of the time.

    Fact. You do not need a modified Zone VI meter to utilize the zone system in your LF work. But I and many others will use every photographic tool that performs as intended.

    A while back someone with the facts said that Zone VI sold over 10,000 of these modified meters. Calumet continues to produce and modify these as we speak as they are in regular high demand from all photographers. Far to consistent over a long period of time to be nonsensical hype from the sales department as far as I am concerned. But fortunately you have many other options at your disposal.

    Cheers!

  7. #7
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    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    Hi Jeffrey,

    The answer to your question depends on whether you are planning on using the meter for measuring sunlight or flash. Some meters can be used for both. The Pentax Zone VI only reads ambient light. It does not read flash exposures.

    Over the past twenty-five years, I have owned a Pentax Spotmeter V, a Gossen Luna Star F (with a spotmeter attachment), a Minolta Spotmeter F, a Pentax Digital Spotmeter, and the meter I am now working with, a Zone VI modified Pentax Digital Spotmeter.

    Although the Minolta Spotmeter F was my favorite meter for indoor studio work, with flash , the Pentax Zone VI Spotmeter is the best meter I have ever worked with outdoors in the sunlight, especially for B&W photography using contrast control filters. The Zone VI Pentax Spotmeter enables me to take a reading directly through a filter, place the reading on my selected zone, and determine the brightness range, with a great deal of accuracy.

  8. #8
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    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    As usual, I'll toss in a link to Paul Butzi's take on this:

    www.butzi.net/articles/zone%20VI%20worth%20it.htm

  9. #9
    Geos
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    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    The Zone VI modified is the best meter I own. My only complaint is that it isn't too good in low light situations. If you get one, I'd recommend getting the leather holster (available through Calumet) for it, although the Rangers might think you have a side arm.

  10. #10

    The Zone VI Pentax Spot Meter

    Sigh. I typed up a lengthy response, and apparently failed to hit the right button to post it.

    Let me try again.

    Others have posted the link to my stuff.

    Other things of interest:

    Since I put my data on the web, I've been contacted by one photographer, Peter MacCallum of Toronto, who has kindly shared his data comparing a Zone VI modified Pentax *analog* meter and an unmodified Pentax digital spotmeter.

    Peter's data show more variation between the two meters than I found between the modified and unmodified Pentax digital meters. I haven't done a real statistical analysis but the difference Peter found seems to be about on the scale of what I found between the Pentax meters and the Sekonic L-508. Whether the difference in response Peter found is due to the Zone VI modifications or to the differences between the analog and digital meters, I don't know.

    It's interesting to note that I found LESS flare with the unmodified meter, and I did find that the unmodified meter was better in low light situations (below 3 ev).

    If you're asking if the Pentax Digital Spot is worth the price, I'd say unequivocally yes. My meter has suffered treatment ranging from benign neglect (riding, uncapped, in the pocket of my vest) to outright abuse (being dropped on rock, being dropped on wet sand, being exposed to rain, salt mist, and condensing fog) and has never skipped a beat.

    If you're asking if the Zone VI modifications are worth it, my response would be that they are not. (Note that I actually bought and still own a Zone VI modified meter). Clearly, reasonable minds disagree on this, and in fact several people whose opinions I respect greatly disagree with me on this.

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