[MD Optofonik]

Found a Minolta Flash Meter V in "4 out of 5 condition" with original box, flat diffuser, reflective, and 5 degree spot attachment for $200.00.

I was looking at a used Polaris Dual 5 till I found this. Everything comes from a dealer with a "no hassle return" policy and the price comes in exactly at the limit of my budget. The only question remaining seems to be whether the money spent on the 5 degree spot attachment, $55.00, might be better allocated to buying a used dedicated 1 degree spot meter.

Anyone wanting to chime in on anything related the the V, it's applicability to more contemporary metering practices of today vs during it's particular era, it's quirks, learning curve, tips, tricks, how it stacks up against the IVf, Vf, and current budget meters in the sub $200 category, please do so. It's all appreciated. I feel like I found, if not a bargain, a solid deal.

Thanks in advance.

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Last edited by MD Optofonik; 04-23-2013 at 09:14 PM.

[SOldBear]

$200 is a good price.

In the last 4 weeks, I sold on FleaBay a Minolta Auto Meter IV for $122 and a Minolta Auto Meter IV with 5 degree Spot Attachment for $212.

From what I know, the Auto Meter is the "easy-to-use" (read "less rugged and less feature-rich") version of the Flash Meter counterpart. I currently have a Minolta Flash Meter IV and still don't know all of its features yet.

The only question remaining seems to be whether the money spent on the 5 degree spot attachment, $55.00, might be better allocated to buying a used dedicated 1 degree spot meter.

Note that the 5 degree spot attachment in this case can perform flash metering (only reflective, not incident). I don't think there's any 1 degree spot meter can do flash metering.

[DSims]

You should get it, including the 5 degree spot attachment (which is the best one for these meters - better than the 10 degree in most cases). You can buy a separate spot meter later if the 5 degree isn't enough. You can also recoup the price of the 5 degree if you have to sell it later.

But I think this will get you what you need right now, and there's a good chance you'll just start using it and move on to capturing the photos (and soon to the next item you need in your kit ).

[MD Optofonik]

I bought it.

The meter came with the manual and is in excellent condition, the spot attachment came with a case, and the flat diffuser and reflective attachments are all in equally excellent condition. I've just started learning the meter's ins and out but it seems pretty straight forward so far. I took a few test shots to determine if there was a noticeable difference between the K30's metering and the Flash V metering. Clearly, there is, but I'm looking forward to some "real world" usage to see those differences in action. I definitely feel like it was "worth it".