jonfrei

I have one. I like it very much. It has the ability to remotely fire your flash (via sync cable) to take readings, which is very nice.

advocate1982

Well on mine, if the little battery is missing, the meter is not working.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I used the Minolta III F for many years and it was an excellent incident light meter for use with my film cameras and especially good for studio strobe lighting.

I eventually upgraded to the Minolta V F... because the f-stop, shutter speeds and ISO increments, as well as the range of ISO covered by it, were more appropriate for later film and digital cameras I'd started using.

I also liked that the Minolta V F uses a standard AA battery... super easy to find and cheap! (I see no mention of a second battery in the Minolta IV user manual... but don't have that flash. There's no second battery in my Minolta V F. It only needs the AA, which last a long time in it.)

Pretty sure the "IV" is also an "F" model, meaning it can meter flash and studio strobes, as well as make incident readings of ambient light. I think it also uses an AA battery, a good thing!

Not sure if that $90 price is good or not... but I see B&H has a used IV F in relatively poor, but working "bargain" condition, that they're asking $115 for.

Since then, I've updated once again, to a Sekonic L358 which has an even better ISO range and increments (1/3 stop shutter speeds and f-stops... the older Minoltas were 1/2 stop increments only) that are a better match for the newer DSLRs I'm using now (still have both the III and the V... both still working fine). The one thing I am not entirely happy about with the Sekonic is that it requires a bit harder to find CR123 battery.

FYI: The Minolta meters were briefly made under the Konica-Minolta brand name, after the two companies merged in 2003. When Sony bought all the photographic divisions of Konica-Minolta in 2006, they immediately spun off the light meter division to Hoya Corporation, who still continue to make the meters or newer models of them that are offered under the Kenko brand name.

If you get the Minolta IV F meter and need a user manual, a PDF of it is available for free (voluntary donations accepted) at:
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/flashes_meters.htm

BebuLamar

The OP gets a flashmeter iv and not the Autometer ivF

ecurb1105

Excellent meter for flash or ambient light. I still have mine from 1990 with the dome and flat receptors as well as the 5 degree spot reading attachment. The only battery needed​ is the AA. I also still use a Minolta Color Meter 3. I can recommend both meters.

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

Yes, that is the model the OP stated and it is the top of the Minolta line and it does both incident and reflected measurements - Flash Meter IV - no "F"

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

Well if your Minolta Meter is a "Flash Meter IV" then there is something wrong with it bcause the "little battery" is not required for measurements. Take my word for it or RTM!

blackest Loc: Ireland

Well offer accepted and i'm heading out to meet the fella now :)

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

No, I had a flash meter three and the flash meter four. One took an AA, but the other took a battery that was almost impossible to find. It must've been the III.

RRS Loc: Not sure

I've had one for ever it seems and it still works great. No I wouldn't sell it either. I use it in studio work setting up my lights but if your inclined to use a light meter outside it shines there too.

Bill P

My minolta uses a single battery that is very hard to find. I can still get them from the local Interstate battery store, but I have found their batteries to have disturbingly short life spans. Actually the batteries are just 4 button cells in a metal wrapper, and I suspect you can use tape to duplicate the one, but a spacer will be required at one end or the other.

I find the meter easy to use (I owned mine for several years before I found an instruction manual, which I found to be unnecessary) and accurate with both flash and ambient light. The only worry is that service if needed will be as extinct as the service for my inop Minolta scanners. Don't know who screwed me worse, Konica Minolta or Sony. Could be both.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Sorry, about that; I must have had the ivF:

KEH:
Metering Method: Incident and Reflected
Measuring Modes: Ambient, Flash, Aperture Priority, Spot
Measuring Range: - 2 to 19.5 EV (100 ISO)
Receptor Head: Spherical Diffuser
Receptor Element: silicon photocell
Calibration Constant: Yes
Power source: (1) AA battery
Dimensions: 153 x 68 x 28mm
Weight: 170g

My Sekonic did both, but I did use primarily Aperture Priority. The Minolta is still a great buy and an excellent meter!

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

If it doesn't come with the User Manual, you can download a PDF Manual free from Butkus. Just Google "Butkus". Did I mention that the download is free?

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

I have the AutoMeter IV (flash and ambient) and a spot attachment. It's very easy to use, lightweight and accurate as far as I can tell. Has improved my ambient light work as well as flash.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Now the owner of a minolta flash meter iv with 2 batteries an AA and one about half size of an AA and it will work without the short battery.