Pentax Spotmeter
A couple of years ago I bought a Pentax Spotmeter V from a colleague and became interested about the history of Pentax Spotmeters. So I started looking for earlier versions of the Spotmeter and found there were two different types of meters, the Spotmeter 3º/21º and the Spotmeter 1º/21º.
Unfortunately there isn’t much information available about the old 3º/21º spotmeters, some good sources I found are James Ollinger’s, Michel Carrère-Gée's and Dave Schneller’s site.
Click on an image for more details.
Unfortunately there isn’t much information available about the old 3º/21º spotmeters, some good sources I found are James Ollinger’s, Michel Carrère-Gée's and Dave Schneller’s site.
Click on an image for more details.
Pentax Spot Exposure Meter 3º21º
• CdS cell
• Waist-level, Frontring chrome & black
• Black dials
• Introduced 1961 ?
• Meter range 2-18 EV
Tested in “Popular Science”, September 1964.
• Waist-level, Frontring chrome & black
• Black dials
• Introduced 1961 ?
• Meter range 2-18 EV
Tested in “Popular Science”, September 1964.
Honeywell Spot Exposure Meter 3º/21º
• CdS cell
• Waist-level, Frontring chrome & black
• Black dials
• Introduced 1961 ?
• Meter range 2-18 EV
Tested in “Popular Science”, September 1964.
• Waist-level, Frontring chrome & black
• Black dials
• Introduced 1961 ?
• Meter range 2-18 EV
Tested in “Popular Science”, September 1964.
Pentax Spot Exposure Meter 3º21º
• CdS cell
• Waist-level, Frontring black
• Black dials
• Introduced 1963/64 ?
• Meter range 2-18 EV
• Waist-level, Frontring black
• Black dials
• Introduced 1963/64 ?
• Meter range 2-18 EV
Pentax Spot Exposure Meter
I found this spotmeter with chrome dials in an old advertising that must be younger than 1962, as it had a Honeywell H3v on the same page.
The patent for the 3/21 spotmeter was also filed in 1962.
The patent for the 3/21 spotmeter was also filed in 1962.
Pentax Spotmeter 1º/21° (II)
• CdS cell
• Penta prism
• Introduced 1964 or 1965 ?
• No lowlight illumination, no IRE scale
• Meter range 3-18 EV
• One 1.3V mercury battery (Mallory RM640, Eveready E640 or equivalent)
• One 9V dry battery (Mallory M-1604, Eveready 216 or equivalent)
• Penta prism
• Introduced 1964 or 1965 ?
• No lowlight illumination, no IRE scale
• Meter range 3-18 EV
• One 1.3V mercury battery (Mallory RM640, Eveready E640 or equivalent)
• One 9V dry battery (Mallory M-1604, Eveready 216 or equivalent)
Pentax Spotmeter III
• CdS cell
• Introduced 1966 ?
• Lowlight illumintion, IRE scale
• Meter range 3-18 EV
• One 1.3V mercury battery (Mallory RM640, Eveready E640 or equivalent)
• One 9V dry battery (Mallory M-1604, Eveready 216 or equivalent)
• Introduced 1966 ?
• Lowlight illumintion, IRE scale
• Meter range 3-18 EV
• One 1.3V mercury battery (Mallory RM640, Eveready E640 or equivalent)
• One 9V dry battery (Mallory M-1604, Eveready 216 or equivalent)
Pentax Spotmeter V
• Silicium cell
• Introduced 1975/76
• Lowlight illumintion, IRE scale
• Meter range 1-19 EV
• 3 Batteries SR44
• Introduced 1975/76
• Lowlight illumintion, IRE scale
• Meter range 1-19 EV
• 3 Batteries SR44
Pentax Digital Spotmeter
• Silicium cell
• Introduced 1977
• Digital display
• Meter range 1-19 EV
• Introduced 1977
• Digital display
• Meter range 1-19 EV
Clip On Exposure Meter
Clip-On Exposure Meter 1
• CdS cell
• 1961 - 1962
• 1961 - 1962
Clip-On Exposure Meter 2
• CdS cell
• 1962 - 1968
• 1962 - 1968
Clip-On Exposure Meter SL
• CdS cell
• 1968 - 1973
• 1968 - 1973