Polaris Karat Flash Meter User manual

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Instruction Manual
POLARIS Karat Flash Meter
Made in Japan
Since 1978

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CONTENTS
1. Name of Parts 3
2. Before Using
2-1 Battery Installation 42-6 Light Receiving Method Setup 7
2-2 Power On 42-7 Shutter Speed (T) Setup 8
2-3 Choosing a Measurement Mode 52-8 Aperture (F) Setup 9
2-4 Adjusting Settings 5 2-9 Program Level（PL）Setup 10
2-5 ISO Sensitivity Value Setup 6
3. Measurement-Standard Operation 11
*Ambient Light Measurement *Flash Light Measurement
3-1 Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode 12 3-5 Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode 15-16
3-2 Aperture (F) Priority Mode 13 3-6 FD Mode 16-17
3-3 EV Mode 13 3-7 Notes on Flash Measurement Mode 18
3-4 Auto ISO Mode 14
4. Measurement-Functional Operation
4-1 Data Memory Function 19
4-2 Average Function 20
4-3 Contrast Function 21-22
4-4 Multipul Flash Mode 23
5. Specifications 24
6. Instructions Notes 25

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１． Name of Parts
❶Incident Sphere
❷Sensor (for Reflected light)
❸Power Button
❹Power Indicator light
❺Menu Button
❻LCD Display
❼Multiple Flash Button
❽ISO Button
❾AVG Button
❿MEMORY Button
⓫Measuring Button
⓬Cross Key
⓭Select Button
⓮Strap Eyelet
⓯Synch Port
⓰Auxiliary fitting for wireless trigger (※Sold separately)
⓱Battery Compartment
⓲Switching Dial (for Incident or Reflected light)
❶
❺
❹
❸
❻
❷
⓫
⓲
⓱
❾
❿
❼
❽
⓬
⓭
⓰
⓮
⓯
Front
Side
Back
Bottom

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２． Before Using
2-1 Battery Installation
The meter is powerd by two AA alkaline batteries.
○Remove the Battery Compartment⓱cover by lightly pressing the
ridged area and sliding the cover in the direction indicated by the
arrow.
○Insert new batteries into to the Battery Compartment⓱following
the polarity symbols.
○Replace the Battery Compartment⓱cover
2-2 Power ON
Press the Power Button❸and turn the power on.
The Power Indicator Light❹will light up, and the
“MENU”will display on the LCD screen. 【See 2-3】
*If the meter will not be used for an extended period of time, it is recommended
to remove the batteries to avoid possible damage caused by battery leaking.
→Full battery power remaining
→Sufficient battery power remaining
→Low battery power remaining
→Replace battery immediately
*To turn off, press and hold the Power Button❸for a few seconds.
*The next time the unit is turned on, the last mode used will be displayed.
(※Metering not affected by low batteries.)

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2-3 Choosing a Measurement Mode
Press the Cross Key⓬to move the cursor and then press the Select Button⓭to choose a mode.
2-4 Adjusting Settings
a) Highlight the SET key and press the Select Button⓭. On the Setting Screen, select a menu
item by moving the selector box with the Cross Key⓬.
b) To modify a menu item, press the Select Button⓭to move the cursor to the numerical
value, which can be adjusted by pressing the up (△) or down (▽) icons on the Cross Key⓬.
c) Press the Select Button⓭and cursor will be returned to the menu item. After setting, move
the cursor to “Return to MENU” and press the Select Button⓭, or press and hold the Menu
Button❺.
…Ambient Light Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode
…Ambient Light Aperture (F) Priority Mode
…Ambient Light EV Mode
…Ambient Light AUTO ISO Mode
…Flash Light Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode
…Flash Light FD (Flash Duration) Mode
…Setting
*To return to the “MENU”, press and hold the Menu Button❺for a few seconds.

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2-5 ISO Sensitivity Value Setup
○Hold down the ISO Button❽and press the Cross Key⓬(UP △/ DOWN ▽) to select the desired
ISO Sensitivity Value.
○The UP (△) Key is used to select a higher value, and the DOWN (▽) Key a lower value.
○Holding down the UP (△) Key or DOWN (▽) Key for more than one second continuously increase
or decrease the value.
○ISO Sensitivity Value can be changed after taking a measurement. Newly caluculated values are
displayed when the ISO is changed.
○The procedure for setting values is the same in any mode.
○When the power is turned off, or the batteries changed, the last settings are stored in the memory.
（＊Factory default settings）
Auto Power Off…To preserve battery life, the power is automatically turned off when
the meter is left inactive for a predetermined length of time.
Setting time：300s・120s・90s・60s
Auto Screen Off…To preserve battery life, the display is automatically turned off when
the meter is left inactive for a predetermined length of time.
Setting time：120s・90s・60s・30s
＊When the screen has turned off, reactivate it by pressing any
button. This will bring back the last screen.
Screen Brightness…Set the brightness of the display.
Brightness range from －5 to ＋5 (by 1 step)
Flash Waiting Time…Set how long the meter will wait to take a Flash measurement
without synch cord.
Setting time：120s・60s・30s
Program Level…Can be set to modify readings in the range from －0.9 to ＋0.9 stops.
Return to MENU…Return to MENU display

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2-6 Light Receiving Method Setup
Select Incident Light Measurement or Reflected Light Measurement with Switching Dial⓲.
★Incident Light Measurement：
Incident Light Measurement are made by measuring the light
that is falling on the subject. Position the meter near the principle point of the subject with the sphere
facing the camera lens.
★Reflected Light Measurement：
Reflected Light Measurement are made by measuring the light
that is reflected by each subject in the camera field of view. When illumination is not even within a scene,
representative readings must be made of all light and dark area and then averaged
in order to determine the proper exposure.
*Reproduction of light and dark tones will be accurate in the final image because
relectance (or the lack thereof) of the subject does not affect the reading.
*Please take care that the person holding the meter does not cast a shadow on the
Incident Sphere while taking a reading.
*The light sensors meter an average of the light received in about 30 degree field
of view.
*If you need to take a spot measurement, move the meter closer to the subject,
being careful not to cast a shodow on the area to be measured.
*Reflectance measurements made using an 18% grey card are roughly the same as
those produced by an Incident Light reading.

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2-7 Shutter Speed (T) Setup
In (T) mode, press the Cross Key⓬(UP △/ DOWN ▽) to select a Shutter Speed (T). The UP (△) Key
is used to increase Shutter Speed (T), and the Down (▽) Key to decrese it. Holding down the UP (△) or
DOWN (▽) Key continuously increases or decreases the Shutter Speed (T).
＊The displayed Aperture (F) corresponds to the Shutter Speed (T) even if modified after
measurement.
＊Shutter Speed (T) in Ambient Light Measurement has 25 settings, from 60 sec to 1/8000 sec.
＊Shutter Speed (T) in Flash Light Measurement has 22 settings, from 60 sec to 1/1000 sec.
100
1/60
0.0
100
0.0
1/125
Cross Key Up (△)
Increase Shutter Speed (T)
Cross Key Down (▽)
Decrease Shutter Speed (T)

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2-8 Aperture (F) Setup
Press the Cross Key⓬(UP △/ DOWN ▽) to set the desired Aperture (F) in Aperture (F) Priority
Mode in Ambient Light and Auto ISO Mode. The UP (△) Key is used to decrease the Aperture (F), and
the DOWN (▽) Key to increase it. Holding down the UP (△) or DOWN (▽) Key continuously increases
or decreases the Aperture (F).
＊The Shutte Speed (T) displayed corresponds to the Aperture (F) even if modified after measurement.
＊Aperfture (F) in Ambient Light Measurement has 16 settings, from 0.5 to 90.
100
2.8
100
5.6
Cross Key Up (△)
Decrease Aperture (F)
Cross Key Down (▽)
Increase Aperture (F)

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2-9 Program Level (PL) Setup
The Program Level feature allows you to pre-set the meter to your preferred exposure readings. By
adjusting the Program Level, the meter will automatically adjust readings to overexpose or underexpose
by as little as a tenth of an Aperture (F) or as much as 9/10 of Aperture (F).
1) On “MENU” screen, press the Cross Key⓬to move the cursor to select
“SET”. Press the Select Button⓭.
2) On “SETTING” screen, press the Cross Key⓬to move the cursor to select
“Program Level”. Press the Select Button⓭. 【See Pic. 1】
3) Cursor is moved to a number by pressing Select Button⓭, and then the
correction value is set using the Cross Key ⓬(Up △/ Down ▽).
【See Pic. 2】
4) Press the Cross Key⓬(Up △) to increase values by 0.1 steps to <under
exposusre>, press the Cross Key⓬(Down ▽) to decrease values by 0.1 steps to <over exposure>.
5) Press and hold the Cross Key⓬(Up △/ Down ▽) for more than one second, the value will change
continuously.
【Pic. 1】

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6) Once the correction value has been set, move the cursor back to “Program
Level” by pressing the Select Button⓭. Move the cursor to “Return to Menu”
by using the Cross Key⓭, and then press the Select Button⓭to return to
the “MENU”screen. Or press the Menu Button❺for more than one second
to return to “MENU”screen.
7) Make sure that the corrected value appear on the measurement display.
【See Pic. 3】
３． Measurement-Standard Operation
When metering Ambient Light, values will continuously be adjusted as long as the Measuring Button⓫
is pressed. When the Measuring Button⓫is released, it displays the measurement valut at that time.
*Set values are stored in the memory even when the power is turned off.
*Setting the Program Level to ±0.00 cancels the automatic corrections.
*Once the correction is set, the correction occurs across all settings.
*This feature is also useful when it is necessary to make corrections for measurement
under different type of light sources.
1/60
0.5 0.7
1
1.4 2 2.8
4 5.6 8
Measuring Value Scale
Analog Fractional Reading Scale
【Pic. 2】
【
Pic. 3
】

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3-1 Ambient Light Measurement：Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button ⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Check and set the ISO value. 【See 2-5】
3) Set the Shutter Speed (T). 【See 2-7】
4) Press the Measuring Button⓫to measure the Aperture (F).
*Once the ISO and Shutter Speed (T) are set, the apeature (F) is automatically
calculated upon the pressing of the Measuring Button⓫.
*If the measured value is outside the measurement range, Eu (error under) or Eo
(error over) appears on the display.
Measured value:
F2.01
1/60
0.5 0.7
1
1.4 2 2.8
4 5.6 8
Eu
1/60
0.5 0.7
1
1.4 2 2.8
4 5.6 8
Eo

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3-2 Ambient Light Measurement：Aperture (F) Priority Mode
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Check and set the ISO value. 【See 2-5】
3) Set the Aperture (F). 【See 2-8】
4) Press the Measuring Button⓫to measure the Shutter Speed (T).
3-3 Ambient Light Measurement：EV Mode
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Check and set the ISO value. 【See 2-5】
3) Take the reading by pressing the Measuring Button⓫.
*Once the ISO and Aperture (F) are set, the Shutter Speed (T) is automatically
calculated upon the pressing of the Measuring Button⓫.
*If the measurement value is outside the measurement range, Eu (error under) or Eo
(error over) appears on the display.
*If the set Aperture (F) value doesn’t match the measured Shutter Speed (T), the
overage is displayed on the Analog Fractional Reading Scale.【See Pic. 4】
*Regardless of the Shutter Speed (T), the measurement is displayed as an EV value.
*Once the ISO value is set, the calculation of the EV value is automatically performed
after the Measuring Button⓫is pressed.
【
Pic. 4
】

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3-4 Ambient Light Measurement：Auto ISO Mode
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button⓭. 【See 2-3】
2) Press the Cross Key⓬(Left ◁/ Right ▷), to select either Shutter Speed (T) and Aperture (F).
3) Take the reading by pressing the Mesuring Button⓫.
*Once the Shutter Speed (T) and Aperture (F) are set, the calculation of the ISO value
is automatically performed after pressing the Measuring Button⓫.
*If the set Aperture (F) and Shutter Speed (T) values don’t match the measured
ISO, the overage is displayed on the Analog Fractional Reading Scale in the Aperture
(F) value Window. 【See Pic. 5】
Cursor: Left
Select Aperture (F)
(※See 2-8 how to Setup)
Cursor: Right
Select Shutter Speed (T)
(※See 2-7 how to Setup)
【
Pic. 5
】
Setting Aperture: F1.4→F1.42
Setting Shutter Speed: T1/60
Measurement Result: ISO10000

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3-5 Flash Measurement：Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode
◎With synch cord
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Check and set the ISO value. 【See 2-5】
3) Set the Shutter Speed (T). 【See 2-7】
4) Connect the synch code from the flash unit to the meter’s Synch Port⓯.
5) Press the Measuring Button⓫to fire the flash and measure the Aperture (F).
＊Press the Measuring Button⓫again, the flash fires again and the meter takes a new reading.
6) Measured Apterture (F) value is displayed.
7) In addition, the ratio of the flash to the total amount of light is displayed as a percentage (in 1%
increments) in Flash Ratio (FR) Window.
◎Without synch code
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Check and set the ISO value. 【See 2-5】
3) Set the Shutter Speed (T). 【See 2-7】
4) Press the Measuring Button⓫.“Waiting” is displayed, and then meter is ready to take a reading.

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5) When the meter reads a strobe flash, Apterture (F) value is displayed.
6) In addition, the ratio of flash to the total amount of light as a percentage (in 1% increments) in
Flash Ratio (FR) Window.
3-6 Flash Measurement：FD Mode
◎With synch cord
1) Select on MENU display, and press the Select Button ⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Connect the synch code from the flash unit (※Sold separately) to the meter’s
Synch Port⓯.
3) Press the Measruing Button⓫, the strobe fires and the meter measures the flash duration time.
*Press the Measuring Button⓫again, “Waiting” is canceled.
*Changing light receiving method by Switching Dial⓲also cancels “Waiting”.
*ISO and Shutter Speed (T) can be changed and set while “Waiting”is displayed.
*Press the Measuring Button ⓫when you want to reset the value after
measurement. <Return to step 4) >
*If the measurement value is outside the measurement range, Eu (error under) or
Eo (error over) appears on the display.
*An error is displayed when the flash waiting time is exceeded. 【See Pic. 6】
To reset for a new reading, press the Measuring Button⓫again.
【
Pic. 6
】

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＊Press the Measuring Button⓫to fire the flash again and take a new measurement.
◎Without synch cord
1) Select on “MENU”display, and press the Select Button⓭.
【See 2-3】
2) Press the Measuring Button⓫, and “Waiting” is displayed. The meter is now
ready to take a reading.
3) Upon sensing a strobe flash, flash duration time is displayed.
【Flash Amount Under】
【Flash Amount Over】
*Press the Measuring Button⓫again, “Waiting” is canceled.
*Changing light receiving method by the Switching Dial⓲also cancels “Waiting”.

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4-7 Notes on Flash Measurement Mode Use
1. The Aperture (F) displayed, whether the measurement was taken with s synch cord or not, will
display the combined value of the flash and the surrounding Ambient light.【※except FD Mode】
2. Once the ISO is set, the calculation of the Aperture (F) and the Flash Ratio (FR) are automatically
performed when a reading is taken. 【※except FD Mode】
3. The set Shutter Speed (T) needs to be within the flah synch speed parameters of the camera used.
4. The flash may fire if it is turned on when the synch cord is connected to the meter’s Synch Port⓯.
5. If the contracts of the synch cord form an imcomplete circuit, causing the flash to misfire, the meter
will display the “Waiting” message. Press the Measuring Button⓫to clear the screen, and then
check the synch cord connections before trying another reading.
6. Measuring under rapid-start fluorescent lights or other special lighting may lead to false readings.
In such case, it’s best to take readings using a synch code.
7. There may be rare instances where the screen freezes and can’t be reactivated by pressing buttons.
If that happens, remove the batteries for 15 seconds, replace them, and turn the meter back on.
8. When metering in a bright location, the meter may not be able to detect a small amount of flash.
In such cases, it may be preferable to measure the flash by connecting a synch cord.
9. If a flash has an extremely low synch voltage, it may not be fired by a connected synch cord. In
such cases, it may be preferable to meter withoug a synch cord.

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４． Measurement-Functional Operation
4-1 Data Memory Function：
≪This function can be used in: Ambient Light Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode,
Ambient Light EV Mode, Flash Light Shutter Speed (T) Priority Mode≫
a) After a reading has been taken, press the Memory Button❿to store a
measured value. “M1” will appear at the top of the screen to indicate that
one value has been saved, as well as an indicator on the Measuring Value
Scale.
b) Press Memory once for each reading you wish to save. Up to three readings
can be stored.≪M1-M3≫
c) When three measurements have been stored, pressing Memory Button❿
again will replace the first saved value. (“M1”)
d) Press the Memeory Button❿for 1 second or more to clear the memory.
e) Memory will also be cleared by turning Switchin Dial⓲for Incident to
Reflected light.
*By changing the ISO and/or the Shutter Speed (T), the calculated value is
automatically adjusted, and an indicator moved on the Measuring Value Scale.
Ambient Light Shutter Speed（T）Priority
One Value has been sotred in the memoriy.
Ambient Light Shutter Speed（T）Priority
Two Values has been memorized.

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4-2 Average Function：
Calculate the average exposure of two or more saved readings. This is useful in variable lighting
situations where there is a great variance in readings.
≪This function can be used in: Ambient Light Shutter Speed (T), Priority Mode, Ambient Light EV
Mode, Flash Light Shutter Speed (T) Mode≫
a) Save two (or three) Measurements. 【See 4-1】
b) Press the AVG Button❾.
c) Average value of two (or three) measurements is displayed, and “AVG”
indicator is shown in the display of Aperture (F) value window.
d) Press the AVG Button❾again to clear the average value
*The “AVG” indicator will disappear, but the saved readings will still be stored
and their indicators will stay on the screen.
*Pressing the Memory Button❿for more than one second will reset all values.
Values will also be reset by turning Switching Dial⓲for Incident or Reflected
light.
*If the screen has turned off due to Auto Screen Off or Auto Power Off, stored
values and average values are save. However if the power is turned off by
pressing the Power Button❸, all of the stored values are cleared.
Ambient Light Shutter Speed（T）Priority
Two Values has been memorized, and
measure the average value of those two values