View photos created with this camera

1 Review  

Average Rating: 4 out of 5

John R. Keistler member since: 3/12/2003	Rating: 4 out of 5 This type of camera has disappeared. It is from the second generation of autofocus cameras, those with a built-in autoflash. This little camera is basically a manual-focus Minolta with a relatively simple AF. From what I can tell, it only has 2 AF ranges, closer and further. Plus, it'll tell you when to turn the flash on. Unlike the later generation, this one still uses the film advance lever. This can be a great advantage; it's quiet and certainly not inconvenient for those of us used to manual SLR's. Also, it has a manual rewind, also much quieter. I bought mine still in box on EBay for a song and have hauled it all over the place when I didn't want to fool with something more 'advanced'. I particularly enjoy the fact that it uses AA batteries, nothing exotic. I have gotten very good photos consistently with it, perhaps not up to the standards of my Leica lenses, but then, very good indeed. This was a good-quality lens in MF also. ASA/ISO range is somewhat limited by today's standards but will accommodate the requirements of almost all shooters. I've noticed that, over the years, the first thing to go out on P/S AF cameras seems to be something in forward or rewind transport. Since this is manual on this model, I'd expect mine to last a very long time indeed. One other thing: it does make an unusual little humming noise when shooting, must be the slow AF by today's standards, but be momentarily patient and you'll be rewarded by a sharp photo. Definitely not the camera for anytime or anywhere, but a real joy to take along on a lark. Typical high Minolta assembly quality. You can get them for next to nothing on EBay! 12/13/2005 8:06:48 PM