Cameras - Page 20 of 34 - Facts, notes and thoughts about vintage cameras and other trifle matters

September 19, 2023

Nikon N2000

Nikon N2000 In the early 1980s, camera makers kept adding features to their models, allowing pro and amateur photographers to share common bodies. Cameras now had it all: manual, AP/SP assist, power winding, electronically controlled stepless shutters, with bodies getting ever lighter thanks to polycarbonate use. All that was done while sacrificing simplicity. Such models are enigma till you consult...

35 mm/Japan/Nikon/SLR Comment: 1

September 17, 2023

Minolta XG-9

Minolta XG-9 The Minolta XG line, made between 1977 and 1984, was a short-lived offering, set below the XD line and the SRT line, all sold simultaneously. The XG models were aimed at the amateur market, getting in line with the electronic models by other camera makers. All models bear little differences, so unless you look into a specific model,...

35 mm/Japan/Minolta/TLR Comments: 0

September 15, 2023

Minolta SRT 101

Minolta SRT 101 / SRT 201 Minolta was one of the major Japanese camera makers but could not stay abreast at the cutting-edge, fast-changing technologies. Merged with Konika in 2003 and finally was acquired by Sony in 2006, being the basis of the latter digital line. Collection Apparelis carries a fine, brief article about Minolta’s history, so there is no...

35 mm/Japan/Minolta/SLR Comments: 0

August 28, 2023

Canon AV-1

Canon AV-1 In the late 1970s, camera makers tried to be all things to everybody. The high-end, pro models were partially stripped down to cater to prosumer buyers. The low-end, mass market had models designed just for that, whereas camera makers relied on brand recognition and the prestigious SLR hump looks. The only stumbling block was the controls plethora on...

35 mm/Canon/Japan/SLR Comments: 0

August 25, 2023

Canon FTb

Canon FTb The first-generation 1959 Canon SLR line (1) was not the success Canon had expected. A second line (3) followed in 1964, with a third line in 1971 (4). In this lineup, with the newly introduced FD mount, The professional bound flagship F-1 led, with the FTb following as a mass-market model. The electronic A variants of 1976 (5) were...

35 mm/Canon/Japan/SLR Comments: 3

July 4, 2023

Minolta Auto Wide

Minolta Auto Wide Using a wide-angle lens makes perfect sense when having interchangeable or zoom lenses. Having a wide-angle camera dedicated to only that is iffy. Other than shooting landscapes or the whole class in close quarters, such a camera would not be the first choice. It only makes sense if it is a second camera hanging off your neck,...

35 mm/Japan/Minolta/Viewfinder Comments: 0

July 2, 2023

Minolta A camera family

Minolta A camera family Japanese camera makers had a common path. Before the war, a handful of manufacturers were evolving from wood and brass cameras into klapp models. With the dusk of post-war American occupation, the major makers moved into monocoque German copies, with the smaller manufacturers fading away. Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko, later known as Minolta, a company that has...

35 mm/Japan/Minolta/Rangefinder Comments: 0

June 30, 2023

Miranda Sensorex II

Miranda Sensorex II In the late 1960s, the SLR industry moved towards TTL measuring, so Miranda’s Automex models no longer cut it. A new model, the Sensorex, came to market in 1967. The body closely resembled the Automex, true to Miranda’s unchanged designs. Other camera makers had the TTL metering mounted within the prism hump. They couldn’t do so with...

35 mm/Japan/Miranda/SLR Comments: 0

June 28, 2023

Miranda Automex III

Miranda Automex III The Automex line, introduced in 1960, was Miranda’s first entry into the metered SLR universe. The shutter trigger is still at the front right, but the arm over it is gone. Lenses here use an arm to connect to a body-mounted slide at the left of the lens mount. The slide is marked with F stops, and...

35 mm/Japan/Miranda/SLR Comments: 0

June 27, 2023

Miranda DR

Miranda DR After the Miranda very early model ‘A’, came a slew of cameras based on the initial design, all without metering, hardly distinguishable. The Miranda DR of 1962 is one before the last in this series. The Automex, an SLR with an external light meter, was the precursor of the next-generation Miranda models. The Automex was introduced in 1959,...

35 mm/Japan/Miranda/SLR Comments: 0