Konica Auto S2

In the late 1950s, hobby photography caught up with the public, no longer the domain of specialized trade. A new market segment had opened, looking for a friendly camera at a budget price. The Japanese majors geared up: Olympus with a long list of ’35’ models with alphabet soup suffixes, Canon with the Canonet,  Minolta with the Hi-Matic, and Konica entered with the Auto S. It seems that the only majors that did not enter the race were Pentax and Nikon.

Konica, the brand name of Konishiroku, offered cameras since the early past century. They had gone through all camera styles, from luggables to folders and klapp, then to TLR, two models only, press camera, and a long list of compact viewfinder/rangefinders and SLR models. I think the only type they shied away from was miniature. At the end of the last century, they had an avalanche of point-and-shoot cameras. In 2003, it merged with Minolta, creating Konica Minolta, which promptly sold the photographic arm to Sony, which used their technology as a springboard to digital photography.

The first Konica camera in this line was the Konica S, an able rangefinder with a coupled CdS meter and top readout. With this model, Konica did not attempt to shoot over the horizon, just to offer an easy-to-use and affordable camera that will cater to the expanding midmarket hobbyists and, with the right hands, will produce pictures compatible with costlier equipment.

In the Auto S, the meter lens was mounted at the camera’s forehead. On second thought, the designers introduced the S2, a similar model with the meter lens above the taking lens, wthin the filter outskirt.

The last model was the Auto S3, which was similar by name only, a Konica C35 redressed under the Auto S3 name.

True to its intended market, the S2 is a straightforward, self-explanatory camera with no mystery features. All settings are on the lens barrel, at where you may expect them to be. Although named Auto, settings can be selected manually.

• The camera is about the size of most compatible models but weighs over the size average, perhaps evidence of the build quality.
• On top are the lever winder, a self-setting frame counter, the meter reading scale, a cold accessory shoe and the rewind knob.
• The viewer is large and bright with a good patch, better than the typical camera in this class. The meter scale is on top of the viewer. A clear parallax frame adjusts per the viewing distance.
• The first dial on the lens barrel is the focusing ring, marked feet and meters, assisted by a finger rest. The focusing thread is on the short side. The depth of field markings are impractical.
• Next is the aperture setting dial, marked with ‘f’ stops and an ‘A’ for fully auto mode.
• The next dial is the shutter speed, a typical offering of B, 1-500.
• The synch selector, X/M, and the self-timer actuation lever are on the collar between the dials.
• The film speed selector is at the bottom of the lens barrel, marked ASA and DIN.
• At the bottom are the battery cover and a battery check button. When pressed, the meter needle in the viewer will sway to the side.
• An integral sliding hood is mounted on the lens barrel. It seems to slide away, as it is missing three of my four cameras.
• A late variant added a quick load feature under the Auto S2 EL name.
• To shoot, set the shutter speed and match the meter needle with the aperture value, or set the aperture to ‘A’ and let the camera think.
• It can shoot without a battery by setting both values manually.