Two classic Minolta cameras made their way to me this holiday season. Something I’ve wanted for quite a while is an Autocord. I’ve read this underrated and often overlooked Twin Lens Reflex can hold its own against the other classic TLRs of that era. It’s always Rollei this and Rollei that from classic camera users, but hey, I’m a Minolta guy. I’m also a working stiff, so although Nikon, Canon, and Rollei products are in my sites, my wallet and the dark, gaping chasm within it, prevents me from owning any of these ‘signature’ cameras. When I can pick up two to four cameras (sometimes even more) for the price of a single Rolleiflex or Nikon rangefinder, it’s hard for me to justify the purchase of either. OK, I admit it, I’m Cheap! Minolta has always produced high quality products at affordable prices. The Autocord is no exception, and who knows, one day I may bite the bullet and join the ranks of Rollei owners. Of the 24 models of Minolta 6x6 TLRs this model of the Autocord was produced in 1958 and is referred to as simply the ‘Autocord (Export).’ It’s essentially an Autocord LMX without a built in selenium meter. The Seikosha-MX leaf shutter is still snappy, although the slower speeds need some TLC. It has a nice speed range of one second to 1/500 plus Bulb for long exposures. The f/3.5 75mm Chiyoko Rokkor lens is clean and I’m looking forward to discovering what this lens can produce. Overall the camera seems to function correctly, but the leatherette is history. It’s all but gone on one side and crumbling everywhere else. This gives me a great excuse to utilize www.cameraleather.com a resource I have visited many times but have not yet patronized. Also the Autocord has a PC connector and X-flash sync so I’m excited about testing it in the studio with my B800 Alien Bee flash unit. I may even do some side-by-side testing with another ‘non-Rollei’ TLR, the Ikoflex Ib from Zeiss Ikon. Fun to be had…results coming soon.
Friday, January 6, 2006
Visions of Minolta dancing in my head…
Two classic Minolta cameras made their way to me this holiday season. Something I’ve wanted for quite a while is an Autocord. I’ve read this underrated and often overlooked Twin Lens Reflex can hold its own against the other classic TLRs of that era. It’s always Rollei this and Rollei that from classic camera users, but hey, I’m a Minolta guy. I’m also a working stiff, so although Nikon, Canon, and Rollei products are in my sites, my wallet and the dark, gaping chasm within it, prevents me from owning any of these ‘signature’ cameras. When I can pick up two to four cameras (sometimes even more) for the price of a single Rolleiflex or Nikon rangefinder, it’s hard for me to justify the purchase of either. OK, I admit it, I’m Cheap! Minolta has always produced high quality products at affordable prices. The Autocord is no exception, and who knows, one day I may bite the bullet and join the ranks of Rollei owners. Of the 24 models of Minolta 6x6 TLRs this model of the Autocord was produced in 1958 and is referred to as simply the ‘Autocord (Export).’ It’s essentially an Autocord LMX without a built in selenium meter. The Seikosha-MX leaf shutter is still snappy, although the slower speeds need some TLC. It has a nice speed range of one second to 1/500 plus Bulb for long exposures. The f/3.5 75mm Chiyoko Rokkor lens is clean and I’m looking forward to discovering what this lens can produce. Overall the camera seems to function correctly, but the leatherette is history. It’s all but gone on one side and crumbling everywhere else. This gives me a great excuse to utilize www.cameraleather.com a resource I have visited many times but have not yet patronized. Also the Autocord has a PC connector and X-flash sync so I’m excited about testing it in the studio with my B800 Alien Bee flash unit. I may even do some side-by-side testing with another ‘non-Rollei’ TLR, the Ikoflex Ib from Zeiss Ikon. Fun to be had…results coming soon.
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