Konica Disc 15 Autofocus (1983)
The Konica Disc 15 Autofocus is a compact disc-film camera from 1983. It is one of the many models Konica made during the brief Kodak Disc format era. The body is slim and light, and it slides open - you pull the two halves apart to turn it on and close it for storage. That makes it pocketable. It also carries a fair amount of automation for its size: autofocus, an electric motor for film advance, a built-in flash and an automatic exposure system.
The lens is a Konica Hexanon 12.5mm f/2.8, a fixed wide-angle prime sized for the small 6×10mm disc frame. The shutter is electronic with processor-controlled timing, and the camera runs on a lithium battery. As the name says, it uses 15-exposure disc film. Kodak introduced that rotating disc cartridge in 1982 and abandoned it within a few years.
Documentation on this model is thin. No authoritative source confirms an original retail price. One Flickr contributor estimated it “would have retailed brand new for about $60 to $70.00 USD,” but that note is tangled up with Kodak Disc-era context, so treat it cautiously. Collectiblend dates the camera to 1983, which fits the early window of the Disc format.
Surviving examples turn up now and then on auction sites and Eastern European marketplaces. One Russian listing at 2,860 ₽ described the camera as brought from Germany. The seller noted: “When the shutter release button is pressed, something hums inside, possibly the disc drive is spinning.” The unit was not fully tested. Another Avito listing in Kaliningrad reused the same description at 3,335 ₽. An eBay listing offered a copy “in original box” (IOB), and a Russian reseller listed one for import at 5,790 ₽. Collectiblend identifies the manufacturer as Konishiroku (Konica), with the camera made in Japan.
That is about all that is known for sure. The Disc 15 Autofocus is a 1983 Japanese-made disc camera with a sliding body, a Hexanon 12.5mm f/2.8 lens, autofocus, motorized film advance and a built-in flash. No professional reviews have surfaced. No detailed spec sheet appears anywhere in the record either, so weight, dimensions, focus range and flash guide number are all missing.
- Type: Compact disc-film camera (viewfinder type)
- Year: 1983
- Lens: Konica Hexanon 12.5mm f/2.8
- Focus: Autofocus
- Shutter: Electronic, auto processor timing
- Film: Disc film, 15 exposures
- Film advance: Electric motor
- Flash: Built-in electronic flash
- Power: Lithium battery
- Design: Sliding/extending body; powers on when extended
- Made in: Japan
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