Konica Autoreflex T3 (1973–1975)
The Konica Autoreflex T3 - often written simply as the Konica T3 - is the third-generation body in Konica's Autoreflex series of 35mm SLRs, built between 1973 and 1975. 35mmc (June 2020) called it "possibly the most interesting camera of the series." These are big, solid, metal-bodied cameras. The body alone weighs 740g, and with a typical standard lens attached it comes to just under a kilo. As one reviewer put it, you could imagine knocking in nails with it.
The T3 uses the Konica AR bayonet mount and offers shutter-priority automatic exposure. You set the shutter speed, and the camera's TTL center-weighted meter picks the aperture. The full-information viewfinder shows both the shutter speed and the aperture, along with an indicator of whether the lens is set to automatic or manual. Shutter speeds run from 1 to 1/1000 second plus Bulb, and the film speed range is 12-3200 ISO. The meter originally took two 1.35V mercury batteries. Those are now discontinued, so modern owners typically use silver oxide replacements. The T3 also improved on its predecessors with a permanently mounted hot shoe. The T and T2 before it had removable prism shoes.
Konica was the first to offer autoexposure in a 35mm SLR, back in 1966 with the original Auto-Reflex, and that history is often overlooked. The T3 arrived in 1973 as the refined, quieter, smoother evolution of that lineage. Later serials of the T3 are sometimes called the T3(n), which added a fixed hot shoe and a viewfinder blind for tripod work.
The main caveat with these cameras today is the meter. Old mercury battery corrosion is a common problem, and in some cases the battery chamber is awkwardly placed. One repair guide notes you may need to remove the mirror box to reach it. As a mechanical camera, the T3 is solid and satisfying to shoot. One Kamerastore listing (sold, at €95) said it holds benefits for both collectors and photographers alike.
Known specifications:
- Type: 35mm SLR, shutter-priority TTL autoexposure, manual mode
- Mount: Konica AR bayonet
- Shutter: Metal focal-plane, 1s–1/1000s + B
- Metering: TTL center-weighted
- Film speed: ISO 12–3200
- Viewfinder: Full-information, with aperture and shutter readout
- Body: Metal, black or silver grey
- Batteries: Two 1.35V mercury cells (meter only; silver oxide replacements used today)
- Size/weight: 150 × 95 × 45 mm; 740g body only
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