Minolta Capios 125S
Almost nothing is solidly documented about the Minolta Capios 125S, a compact 35mm point-and-shoot from Minolta's Capios line. The name is a small puzzle. Every source in the record calls it the Capios 125S. No listing, manual page or dealer inventory confirms a separate "Capios 125" without the suffix, so this page covers the S variant as the one that actually exists.
The record does show a small, light autofocus zoom camera. Dealers consistently describe it as a compact 35mm film camera with autofocus, auto-exposure, a built-in flash and red-eye reduction. The lens is where sources disagree. Some list a 38-125mm f/4.5-8.9 zoom, others a 37.5-125mm Minolta aspherical optic at f/5.4-10.3. Because of that conflict, the aperture figures are left out here. The focal length range (roughly 38-125mm) is the one point of general agreement. Weight claims are split too, between roughly 190g (without battery) and 250g, and the available material can't reconcile them.
The production date is contested as well. One seller calls it "a mid-90s point-and-shoot film camera from Japan," while others date it to the 2000s, with one listing specifically saying 2007. The truth is probably somewhere in the late-90s-to-early-2000s range, but no authoritative source settles it. The camera runs on a CR123A lithium battery, according to dealer listings. One Bangkok shop that specializes in Japanese-market camera imports has it listed at 300,000 Vietnamese đồng (about $12 USD). A Russian Avito seller asks 5,000 ₽ (~$55 USD) for a working example with a glued battery-cover corner. An eBay seller from Japan offered one in "Near Mint" condition, tested, with original case and a working flash.
Owners who have shot with it are complimentary in a general way. One calls it a "light, sharp & simple point-and-shoot camera," and another says Minolta "takes good pictures" with it. No formal period review, no detailed specification sheet and no user manual contents have surfaced, beyond the existence of downloadable guides (user, service, repair and parts list are all available free from pdf-manuals.ru). The manual itself, which would settle the lens and weight questions, wasn't part of the research.
Known for certain:
- Compact 35mm autofocus point-and-shoot with built-in flash and auto-exposure
- Zoom lens, roughly 38–125mm (exact aperture contested)
- CR123A lithium battery
- Made in Japan; production date uncertain (mid-90s to 2007, depending on source)
- Free user, service, and repair manuals available from pdf-manuals.ru
If you own a Capios 125S and have the instruction manual or a spec sticker from the baseplate, the Archive would welcome the record. The lens specifications, weight and production year are all unresolved.
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