Minolta Freedom 100

The Minolta Freedom 100 is a compact 35mm point-and-shoot camera from Minolta. It was sold in America under this name and as the FS-E II in other countries. It is a fixed-focus, motorized snapshot camera, so there are no focusing decisions. Aim and shoot. The lens is a 35mm f/4.5, focusing from about 1.5 meters to infinity. The camera reads DX-coded film, but only at ISO 100 or ISO 400. It runs on two AA batteries, and the built-in flash and film-rewind motor come with it. Several sellers describe it as largely based on the earlier AF-E II.

The record on this camera is thin and a little contradictory. One source calls it a "simple 35mm camera from the 1990s," while another says it was "introduced and sold in the 1980s." The truth likely sits somewhere in the middle, but no authoritative source settles it. Period reviews are essentially nonexistent in the sources we've found. What exists today is mostly dealer and reseller listings. One such listing, from Victory Camera, describes it as about the size of a cell phone and "an excellent camera to carry with you for day-to-day photography or for travel." Another notes the body may show wear but the lens stays fairly clean. Most sellers report the cameras they handle test out fine, with flash, rewind and shutter all working.

Current asking prices vary wildly, from about $30 at one shop to over €100 at another. That probably says more about seller expectations than any established collector market. There's no documented original retail price, no shutter speed range, and no flash range specs in the record.

Known specs:

- Type: 35mm compact point-and-shoot

- Lens: 35mm f/4.5, fixed focus (1.5m to infinity)

- Film speed: DX-coded, ISO 100 or ISO 400 only

- Drive: Motorized film transport

- Flash: Built-in

- Battery: Two AA

- Also known as: Minolta FS-E II (outside North America)

- Related to: Largely based on the Minolta AF-E II

If you have a Freedom 100 manual or spec sheet that can pin down the production years, the Archive would welcome the record.