Minolta Minoltaflex (1936–1941)
The Minoltaflex was Japan's first commercialized twin-lens reflex. It came out in the late 1930s and is the direct predecessor of the more famous Autocord line. It was essentially a copy of the Rolleicord, down to an identical chassis, and it started Minolta's TLR lineage, which would run for decades. The model is also known as the Minoltaflex I. A later sub-model, the Minoltaflex II, followed with a Chiyoko Rokkor 75mm f/3.5 taking lens in an S-Konan Rapid shutter.
Documentation on the early Minoltaflex is fragmentary, and the record has real conflicts. Production year is given as 1936, 1937 and 1938. The most detailed account says it went on sale in the summer of 1938 at ¥245, with four-element Rokkor lenses and Konan Rapid shutters that were clones of the German Compur. Lens branding is another disagreement. Some sources list a Chiyoko Rokkor 3.2/75mm, others a Promar Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5. The mechanics were basic. One modern owner describes it as resembling a Soviet Lubitel in operation, though of better build quality. Focusing was done by moving the front plate with a chrome-and-black knob on the photographer's right, graduated from infinity down to 0.8m. The shutter release required holding the button halfway after each shot to prevent double exposure.
Surviving examples show the camera didn't always carry the "Minoltaflex" name on the body. Later production units simply bore the Minolta logo. A late-production Minoltaflex I (circa 1940-41) added an automatic frame counter, and in 1941 the Minolta Automat succeeded the original with a lever wind advance. The Minoltaflex was the second TLR introduced from Japan, following the Prince Flex by Neumann & Heilemann.
- Type: TLR (twin-lens reflex), 6×6 on 120 film
- Introduced: 1936–38 (sources conflict; first sale likely summer 1938)
- Original price: ¥245
- Taking lens: Chiyoko Rokkor 3.2/75mm or Promar Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 (sources conflict)
- Shutter: Konan Rapid (a Compur clone), speeds B, 1s to 1/300th
- Focus range: ∞ to 0.8m
No dimensions, weight, aperture range, viewfinder specifications or production quantities are documented in the available record. Current market prices vary widely, from roughly C$24 for a parts-only example to €189 for a complete camera with the Chiyoko Rokkor lens.
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