Minolta Minoltina-S (1964)
The Minolta Minoltina-S is a compact 35mm rangefinder introduced in 1964. It has a metal body, offered in black and silver. Focus is manual and exposure is all manual. The lens is a fast Rokkor-QF 40mm f/1.8 with six elements. The shutter is a Seikosha-SLV leaf shutter running from 1 second to 1/500 plus B, with X/M flash sync. It supports film speeds from 25 to 800 ASA.
The metering is what stands out today. It uses a cross-coupled selenium cell light meter, so it needs no mercury battery. Those batteries are no longer made, which makes that a real advantage. The camera shares many features with the Minolta AL, including the manual exposure system and the fast lens. The two are close siblings in Minolta's mid-1960s rangefinder lineup. Some sources also call the model the Minoltina-ALS or the AL-S.
The record on this model is thin. No original retail price, dimensions or weight are documented in the sources available. Used examples show up with the original case and wrist strap. One New Zealand dealer lists one at $345.00, and a UK seller offers a fully tested example with a six-month warranty at £199.00. Collectiblend tracks it in their average price index, which suggests enough market activity to register. No broader reception or user-reliability record has surfaced.
- Type: 35mm rangefinder, manual focus
- Lens: Minolta Rokkor-QF 40mm f/1.8 (6 elements)
- Shutter: Seikosha-SLV, 1–1/500 sec + B, X/M sync
- Meter: cross-coupled selenium cell (no battery needed)
- Film speed: ASA 25–800
- Introduced: 1964
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