Minolta Riva Zoom 150 (Early 2000s)

Name: Minolta Riva Zoom 150
Brand: Minolta

The Minolta Riva Zoom 150 is a 35mm point-and-shoot from the early 2000s, made in China. It is a compact, fully automatic camera built around a 37.5-150mm zoom lens. It was also sold in some markets as the Freedom Zoom 150. The body is small for the 4× zoom inside it. One period description called it "reputably the smallest of its type at present." A sliding lens cover protects the front when the camera is not in use.

Everything on this camera is built for simplicity. Film loading, advance and rewind are all automatic. It has autofocus with a focus lock and spot AF mode, a built-in flash, and full programme auto exposure. It runs on a single CR123A battery and weighs 190 g without it. Sellers liked the ergonomics - "the ergonomic styling certainly makes the camera easy to use and all the controls are well laid out." One retailer called it "one of those cameras that is genuinely hard to fault."

Photographic Jannine, a blogger, used a Riva Zoom 150 for her "Shitty Camera Challenge" and ran expired Konica Professional 160 film through it in a two-part series. A "Date" variant with a 37.5-150mm lens was also sold, and a champagne gold finish was offered.

Documentation on this model is thin. There are no production years beyond "early 2000s," no original launch price, and no detailed specifications. Shutter speed range, ISO range, flash range, viewfinder details and dimensions have all failed to surface. The maximum aperture is in conflict: one source lists f/3.5-8.5, another f/5.4-11.9, and nobody has resolved it. Used prices vary wildly, from £160 (sold out) to a puzzling £1,480 listing.

Known specs: