Minolta Sonocon 16 MB-ZA (1962)
The Minolta Sonocon 16 MB-ZA is one of the oddest hybrids Minolta ever made. It is a 16mm subminiature camera with a transistor radio built into the body. Introduced in 1962, it used the Minolta 16 II as its camera basis, so Minolta essentially grafted a radio onto an already-compact shooter. The lens is a Rokkor 22mm f/2.8. The radio side appears to have been AM-only, though that detail comes from a single source and isn't fully confirmed.
This one is rare. One German collector site notes that "this device seems to be quite rare today," and auction results back that up. Two separate Leitz auction lots sold for €780 and €1,800 respectively. Both lots included the camera with its leather case, and the higher-priced one added an AC adapter and ear plugs. A forum discussion compared it to the Kiev 30. The administrator answered that the Sonocon was likely a "Nachempfindung" - a recreation with recognizable similarities rather than a direct copy.
Kowa (not Minolta) made a similar camera-radio device. It used Minolta cassettes and was close in concept. There's also a mention of a "CM-16 prototype" designation, but the attribution is uncertain and the relationship to the production Sonocon isn't documented.
Beyond that, the record is thin. No original retail price, dimensions, weight, shutter specs, or radio technical details have surfaced. No period reviews are known.
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