Minolta SR-3 (1959)

The Minolta SR-3 is a 35mm SLR introduced in 1959 as an economy version of the SR-2. It shares the SR-2's body design but leaves out some features, most notably the depth-of-field preview, to hit a lower price. It was first advertised in May 1959. Period ad copy called it the "world's lowest-priced quality 35mm single lens reflex" and claimed it "obsoletes the last excuse for not owning a high-quality 35mm single lens reflex." That last line is advertising, not independent review. It does show where Minolta put the SR-3: a lower-priced way into serious SLR photography.

The camera used the Minolta SR bayonet mount and accepted Auto Rokkor and Rokkor lenses. It was sold with either the 55mm f/1.8 or the 55mm f/2 Auto Rokkor. It had a pentaprism eye-level finder with a non-interchangeable viewing screen, split-image rangefinder focusing, and a single-stroke advance lever. The cloth focal-plane shutter ran from 1 to 1/1000 sec plus B, with M and X sync terminals. It measured 146 × 98 × 85 mm and weighed 1010g.

The SR-1 was introduced in the same year as a sibling model, and the SR-3 sat below the SR-2 in the lineup. Period pricing conflicts a little. One source lists the body with 55mm f/2 lens at $99.50. A 1959 advertisement lists $119.50 for the body with the f/1.8 lens and $149.50 with the f/2. These may reflect different configurations or dates, but collectors should know the numbers don't agree.

Beyond that, the record is thin. No production run figures, serial number ranges, or end-of-production dates have surfaced. No period technical reviews or owner commentary from independent publications are documented. What survives is the basic specification and the market intent: a capable, no-frills SLR that put the SR-2's core design at a lower price.

Known specifications:

- 35mm SLR, Minolta SR bayonet mount

- Cloth focal-plane shutter, 1 - 1/1000 sec + B

- M and X flash sync

- Pentaprism finder, non-interchangeable screen

- Split-image rangefinder focusing

- Single-stroke advance lever

- 146 × 98 × 85 mm, 1010g

- Introduced 1959; sold with 55mm f/1.8 or f/2 Auto Rokkor