Minolta Vectis 2000 (1999)

The Minolta Vectis 2000 is a compact APS camera from 1999, part of Minolta's Advanced Photo System lineup. It's a small autofocus point-and-shoot with a metal body - one source describes a "sleek, stylish aluminum shell" - that shoots IX240 film with automatic ISO setting from 25 to 3200.

The lens is a 22.5-45mm zoom (roughly 28-56mm in 35mm terms) with a 2x range and a maximum aperture of f/5.4-6.6. Focus comes from Minolta's Multi-beam AF system, which projects three LED beams to lock focus on off-center subjects. Shutter speeds run from 8 seconds down to 1/500. It has a built-in flash, self-timer, date imprinting and a panoramic mode. It focuses as close as 15.7 inches at any focal length. Power is a single CR-2 3V lithium battery. The camera was manufactured in China.

The Vectis 2000 has an unusual design quirk worth noting: the camera body itself was designed to serve as its own case, so there's no separate pouch or shell to lose.

Documentation is thin on market context. No original retail price, dimensions or weight have surfaced. The manual is 80 pages and has been rated 7.5 out of 10 by one user on manua.ls. On the used market, examples have been observed from about $5 to $200, and one "new old stock" listing claims a brand-new example. Battery trouble is the most commonly cited problem. The usual advice applies: check positioning, clean the contacts, and try a fresh battery.

The Vectis 2000 sits alongside the Vectis 3000 and other APS models in Minolta's lineup, though the specific relationship between models isn't documented. One source calls it "a camera unlike any other," and another highlights its user-friendly design for everyday and travel photography.