Small Minolta, Big Post.

<p>Now this is something completely different, the smallest Single Lens Reflex camera in my collection. And it's just provided me with one of the biggest surprises in my photographic experience.</p><div></div>

<p>This unique camera was produced by Minolta of Japan between 1976 and 1979, to utilise the then-popular sub-miniature 110 format film. For those of you not familiar with this format, 110 film came enclosed in plastic cassettes very much like the much larger 126 film, with the film winding across a gate where the exposure was enabled. It suffered two major drawbacks, the first being it's very diminutive image size of 13mm x 17mm, and the second being that the design of the cassette created problems with flatness of the film, a problem shared by the 126 format. The Minolta designers apparently decided to ignore these rather grave limitations, and proceeded to design an exquisite little 110 camera, in all respects a complete departure from contemporary 110 camera design.<br /> <br />The camera is a true SLR, with a very high quality Rokkor lens, a 25mm-50mm f/4.5 zoom, the equivalent of about 35-100 on 35mm format. The lens has 10 elements in 10 groups plus a swing-in element to allow macro focusing down to 11 inches, so it's a fairly sophisticated little unit. It's just a shame that a wider aperture couldn't have been achieved, but apparently there were issues confronting an increase beyond f4.5. The lens stops down to f/16, the camera working on an aperture-priority metering system. The shutter is a stepless electronic, horizontal metal focal-plane, giving speeds of 10 secs to 1/1000th plus B, with a mechanical 1/125th setting for flash synch. Metering is via a CDs sensor mounted beside the lens, with adjustment for 2 stops + / - exposure compensation, and with housing for the aperture selection dial, while the viewfinder construction involves a Porro-mirror with a microprism focusing circle in a matt field. Needless to say, it's all very small and somewhat dim in there, and good eyesight is essential, though there were eyepiece correction lenses available. Diodes supply all the usual information about battery condition, manual flash setting, exposure out of range, exposure shake and successful exposure. It's a masterpiece of miniature engineering, considering that all the working components of a 35mm SLR of the era were condensed down into a very small body. Film advance and cocking is by a very short-throw lever recessed into the base of the camera. Power is supplied by a couple of 1.5 volt button cells, S-76 or equivalent.<br /> <br />Being basically a medium-format man I've always disliked the tiny 110 negatives, almost as much as the short-lived and disastrous Kodak Disc, so I didn't expect much from the Minolta 110. For a start, the camera is designed to "read" the ISO of the film inserted, not electronically but by a system of notches moulded into the film cartridges. Apparently the original choice was of two ISO settings, 100 or 400. Somewhere along the line the manufacturers gave away this notching procedure, and consequently the camera reads all film as being 100 ISO. I had found a couple of long-forgotten 110 Fuji Superia 200 ISO films in the bottom of a film storage fridge, a happening which set this whole insane post in motion. The solution was to set the metering on the camera to -1 stop exposure compensation, and this appeared to work well. To my great surprise, the negatives were as near perfectly-exposed as one could wish. I'd carted the camera off to our local Vintage Aviation and Military Show, and shot off the film before the active part of the afternoon got under way. The conditions were trying, to say the least, with a low strong sun and backlighting on many subjects, and a constant danger of lens-flare. I sent the film to my son for processing in the lab, he grizzled about the labour content of scanning 110 negatives but assures me that he made no manual intervention and that the scans are standard mid-range Fuji Frontier. And I was astounded ! The lens performs far beyond the resolving ability of the film, and at it's best the camera produces results better than I've known from half-frame 35mm. If I could find the finer-grained 100 ISO film I'd like to repeat the exercise, but they're now fairly few and far between. I've printed literally thousands of 110 films on a variety of machinery, but these would be by far the best results I've seen.<br /> <br />Minolta went on to produce the Mark II 110 SLR, a more conventionally-styled camera with TTL metering and f3.5 lens. Pentax produced their highly-collectable little 110 SLR with interchangeable lenses, a true gem of a camera. And all for a film which was basically flawed... Anyway, it was a fascinating exercise, and I hope you enjoy the results. I may be posting too many, but it's tougher than usual, choosing the best.....<br /> <br /></p><div></div>

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<p>No.11</p><div></div>

<p>you know if you carefully open the cartridges yourself and save them and the backing paper. you can slit your own film and reload the cartage. there are many sites online that explain how to do it.</p>

<p>Thanks for sharing! Those are lovely samples of the camera's capability.</p>

<p>Truly amazing, Rick, you did a really good job.</p>

<p>A very nice selection - thanks for sharing. It looks like a fine little camera.</p>

<p>Great photos! Last year I went through a 110 phase with kodak, cannon and the Pentax 110 SLR. The lenses are sharp, the film...not so much. Here're my photos of how I repack the cartridges<br>

http://www.photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/00U2Re<br>

I got a film slitter from the Sub Club site (actually from Joe McGloin himself, just up the road in a suburb of Denver, CO)<br>

Technically fun, I suppose if I were more of an artist I could get the grain to work for me.<br>

-Bob</p>

<p>I would not have believed it if you hadn't shown it to be true. I would have thought that this would be one of those "singing dog" stories (no one ever asks if the dog sings <strong><em>well</em></strong>), but the images themselves are technically very nice, quite aside from the nice composition, etc.</p>

<p>Bravo.</p>

<p>I am amazed! I gave the rang finder version of this away after 2 rolls of film my was total junk. Mostly I thought the film was not very good quality as well. I was shooting mostly 35mm Kodachrome at the time perhaps I did not give it a fair chance.</p>

<p>The pix are very nice.</p>

<p>ok guys you have convinced me to stick with 35mm ( I read the 2009 posts also.<br>

and get rid of the aps and 126 cameras.<br>

the sub-mins I may try to sell.<br>

I still have some love for 127.</p>

 

<p>Outstanding!! Bravo! Love this! I wish 110 film was still offered in the US!</p>

<p><strong>Rick</strong>, excellent job with the Minolta! My results with mine weren't nearly this good, although the camera is pretty cool. Incidentally the filter for this camera also fits the Minolta AL-S, so something good came out of my experience with it. I have a couple of 110 cameras that have film in them, most notably the Canon 110ED 20, and this has really inspired me to see what I can do with the rest of the roll. Thanks for another great post!<br>

<strong>Patrick</strong>, you can occasionally find 110 at Walgreens. I used to be able to buy it at Walmart until about a year and a half ago.</p>

<p>I DO miss Minolta (especially since Sony won't service my 5400 II film scanner). They definitely came up with many of the most innovative ideas. But I still prefer my Pentax 110 to the little Minolta 110.</p>

<p>I remember when you could buy the Pentax 110 3 lens SLR outfit with a case for about $120. when they were closing them out. Almost all the camera stores on 33rd street in NYC were giving them away. Soon after they became collectables.</p>

<p>Beautiful shots, Rick. Inspiring.</p>