Minolta Autocord saga

[jonathan brewer]

I don't need another camera, but like I told my wife, you guys made

me do it! I was on this forum a while back and checked out this

banter back and forth about the Minolta Autocord, someone asked if the

Autocord was underated and somebody said shhhhhhhh!!

 

I was hooked, especially with statements like 'visual quality on a

par with Rollei' and folks saying that they had picked up a Autocord

for $75.00, hey, on a lark, I once considered a Lubitel and/or

Seagull.

 

I bit, got one off e-bay, found out about Ross Yerkes who lives

about 45 minutes from me, and let him examine the camera, he told me

right off that he would clean the lense to figure out if the camera

was worth servicing, it wasn't lost on me that he was ready to cut him

self out of job and I could see the truth was inside him.

 

I give thanks as I also found out about www.cameraleather.com right

here and checked out their site, their leatherette kits are adhesive

backed and precut, and available in real leather(snakeskin!). The

prices are CHEAP.........

 

I e-mailed www.cameraleather.com with lightspeed because when Ross

Yerkes takes off the old leartherette off to go over the camera, he

DOES NOT charge you to put a new leartherette kit on the camera when

it is reassembled after a CLA.

 

I'm buying the Black Lizard skin kit, do yourself a favor, if

you've got an Autocord, check out www.cameraleather.com, and thanks to

all you guys who made me do this, as I told my wife, I just couldn't

help myself. She told me I need help, ahhhhhhhh.........

[thomas_diekwisch1]

All the help you can get........ The Autocord may be a good start though.

[t_n1]

Hey I got a few questions myself.

 

What is the minimum focusing distance in terms of feet? I understand a 75mm is somewhat a 50mm perspective in 35mm photography. Is there anyway I can do a half body waist-up portrait with the autocord? Is the min focusing distance too big for this? Does the rolleinar 1 set help in any way for my purposes?

 

I have a hotshoe flash for my old 35mm gear. It has a fixed head (non-zoomable) that will cover up to 35mm focal length lens for 35mm film format. Will this work fine on the autocord, or does it not have enough coverage? The flash is rectangular shape while the autocord is square. It worked on my canon FD system. Any chance it might fry the autocord? Thanks.

 

Tin

[audidudi]

The minimum focus distance is 3.5" and Autocords have a cold shoe, which means you'll need to run a wire from the flash terminal on the camera to your flash unit. I have no problems whatsoever when using a flash for a 35mm camera on mine.

 

As for the close-up lenses, the problem with these is that while they do reduce the minimum focus distance, they also reduce the maximum distance at the same time. A No. 1 set has a focus range from 16" to 26" and the No. 2 set from just 14" to 18" ... great for macro work but not too good for portraits.

[t_n1]

thanks for the response! would you have any idea what i would need to connect the autocord to a sunpak 433d? what about the fixed, nonzoomable head? it said it would guarantee to cover 35mm lens for 35mm film format. would it cover a 75mm lens for 6x6?

 

also, i have heard of somethign called 'spiratone'. it converts the bay 1 into a wide angle. has anybody had any experience with this item? optical quality? thank you very much.

[t_n1]

when you said 3.5", you meant feet, right?

[gene crumpler]

Another great wife/camera story. My wife insisted that I get a Hasselblad!!!!!

[gene crumpler]

And a gold rolex!

[bernhard]

Gene,

 

would you mind swapping wives for a couple of days (just until I got a Hassy myself)?