Trond Aspeland

Minolta Autocord - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

The most important thing is that the Autocord you buy is properly CLA'd. These cameras didn't really change that much during its production period. That said, most lightmeters on Autocord no longer works. All other mechanics often completely perfect. If You have the choice, go for the late III model from 1965 without meter (even though You will never use the 220 film option). The shutter on the late Autocord is the wonderful Citizen MVL and the focusingscreen is somewhat brighter than on old models.

Sorry for being late to this discussion, but I am one of the few - in Norway anyway - who has used the Bronica PG 50mm at the same time as the Pentax 67 45mm over several years. Therefore I have some basis for comparison. (I've used the P67 55-100 zoom instead of the P67 55mm, but that's for another story...) Bronica and Pentax are both very good. Neither the Bronica PG50mm nor the P67 45mm are at their best fully open, but stop it down to F:8 and both are crystal clear and pin sharp across the entire image surface. The Bronica has slightly more vignetting, but has better distortion and chromatic aberration than the P67 45mm. I believe that both of these lenses are among the weakest in their representative brands. This does not mean that they should be excluded, but used according to their limitations. Proper wide angle on proper medium format gives fantastic results. They attract attention and are the pictures that have earned me the most money.