Minolta A User manual

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                             INSTRUCTIONS
                            FOR USING

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The MINOITA'A'                                                                                               l
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             .j,
    A  precision,  protessional  quality  35 mm camera  in  every  respect/ ruggedly                   :fi
b u ilt   t o w i t h s t a n d y e a r s o f  h a rd u sa g e .   lt  is h o u se d in  a   li ghtweight, pr ecision-
diecast, aluminum  alloy  body.  Designed  for  iast  sequence  shooting,  the  single                                                                                                                                                                                                   {I
t h u mb-s t r c k e   f i l m  a d v a n ce le ve r co cks  th e  sh u tte r  in  th e  sam e oper ation and
p rev ents  d o u b l e  e x p c s u re s.  A  kn u rle d ,  in d e x-fin g e r-a ctu a ted cam and  helical                        II{I
tocusing threads prcvide smooth, fest-action focusing.  The coupled, superimposed-
ima g e  r a n g e f i n d e r p r o v i de s a  b rillia n t, sq u a re -sh a p e d , p in k  color ed im age in the
c e n t e r o F  t h e  v i e w   f i n d e r .  Th is p ro vid e s $ o cu sin g a n d co mp osing for  the  pictur e
in  t h e  s a m e o o e r a t i o n .





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The  tast,  Rokl<or  f  s.s-+s mm four-element  lens has glass-air surfaces hard-
coated  and  is equipped  with  a  click-stop  diaphragm.   Diaphragm-stop  numbers
are equally spaced on the  dial making proportional stops easy to  select.
    The  smooth  ecting  Optiper  MX  shutter  provides  fast  acting  vibrationless
operation  at speeds from    I to  l/3oo  second and bulb.    It is synchronized for both
flash bulbs and strobe-light and has a standard type connection so that any flash
gun may be used,  An  accesscry shoe on top of the camera takes all slide-in types
of  accessories.
        It makes 36  standard  size  pictures trom  the standard 35 mm  lilm  cartridge.
A  removable back  provides eesy  loading and  an  automatic  film  counter shows
the number of  frames exposed.

M .  F i l m C o u n t e r W i n d o w a n d K n u r l e d Setting       O.  Viewfinder-Rangefinder Eyepiece.
     Pivot.
                                                         R.  Accessory Shoe.
N.  Rewind (Sprocket) Release Button.
O.  Tripod Mount.                                        S.  Film !ilindins Sprocket.
P .  F i l m C a r t r i d g e C h a m b e r .                         T .  F i l m W i n d i n g S p o o l  ( F i l m C l i p ) .
                                     3

Ftow   TO   USE

           L o a d i n g F i l m
                     t.  Pull down the Back Locking Tab (E),
          then the back will open slightly.  Starting
          from the  left end remove the back with a
            slight pull to the right.
               2.  Pull up the Rewind Knob (D) and place
           a film cartridge in the Cartridge Chamber(P)
           with the  slot upermost and facing to  the
            right.
               3.  lnsert the end of  the  film  into  the
          spring clip of the Winding Spool (T), making
          sure the  perforations mesh with  the  teeth
            of the Sprocket (S) bv moving the  \X/inding
          Lever (B) slightly, then complete a  full  turn




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.A.  THE MINOTTA

of  the winding lever, watching to see that
the film is being wound properly.
   4.  Replace the  back,  first meshing the
grooved right end into the groove of the body,
then closinQthe back, making sure the lock-
ing tab  is out.   Lock the back in place by
pushing in the locking tab.
   5.  Turn the film advancelever and release
the shutter two  or  three times.  Then set
the Film Counter Dial(M) to zero by turning
the Knurled Pivot with the end of the finger
or thumb and it will automaticallycount the
number of pictures you take.



                                    5          rt

Taking Pictures

                               l.  S e t the Diaphr agm Scale  ( G)  to the pr oper  dia-
             phragm  opening  according  to  your  exPosure meter or
                e xp o su re g uide  r eading.
                     2.  Set  the  Shutter  Speed  Dial (C)  to  correspond
                with  th e d iaphr agm opening being used, or  vice ver sa'
            On  th e  "8"   setting, the shutter  r em ains open as long
               as you  hold down  the shutter release button'                          -l-u rn
                  3 .        the film advance lever until  it stops in one
                   lo n g  stro k e  or  sever al shor t ones-  T his  places the                                        ,1I                    first   fra me  oF your  tilm   in  position.and  sets  the
                 shutter.                                                                     I
                  4 -  \Uh il e looking thr ough  the viewfinder ,  car efullv
                  tu rn th e lens bar r el with  the  index  finger oF the   lett       {
                h a n d p la ced on the  knur led cam F ocusing  Lever  ( H)            "i r. ll
                u n til  th e p ink  im age  in  the  center  of  the'viewfinder
                     is  e xa ctly  super im posed  with  the  full  im age,   i'  e'
                u n til  yo u see only  one  im age  in  the  center oF the
                    fin d e r.  The  letter  "R"   of  Depth  of  F ield  Scale  ( l)
                     is  th e ma rk  for use oF an infir ar ed f ilm and  in such a
               ca se iu st slip  it  to the position oF R  fr om the point A,
                  th e n th e p osition of distance is  r ightlv focused.
                  5 .  Pre ss the Cam er a   tir m ly  against  the  for ehead
                  to  h e lp steady  it  and  pr ess the  Shutter Release ( A)
                 firmly  b y s queezing the index finger .
              No te :  Do  not  wind  the  film  advance lever  until
                  th e  sh u tte r has finished  its  oper ation aF ter  r eleasing

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it  at  slow  speeds such as   l,     I l2   s-'c- because   in
such a case  it may cause trouble.
  6 .  F o r  si m p l i f i e d o p e r a t i o n o f th e ca me ra with  th e
lens at fixed  focus (like a box camera)  set the red dot
on  t he dia p h r a g m  r i n g   t o   t h e  re d  "ll"    o n  th e sca le
and s et   t h e   r e d  " 1 5 "  o n   t h e  fo cu sin g  sca le a t  th e
ar r ow.  N o w e v e r y t h i n g   f r o m  a b o u t 8 ft.  to  in Fin ity
is in focus.  For shutter speeds reFer to  the  exposure
guide.
  7 .  A f t er   f i n i s h i n g a l l   t h e sh o ts, re win d  th e film  in
the F ilm c art r i d g e . P u l l u p   t h e Re win d Kn o b (D),  th e n
pushin g  t h e R e w i n d R e l e a s e B u tto n  (N),  win d   th e
knob  in   t h e a r r o w m a r k e d d i re ctio n .  Wh e n th e  film
is  c le t a c h e d  t r o m   t h e    f i l m  w in d in g  sp o o l  yo u ma v
suddenly f ee l    i t m u c h   l i g h t e r , g ive two  o t  th re e mo re
bu t n s and  it  s h o u l d b e c o m p l ete ly wo u n d  in  th e  film
cart ridg e .
  8 .  S y n c h r o n i z e r b u i l t   i n M - X  typ e , yo u ca n ch o o se
between  the  two.   When  an  electronic     f lash  gun
is u s e d , p u t   t h e M X C h a n g e L e ve r(K )  a t th e ma rk X.
ln c as e of M  c l a s s b u l b c h a n g e  it  to M, a n d th e n th e
M- S e t t ing L e v e r ( J ) m u s t b e a lso se t to th e lo we r ma rk
M (t he M-s e t t i n g  L e v e r  s p r i n g s b a ck  to   its  o rig in a l
po s it io n a f t e r    i t s s e t t i n g ) .     I n  b o th  ca se s/  it  will  b e
synchronized at  all  shutter  speeds.   To  use  the  F
cla s s f la s h b u l b , p u t   t h e M X  le ve r a t th e ma rk Mr  in
thi s c a s e  t h e M  s e t t i n g   t e v e r n e e d  n o t  b e  se t,  th e n
 it  will  b e s y n c h r o n i z e d a t a l l sh u tte r sp e e d s.

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R e l a t i v e  D i a p h r a g m  O p e n i n g s      t o  S h u t t e r  S p e e d s


             _  Th e  Dia p hr agm Opening  of  a Lens  contr ols  the volum e
           o f  L ig h t  th a t reaches the film  in  a  given  per iod  of  exposur e.
          T h e D i a l  M a r k i n g s    i n d i c a t e   t h i s  v o l u m e o F  L i g h t   ( s e e    t h e
           d ia g ra m).  Ea ch Stop  opening  indicated on  the  dial  by  tne
           n u mb e rs 4  L o 22  r educes the am ount  of  lieht  passing thr ough
             th e  le n s b y  l/2 ,  or conver sely, opening the lens fr om one m aik
             to  th e  n e xt  from  the num ber 22  to 4 doubles the am ount of
              lig h t.  Th e sh utter contr ols the am ounr of  light  by  the  lengr h
           o f time  it  re mains open  i. e.   I second, l/z  second, t/5  sec. etc.      I
          Now, suppose you have determined by an exposure meter reacting
           o r  o th e r me a n s that  the  cor r ect expcsur e for your film under
          ce rta in - lig h t conditions is l/5o  second at   f B, and you want  to
          use a faster shutter  speed because your  subiect   is  in  motion.
         A  sh u tte r sp e ed oF l/loo  second cuts the exposur e in halF , so
          yo u mu st o p e n the lens one stop to   f s.6 which  will  allow twice
           a s mu ch lig h t to pass thr ough and the am ount oF exposur e will
           b e th e sa me a s betor e.
              Con_versely, if you need to stop down  the  lens  for  greater
           d e p th -o F-tie ld   ( see  explanar ion oF Depth- of- F ield  nexi)  and
          yo u se le ct  l6  a s the cor r ect stop opening you haver educed the
           a mo u n t  o f  lig h t   to   t/4.    T hen you m ust  give  the  fllm  an
           e xp o su re 4 times as long or  t/tz  second., in this case you select
            th e n e a re st sh utter speed which  is  t/to  second.
        Dia p h ra g m   3s   4    5.6   8            l l    r6   22
       V o l u m e o f               gl                gF                      l i g h t                 E:r                          {;r      o                f)                    {s                                       lzz                  13                          1                        %                                                       ,a                                                                          lle                                            %z
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Depth-of-Field

    The depth-oF-tield of  a lens is the  range  of  distance

      wit hin w h ic h a l l o b i e c t a r e    i n  re la tive ly  sh a rp  fo cu s
    when the lens is set for,a  given distance.  This range
,c     var ie swit h  t he d i a p h r a g m o p e n i n g , b e in g g re a te st wh e n
     the lens is stopped down and  least when    it   is open
           f ull (s ee dia g r a m ) .  T h e   r a n g e a lso va rie s  with  th e
     distance for which  the  lens is set being  least at close
:?     distances and  greatest  at  farther  distances  up  to  a

      point where   it  takes  in  everything  beyond  an  inter-
    med iat e dis t a n c e  t o    i n f i n i t v , w h ich  is in d ica te d  b v  o
     on the distance scale, i. e. when the camera is set at @

     and the lens is opened  to    f s.6  the  depth-ot-field   is

     from 36  ft.  to  intinity.

'A' ACCESSORIESFOR THE MINOLTA
                                                                                                   'A'
     The  following  exclusive accessories aie  available tor  the  Minolta     and are recom-
mended  in order  to  obtain  the  very  best  results with   it.
                                     ' A '                 L e n s S h a d e - R o u n d S h a p e d .  M i n o l t a
     A    l e n s s h a d e s h o u l d  b e  u s e d   t o  p r e v e n t u n n e c e s s a r y a n d s t r a y   l i g h t   t r o m  e n t e r i n g
  t h e    l e n s , w h i c h w i l l c a u s e g l a r e s p o t s o n  t h e p i c t u r e , a n d   i s e s p e c i a l l y e s s e n t i a l  i n  s y n c h r o -
 tlash work.
  M i n o l t a  F i l t e r s
       Filters  will  enable you  to  take  better and more elaborate  pictures  than   is  possible       'o
 without  them.
   U s e o f  F i l t e r s
     The Haze  (L-lltra-violet) filter   is the  only  filter  that can be used with  color  tilms  to
 cut down  the haze of  distant landscapes and render them more clearly, as it has no efFect                                                                                                                    s
 on  color  other  than  to  render   it more  natural.       lt  also reduces the  glare  from  the  sky
 a n d   r e n d e r s   t h i s  s l i g h t l y  d a r k e r    i n c o l o r .       l t  c a n b e u s e d w i t h  b l a c k - a n d - w h i t e   f i l m    t o
 reduce haze, also.
     The Yetlow  Y-fitter   is suited  for  taking  pictures where  the reflection  of  light  is very
 strong/ such as scenes at the beach or with  snow/ and  of  landscapes with  sky, particularly
  if strong clouds are wanted  in the  sky.
     The Orange  O-filter   is best for taking pictures of distant scenes and of mountains or of
 the sea ; where  deep contrast  of  light  or  color  is usually preferred.   For this reason this
  filter  is sometimes called a contrast  filter.
     T h e R e d R - f i l t e r     i s a n   i n f r a r e d   f i l t e r  a n d w h e n    i t    i s u s e d w i t h     i n f r a r e d   f i l m  t o  t a k e
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pictures in  bright  sunlight  the  depiction  is as  ifi the  pictures  were
    taken under moon-light.   The sky appears very black and green trees
   and foliage appears white.    Details in the distance become very clear
    and eFfects will be obtained,  particularly  with  infrared  film,  that  are
    entirely diFterent trom those obtained  with  ordinary  films.     lt  is also
    used for taking distant views, as greater contrast can be obtained than
+'   with the  O-filter.
      T h e G r e e n G  -  f i l t e r p r o d u c e s u n u s u a l l y c l e a r g r e e n   f o l i a g e    i n   t h e
    s p r i n g a n d e a r l y s u m m e r .      l t  a l s o  r e n d e r s c l o u d s  p a r t i c u l a r l y c l e a r ,
   and is good  for  taking  portraits.
s,'.     rflinolta Junior  B. C.  Flash  A  small pocket  sized with  retlector
   w h i c h F o l d s  l i k e a   f a n a n d e n e j e c t o r   f o r  u s e d b u l b s .
                 I t o p e r a t e s o n   t h e B C p r i n c i p l e , u s i n g a c o n d e n s e r t o s t o r e u p a
    h e a v y c h a r g e w h i c h   i s c h a r g e d  t h r o u g h   t h e   f I a s h b u l b ,  p r o d u c i n g  a
   m o r e r e l i a b l e a n d e f f i c i e n t    f l a s h .
         Batteries may be used long  after  they  have become weak.    ln
    such a case,  it only  requires a   little  longer,  a  matter  of  seconds
    between  flashes,  for  them  to  store up  a charge  in the condenser.


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