Minolta AF-C
written by cubilas
on September 9th, 2009
, 23 comments
(17 votes)
image from classiccameras
The Minolta AF-C shows a lot of resemblance with the Lomo LC-A or the Olympus XA. They’re all cute, pocket-sized and idiot-proof camera’s. But, while the others are zone focus, the AF-C is made for people who are even lazier: it is autofocus! It comes with a truly neat cover that slides down and unveils the lens and with a cute flash that is attached to the side of the camera, like with the XA’s.
The AF-C has a semi-wide 35mm f2.8 lens and is fully automatic, for those lazy snapshotlovers out there. The Minolta is very easy (duh) in use and is overall accurate in exposure. Some people might think the lack of manual settings is a negative point, but you can lock the autofocus by pointing the centre of the viewfinder on your subject, pressing the button half and then reframe. Besides that, you can use the iso-dial to under- or overexpose your shot, depending the circumstances. The AF-C has a “film-in” indicator next to the frame counter and loading film is really easy cause of a little part which presses your film on the spool. The shutter is really quiet and the autofocus makes a little bzzz-bzzz noise when activated.
I’m a big fan of this camera. It has a beautiful design, is tiny, quiet and fully automatic. Also, the flash that comes with it is really small, so it’s comfortable to take with you. Maybe the fact that there isn’t a hotshoe is a downside because it would give some more possibilities, but hey, you can’t have everything, can you?
I’ve tried to make multiple exposures with this camera by turning back and cocking the film rewind, pressing the button on the bottom of the camera and then turning the film advance. But, (un)fortunately this didn’t always work and it resulted in some long horizon-like pictures which look like a collage of people, places and objects I photographed. I like the results because they’re so unpredictable. The AF-C is quite rare and hard to find. I’ve bought mine for 20 euro, so I guess that’s affordable. If you bump into one, make sure you take her home and treat her to some nice film. You’re in for a great date!
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