I haven’t been able to test these, but I wanted to share a little bit about how cool these Lilliputian light boxes can be.
- Minolta Camera Serial Number Lookup
- Konica Minolta Serial Number Lookup
- Minolta Camera Serial Number Lookup Online
- Minolta Autocord Models Serial Numbers
I really wish I had test photos from these, but I’m missing crucial components — like the special 16mm film cassettes. I do have some 16mm motion picture film, but as I work to limit my camera collecting it hasn’t made sense to buy expensive components to test cameras I know I won’t use long-term.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t cool and worth a mention, though!
About KONICA MINOLTA Corporate Information At a Glance Message from the President Company Overview Business Units Sustainability Investor Relations Research and Development KONICA MINOLTA Group U.S.A. Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas Konica Minolta Sensing Americas KONICA MINOLTA Group Worldwide Global. 4f22b66579 21 Jun 2009. Some camera makers keep a database of such. Minolta Camera Serial Number Lookup Model; Serial Number Lookup Warranty. The Rokkor Files - The Minolta SR Series The Rokkor Files. The Minolta SR-T 101 is a 35mm SLR camera made by Minolta Camera Co. First generation serial numbers range from 10001xx to approximately.
Whittaker Micro 16
I mentioned the Whittaker Micro 16 shortly after acquiring it in the spring of 2015, but I really didn’t know much about it at the time. Here’s what I’ve learned with further research:
The Micro 16 was made by the William R. Whittaker Company in Los Angeles, also a manufacturer of aircraft valves, beginning in 1947 and continuing until sometime in the 1950s. It retailed in the late 1940s for about $30 — more than $300 in 2016 dollars.
16mm film — common for motion picture cameras and projectors for many years, and the same film that’s inside a 110 cartridge — allowed spy cameras to get this small. Minox and others also made cameras for even smaller film formats including 8mm, but 16mm cameras were all over from the 1940s to the late 1960s.
Whittaker’s subminiatures were considered very well made, though the film advance on the Micro 16 reportedly failed often. The Micro 16 came in a variety of colors and finishes. For its size, it’s surprisingly heavy, as it is machined from a solid billet of aluminum.
The film advance plunger pops out from the side of the camera and is locked in place by a gravity pin. Turn the camera with the words “Micro 16” up to disengage the pin and you can pop the plunger out by pushing it in gently; turning the words down and pushing the plunger in will allow the pin to re-engage and lock the plunger closed. The plunger both advances the film and increments the frame count wheel, which you must manually reset (the “start” mark is frame 22, by the way, marked with an arrow) when you load the camera (see manual for details). The frame counter counts up to 24.
The cassettes are just hollow canisters made of stamped metal with no central spool. The advance plunger simply engages the sprocket holes in the film and scoots it out of one cassette and into the other. Whittaker sold film in 12- or 24-exposure rolls with prepaid developing, which included a reusable mailer for sending a single cassette back to the company for processing.
Despite the reputation for a solid build, the Micro 16’s achromatic f/6.3 two-element (doublet) lens was not as highly regarded. An aperture selector on the front offers f/8 (marked “Color”), f/11 (“Dull”) and f/16 (“Bright”), sliding minuscule Waterhouse stops over the tiny lens. Minimum focus distance is listed as 3 feet.
Note: Most modern sources report the available apertures as f/6.3, f/8 and f/11, but the aperture numbers listed above are what is printed in the original manuals. It’s possible that these other numbers are accurate, though: the largest opening offers no obstruction and, if it did, the rating of f/6.3 wouldn’t really apply to lens. It’s also true that the first (late 1946 to mid 1947) models were different than later versions in several ways, and the apertures could be among them. I don’t have access to a caliper that could measure an inside diameter of 2.75 or 3.5 millimeters (f/8 and f/6.3, respectively) right now, but by eye I’m inclined to believe the most “open” option is likely closer to f/8 than f/6.3.
The shutter release slides in an arc on the right-front of the camera, and the shutter speed is fixed at 1/50 of a second.
An optional eye-level finder frame clips onto the Micro 16 for those not satisfied with the nanoscale waist-level finder built into the body. A standard tripod mount is the last of its limited features.
In spite of its limitations, Whittaker presciently made the Micro 16 exactly the right size to fit in an empty cigarette pack and reportedly sold hundreds or thousands of the cameras to detectives, private investigators and police departments on that merit alone.
Whittaker Micro 16 resources:
My Whittaker Micro 16 is one of the earliest versions, featuring an aperture selector with a raised arrow (later models had red enamel) and a hand-engraved serial number inside (No. 79699).
Minolta-16 II
The first Minolta-16 was released in 1957 and quickly gave way to the improved model II in 1960. Other models came and went between then and 1972, when Minolta discontinued the last of its 16mm cameras, but the model II remained available through all those years.
Using a “push-pop” film advance system similar to that of movie-famous Minox spy cameras, the Minolta-16 II was as close as most subminiatures ever got to being a so-called “system camera,” with a long list of accessories available ranging from flashes and development tanks to projectors and enlargers.
The Minolta-16 II offers shutter speeds from 1/500 down to 1/30 plus Bulb, and apertures from f/2.8 to f/16 behind its Rokkor 22mm lens. Aperture and shutter speed are controlled by dials on the end of the camera nearest the lens. The shutter release button is on the top of the camera, and both it and the lens are covered by the shell when the camera is closed.
When the camera is slid open, the Galilei-type viewfinder can be used, as it is obstructed when the camera is closed. Sliding the camera closed and then open again advances the film and increments the frame counter on the bottom of the camera, if film is loaded. When the shutter is ready, a blue dot appears on the mask in front of the lens. Once the shutter is set, opening and closing the camera does not advance the film until the shutter has fired.
Depressing a small brass button on the bottom of the camera releases the shell and affords access to the film. With the cover off, the film door can be opened with a fingernail. Refer to the manual for your model for exact film loading instructions.
Focus distance was limited at most apertures and the manual includes a table explaining what the focus depth is at each aperture. Many models can also accept accessory filters, including UV and yellow filters, as well as a “distance” lens which allowed infinity focus at any aperture.
At the end of the top cover, above the shutter and aperture dials, is a PC sync socket for attaching a flash. A clip-on cold accessory shoe attachment was available to hold the flash.
Minolta-16 resources:
“My” Minolta-16 is on loan from Denver Post photographer RJ Sangosti; it belonged to his father and is still in its original (although somewhat battered) box along with a number of accessories. The scope of the system Minolta built for their 16mm cameras in the days before Kodak’s 110 format changed subminiature photography forever was expansive and impressive.
Mamiya-16 Super
The first version of the Mamiya-16 was in production from 1951 to 1956, with the Mamiya-16 Super (considered to be “Model II” by many, though not marked as such) replacing it from 1957 to 1959 before the Mamiya-16 Super Model III was released in 1960 (and discontinued the same year).
Among the most fully-featured subminiature cameras I’ve come across, the Mamiya-16 Super is packed with options often absent from anything smaller than 35mm, such as a film plane mark. The Super also has a full-featured film reminder dial with markings for color films from ASA 10 to 32, black-and-white films from ASA 50 to 400, and an Empty space.
The settings offer a great degree of control, too, with apertures from f/3.5 through f/11 available, and shutter speeds from 1/200 down to 1/2 second, as well as Bulb. The lens has a focal length of 25mm; a little longer than normal for its 10×14 millimeter frame size (a normal lens would be about 18mm).
Minolta Camera Serial Number Lookup
An interchangeable filter holder can be slid over the lens to add a variety of available filters by means of a small lever in front of the aperture selector. The filters, sold as tiny glass discs, could be swapped by means of a small door on the bottom of the front cover: with the filter disengaged from the lens, open the cover and the filter slides out.
A focus scale on top is marked from one foot to infinity, and the slide-out eye-level viewfinder has marks allowing parallax correction for middle and very close distances. Film is advanced via a thumbwheel, which also increments the frame counter in the center of the top cover.
If film is loaded, successful advancing can be confirmed by means of a rotating disc connected to the take-up spool, visible through a tiny window by the shutter speed selector. The disc is striped so its rotation is quite obvious.
The shutter release feels reminiscent of those on larger cameras, and is even threaded for a standard cable release. The front standard of the slide-out viewfinder acts as a lens cover when it’s not extended, and the shutter won’t fire with the cover in place. Closing the finder also disengages the filter if it is engaged.
On the bottom of the camera you’ll find a standard tripod socket and, in its center (meaning the two can’t be used at the same time), a proprietary flash connector. A tiny pin on the end of the camera nearest the single strap lug, when depressed, releases the bottom cover for changing film (see manuals, linked below).
Mamiya-16 resources:
My Mamiya-16 Super was a thrift-store score, coming to me in a shoebox with several other cameras. Ultimately it turned out to be the only one in working order, but that’s okay with me because it’s so cool! It definitely seems to be the most versatile of the three subminis presented here, and feels well made and easy to use.
Unfortunately, as with the others, I don’t have any film cassettes for it, so I won’t be making an effort to test it. I suspect cassettes could be rather expensive — especially since I can’t find any for sale anywhere!
A whole host of other manufacturers got in and out of the subminiature market in the 30 or so years it was viable, and there are a wide variety of unique tiny cameras available around the world for you to try. If you’ve got a cassette I could use to test one of these and you’re interested in trading for some 16mm film, definitely contact me!
image by Dries van den Elzen(Image rights) |
Introduction
The Minolta SR-T 101 is a 35mmSLR camera made by Minolta Camera Co. Ltd, Japan, premiering in the March 1966 Japan Camera Show [1]. Sales began in April 1966 and it stayed in production with only minor changes for ten years, the result of the thorough development effort that was put into the camera. The body is a direct continuation of the Minolta SR-7 model V of 1962, itself an innovative camera.
However, the SR-T 101 is a leap forward from the SR-7. Perhaps the most notable new feature was the full aperture metering facility, a feature it took Nikon twelve more years to figure out how to accomplish. Full aperture metering in 35mm SLR cameras was pioneered by the brilliant Tokyo KogakuTopcon RE Super, and would not appear in a screw mount camera until Olympus Kogaku introduced the Olympus FTL, their first full frame 35mm SLR in 1971, which was abandoned one year later in favour of the OM system. For a time, Minolta dominated this area of camera design.
Konica Minolta Serial Number Lookup
The technical requirements of full-aperture TTL metering led to a new variation of the SR mount, the MC mount (for 'meter coupling.') This system involved the same bayonet mount, but added a tab on the aperture ring to directly signal the aperture (relative to the maximum aperture) set on the lens. SR mount lenses are generally usable in unmetered-manual mode on MC mount cameras, but some automatic-diaphragm lenses made before 1961 have compatibility issues with the diaphragm coupling. MD lenses made later add a second tab to signal X-series cameras that shutter-speed priority is available, and these lenses are backwards-compatible with the MC cameras such as the SR-T series.
The first generation camera body serial numbers started from 1000xxx (see section below). When first introduced, the standard kit lens was the 58mm/f1.4 MC Rokkor-PF, with 6 elements in 5 groups, beginning from lens serial number 5000xxx. About four months after launch, the 55mm/f1.7 MC Rokkor-PF, 6 elements in 5 groups, was added as an alternate kit lens. Then in September 1968[2], the 58mm/f1.2 MC Rokkor-PG, 7 elements in 5 groups with 8 aperture blades, became available. These earlier kit lenses featured knurled metal barrels, versus later rubber-gripped MC Rokkor-X (or MC Rokkor) versions. A very well crafted ever-ready case was available in either brown or black leather to protect the camera with normal lens. A longer-nosed black ever-ready case was made for the SR-T101 and 58mm/f1.2 combination.
The SR-T series subsequently included many models, all of them variations on this body. Most of these were budget models lacking some of the special features of the top-range SR-T models; many of them lack the shutter-speed indicator, for instance.
image by Steve Harwood(Image rights) |
Physical description
The SR-T 101 is a somewhat blocky camera by modern standards, but it represents a school of industrial design that was ahead of its time in the mid-60's. The camera is quite typical in its physical layout, with the shutter speed dial, film advance and rewind knob mounted on top and the battery compartment, meter on/off/battery check switch and rewind-release button on the bottom plate.
The film advance can be operated in one strokes or multiple, whichever is more convenient. The lever goes quite far forward when operated in one stroke.
Other controls are on the sides of the lens mount; on the earlier SR-T 101's, these controls are a depth of field preview button which stops down the aperture (this locks in place on the SR-T 101 but not on some later models) and a mirror lock-up knob, mainly provided to make the camera compatible with ultra-wide angle lenses. On the other side of the lens mount, there are PC sockets for FP and X sync (FP refers to long-burning flashbulbs that can be used at speeds higher than 1/60th of a second, as their output remains constant over the amount of time it takes for the focal-plane slit to travel). The lens release is on the front of the lens mount; it is a knurled knob that must be pushed diagonally towards the lens to release it.
Around the lens mount is a spring-loaded ring that travels with a stud on the aperture ring (or a stud linked to the aperture ring, in the case of some longer lenses where the aperture ring is not adjacent to the camera.) This tells the camera how many stops below the maximum aperture the lens is set to, and allows the camera to meter at maximum aperture.
On the back is a rotating film reminder labelled in both ASA (ISO) and DIN.
Shutter
The shutter is a conventional, fully-mechanical rubberized-cloth focal plane shutter with speeds from 1/1000th to 1 second. The camera lacks the mechanical provision to double-expose by holding the rewind release and cocking the shutter, but later models would add this feature. It may be possible to double-expose by pressing and holding the rewind release and holding the rewind knob, but it seems this is exceedingly difficult to do without moving the film somewhat, and would likely take two people to accomplish with ease and accuracy.
The shutter, like the aperture-sensing ring, is connected to the follower needle in the viewfinder, not as in some match-needle cameras, the meter needle itself. It is also connected to a sliding bracket in the lower part of the viewfinder that indicates the current shutter speed.
There is a self-timer, of the same kind as on the Pentax Spotmatic, for instance. It is a lever which is wound up by hand and released by a small button above it.
Viewfinder
The SR-T has an extremely bright finder, owing to its large, double-hinged mirror. The ground glass has a central micro prism focusing aid that proves to be very accurate in most cases, since even when no visible lines are present in the subject, all out-of-focus objects appear to shimmer. Some later models replace this with a microprism ring around a split-image device. The meter and follower needles are shown at the right and the selected shutter speed is at the bottom. A small rectangle by the needles indicates the battery charge; if the meter needle is somewhere over this rectangle when the switch is set to BC (Battery Check), the battery is in the acceptable range.
This bright, feature-packed viewfinder would prove to be a high point of Minolta SLR's, and the SR-T series would preserve the bright finder throughout; some, such as the SR-T Super (sold in North America as the 102) would add a 'Judas window' above the image to show the current aperture (though it would not work with all lenses or in dim light.)
Metering: CLC and full aperture TTL
Camera ads from the 1970s boast of its CLC (Contrast Light Compensator) metering, calling it 'the brain'. CLC is a form of TTL metering with two CdS cells. If there is high contrast between the two, it compensates by assuming that the upper side of the picture is the sky and that the lower part is the subject you want to photograph. ISO values can be set from 6 to 6400. The meter is the only battery-powered component; it takes an obsolete PX625 mercury battery, banned in most countries other than Russia, but workable alternatives are readily available.
viewfinder |
---|
The SR-T 101's viewfinder shows the exposure meter needle at the right side of the finder image. This needle shows the actual light value coming in through the lens at maximum aperture, with lower indicating a higher light value. The needle's position is not dependent on film speed or any other camera setting; it will be constant for a given light value and a given lens. Also at the right is a follower needle with a circle at the tip. This indicates the current exposure value calculated from film speed, number of stops below maximum aperture, and shutter speed. By changing one or more of these inputs, this circle can be made to overlap the meter needle, at which point the exposure will be approximately correct. The second image shows the meter in battery control mode: needle over the little rectangle means correct voltage. |
The Minolta SR-T 101 was one of the first cameras to have full aperture TTL metering. This was possible thanks to the fact that Minolta had placed the aperture ring on its Rokkor MC lenses close to the camera body. This way, the position of the aperture ring could be communicated mechanically to the metering system inside the camera. What is actually transmitted is not the aperture itself, but the offset between the selected aperture and the lens' maximal aperture.
Repair
Several internal parts may fail on a forty-year-old camera, and the SR-T 101 is no exception. The most serious trouble is related to the exposure meter movement, in which the tiny coil can break; this situation requires a replacement. The back door rubber sealing foam will usually need replacement, and so will a small strip of same cushioning the mirror when it goes up. A strip of this may be cut from a similar sealing material from a hardware store. Many other problems can be solved by removing the top (which is somewhat difficult) and putting right the strings and pulleys that communicate aperture and shutter speeds.
The shutter can easily be accurate after all this time, especially on later examples, though it is, of course, also common for the slow speed timer to jam, resulting in all slow speeds being equal to 1/60th.
How old is my Minolta SR-T 101?
First version SR-T101 (note shutter speed dial) image by Siim Vahur(Image rights) |
During the ten-year manufacturing period of the Minolta SR-T101, many small changes were made to the camera body. Several of these changes are easily detected and they can help determine time of manufacture to within a few years. It should be noted that any part of a camera may be replaced due to repair and smaller parts are more easily swapped, but normally these features may be considered original. Top cover and base plate are parts usually replaced due to impact damages, and a replacement top cover would not have the original serial number.
1966-late 1969: the first generation 101’s have a finely-knurled black shutter speed barrel (even on chromed body models), and have single slot screws holding the base plate and top cover on, while later generations use Phillips head screws. From 1966 into 1967, the two screws at the back of the top cover were the same distance from the eyepiece, while on all later SR-T‘s the right-hand screw is farther away from the eyepiece. From 1968 on, the black plastic shoulder pieces between the front cover and the top cover are held in place by visible screws. In Fall 1968 Minolta began selling black body SR-T101's, like image at left, from serial number 1270xxx on.
![Minolta autocord models serial numbers Minolta autocord models serial numbers](https://www.anyandallauctions.com/ItemImages/000037/37838l_med.jpeg)
1970-1973: the second generation and later 101’s have a coarse ridged chromed shutter speed barrel. From 1972 on, as seen on the inside of the top cover, the film counter clear plastic window is glued in place, while on earlier versions it is held in place by an internal bracket.
1973-1975: on the third generation 101’s, the black plastic piece under the accessory shoe protrudes up forming a ridge in front of the shoe, while earlier versions have a single metal peg. This would be the design used when the shoe was replaced with a hot shoe on later models.
The lack of mirror lockup (MLU) on an SR-T101 is not an exact indicator of its age. MLU first began to be discontinued early in the transition to the second generation, but did continue at least until the third generation SR-T.
Minolta Camera Serial Number Lookup Online
Legacy
The Sr-T 101 began a long-lived, commercially-successful and lauded series consisting of incremental upgrades of this body, as well as affordable budget models lacking some features. The most common variation, sold under various model numbers, removes the mechanically-complicated shutter-speed indicator and the self-timer; variants with and without hot shoe and even a variation with single-cell (non-CLC) metering exist within this budget range. The SR-T Super (sold as SR-T 102) and its successors would add a Judas window for the aperture ring, thus showing all the exposure information in the viewfinder. Some models, such as the super) add a split-image device, and some models were made with either focusing screen. The last model, the SR-T 100X was launched in 1979, thirteen years after the original 101.
Technical specifications
- Type: 35mm Manual-focus SLR
- Manufacturer: Minolta
- Lens mount: Minolta MC (backwards-compatible with some SR, forwards-compatible with MC)
- Shutter: Focal-plane shutter, fully mechanical, cloth
- Shutter speeds: 1s-1/1000s, B.
- Flash sync: PC socket for FP (theoretically any speed) and X (at 1/60th), cold shoe
- Exposure: Metered-manual (match needle), CLC dual-cell system, battery operated.
- Battery: PX625, for meter only
- Viewfinder: Reflex finder with microprism focusing spot, match-needle system and battery check, shutter-speed indicator.
Notes
- ↑JCII Lewis ed., 'The History of the Japanese Camera', p121
- ↑Justin Bailey, 'Minolta Lens Collection'
Links
- Minolta SR-T series; an overview of features.
- SRT-101, SRT-101 noir, SRT-101b on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand (in French)
- Minolta SR-T 101 page at Camera Portraits
- Minolta SR-t 101 camera manual, German version available, repair manual from OrphanCameras.com
Minolta Autocord Models Serial Numbers
Minolta Classic Cameras |
---|
Vest (or Best) | V2 | SR-2 | SRT 101 | XE | XD | CLE | 7000 | 9000 | 800 si |
Retrieved from 'http://camera-wiki.org/index.php?title=Minolta_SR-T_101&oldid=195679'