Camera Talk

Minolta's HI-Matic AF-2 (1981), dating from the early days of P&S cameras, offers only some automation: autofocus and auto exposure-- the other operations (film advance, film rewind, ISO setting) are all manual. Like several other early P&S, it is powered by 2 AA batteries. It seems like Minolta thought that they could use the well-respected Hi-Matic brand name and apply it to the partially automated AF-2 to produce an easily used family camera that would give better results than an Instamatic. Though it probably wasn't intended primarily for b&w photography, I particularly like the way it does b&w and I keep it in my much reduced stable of user cameras. I found my AF-2 at Goodwill a couple years back in very good condition, only needing a little redo of the light-proofing. P&S convenience has become more important to me recently so I'm trying out the ones I have; the AF-2 is holding up in the competition. Here are a couple snapshots to show what it produces. The second one was made on Arista Premium 400, the first on T-Max 400 (I think); both were developed in D-76 and scanned at home.

Sakatah Lake Picnic Grounds in Spring. Le Sueur County, Minnesota
Asphalt Application on Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN

I have one of these and I should dig it out to use again. As you show, they had good, sharp lenses for a P&S. I found its AF slow and noisy, but that was a bit of fun in using it.

Mine was given to me by a co-worker who was leaving her job, and her hometown, to be with her new boyfriend in Brunei, almost as far away as she could go. The camera had belonged to her former boyfriend -- who had dumped her for a younger woman and who collected cameras. She'd managed to keep that camera after that break-up but thought it belonged in other hands. Thus mine.

Yes, nice cameras. Only problem is every one I ever had the flash was DOA. Had one given to me, and two more I got at Goodwill. Only one of them actually worked, but I don't recall putting any film through it. The Arista shot looks much better than the T-Max. Don't know if it's because of the way it scans, but that would be my bet.

PF

Thanks for the post. Did not know about this Hi-Matic at all.

I have a much simpler Yashica MF-2 and the lens looks very similar to this one.

I also have one with an intermittent flash. I may take it apart.