Minolta Hi-Matic 7 Camera Test

Talk about rangefinder cameras, lenses and accessories.
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PFMcFarland
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Minolta Hi-Matic 7 Camera Test

Post by PFMcFarland »

Fixed mount 35mm rangefinder with a Rokkor-PF 1.8/45 (6 elements, 5 groups) lens in a Seikosha-LA shutter ¼ to 1/500 seconds, B, and programmed Auto. CdS meter cell mounted inside the lens barrel, ASA 25-800/ DIN 15-30. Power provided by 625 battery (MRB625 Wein).

Tested with Kodak ColorPlus 200 (Kodacolor).

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Minolta Hi-Matic 7 by P F McFarland, on Flickr


The meter, shutter, and aperture work fine, and the rangefinder is correct. Lens is clear, body is in almost excellent condition (just a touch of corrosion around the viewfinder, could be from facial oils). There is a piece of tape on the camera back with film load information on it dated 8/74, so that was 41 years ago.

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Meter Test by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Top photo is metered manual, middle is Sunny-16 manual, and bottom is Auto (programmed). There is one stop difference between the first two, and the third is almost a match for the first one. Film latitude also must be taken into consideration, but still it’s a good meter.


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James River Fog by P F McFarland, on Flickr
I put a touch of saturation into this one (the Sunny-16 version) to correct the sky, and give the grass a bit more brilliance. I like the way the individual trees can be made out along the top of Purgatory Mountain.


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Foggy Barnyard by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Not lens haze, this is real fog.


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Flare Check by P F McFarland, on Flickr
I wanted to do a flare check at f22, because you never know when you’ll want to use the effect, and it’s good to know just how much you’ll get. Unfortunately, there is a reflection inside the film chamber, so I can count this one out.


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Rockfish Gap View by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Another distance shot. This time I ran it through PSE10 Auto Fix to bring out the sky detail better. Other than that, the exposure is fine.




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Love Rock by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Somewhere between 4 and 5 feet focus distance. I’m happy with it.

See all the rest of the photos and commentary at https://flic.kr/s/aHskngrHLo

PF


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Julio1fer
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Re: Minolta Hi-Matic 7 Camera Test

Post by Julio1fer »

Pretty sharp lens; the Hi-Matic series had a lot of classic RFs, but this is probably one of the most sought after. As you say, excellent handling and a very good lens.

In many Minoltas the meter shuts off when you select the Flashmatic feature in the combined shutter control. At least this happened in my Hi-Matic 9 and in my AL-F.


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PFMcFarland
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Re: Minolta Hi-Matic 7 Camera Test

Post by PFMcFarland »

Thanks, Julio. On this one you have to set it at 1/30, then use the Guide Number of the flash to determine aperture.

PF


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