Introduced in November of 1936, the Minolta Six is a 6x6 format plastic bodied camera with collapsible tubes for mounting the lens/shutter assembly, instead of a bellows.
Minolta Six Front Open by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Minolta Six Side Open by P F McFarland, on Flickr
It has a Coronar Anastigmat Nippon 1:4.5 80mm lens, in a Crown B everset shutter.
Minolta Six Front Closed by P F McFarland, on Flickr
At the time of its introduction, film with 6x6 markings on the backing paper was not available, so you had to use 4.5x6 film, only yielding 8 exposures per roll (12 in 4.5x6 cameras). This required the use of three windows to properly advance the film. Later models had a single window in the center, and some cameras were modified at the factory to use up the last of the three window backs.
Minolta Six Back Frame Windows Open by P F McFarland, on Flickr
There is no facility for using 4.5x6 film.
Minolta Six Interior by P F McFarland, on Flickr
The camera shutter is exhibiting weak spring symptoms, as the T setting does not always catch, and the shutter charging lever does not always snap back into position. The lens has some internal haze too, so a good cleaning and adjustment are in order.
PF
