The Minolta A-2 is a 35mm camera from the 1950s. It belongs to the rangefinder camera group. The model was produced in a factory in Japan by Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō, the company name of von Minolta at the time. The model is a more advanced variant of the Minolta A.
The camera has no autofocus. The lens is focused manually. The coupled rangefinder helps with this. The 35mm camera has a fixed lens. There are two variants. The Chiyoko Rokkor 1:2.8/45mm has a focal length of 45mm and a maximum aperture of f/2.8. It is composed of five lens elements in three groups. The Chiyoko Rokkor 1:3.5/45mm has four elements in three groups. With this lens, the maximum aperture is only f/3.5.
Exposure is not metered by the Minolta A-2. Exposure settings must be measured with an external light meter and can then be transferred to the camera. The camera was shipped with different leaf shutters, There are copies with the Citizen MVX with shutter speeds from 1/400 second to 1 second or the Optiper MVL with a maximum shutter speed of 1/500 second.
The 35mm camera has a Bulb mode in both variants. In this mode, the shutter is opened as long as the shutter release button is pressed. An external flash can be used via the PC flash socket.
The 35mm photo camera comes with a self-timer. There is also a connection for a cable release and threads for a tripod. According to the manual, the dimensions of the Minolta A-2 are 13.2 x 8.6 x 6.5 cm. It weighs 620 grams. No batteries are needed to take pictures. The film is pre-wound with a lever on the top.
Films for the Minolta A-2
What kind of films does the Minolta A-2 need? Films of the 35mm format are used. There is still a good selection of material for color and B&W images for this film format. One possibility for B&W images is the Ilford Delta 400*. A possible film for color images is the Kodak Gold 200*.
The color film is designed to be developed using the C-41 process. This development process is offered by most labs. For example, you can take your film to most drug stores for development. Black and white film cannot be developed in the C-41 process, but needs a different developer.
