The Minolta Dynax 505si Super was a 35mm autofocus SLR camera launched in 1998 by the manufacturer Minolta and produced Malaysia. The camera was designed to be versatile and offered a range of modes for different shooting styles and conditions. These modes included programmed modes for sports, landscape, portrait, macro and night photography, a fully automatic mode, a preferred shutter speed mode and a preferred aperture mode.
The lens of the 35mm photo camera is interchangeable. For this purpose, a Minolta A bayonet was installed. The viewfinder of the Minolta Dynax 505si Super is a penta-mirror that displays 90% of the image.
The Minolta Dynax 505si Super is equipped with a built-in light meter. The exposure meter is designed for 35mm film from ISO 25 to ISO 5000, if you use the automatic recognition via the DX-coding on the film cartridge. Manually, you can choose between values from ISO 6 to 6400.
Shutter speed and aperture can be selected by the photographer. You can choose from values from 1/4000 second to 30 seconds. The selected settings are shown on the display on the top of the camera. For long exposures there is a Bulb mode. This keeps the shutter open for a variable amount of time.
The camera also has a built-in flash with a guide number of 12, which could be used as an autofocus assist light. In addition, external flashes from Minolta could be connected. The photo camera has a self-timer and a tripod thread on the bottom. There is also a mode for multiple exposures.
The power source of the 35mm camera is two CR2 batteries (eBay / Amazon*). You can still get these batteries very easily today. With one set of batteries you get about 400 pictures with partial use of the flash.
The camera is relatively light and weighs only 375 g without lens, film and batteries. The dimensions of the camera are 135 x 90 x 58.5 mm, so it is reasonably compact compared to other SLR cameras.
Films for the Minolta Dynax 505si Super
In the Minolta Dynax 505si Super, photo films are exposed, more precisely 35mm films. Fortunately, 35mm films are still produced today and can be developed in most laboratories. Possible films for the Japanese SLR are the Kodak Portra 160* for colour photos and the Kodak TRI-X 400* for b/w pictures. Both films are well suited for everyday use and perform well according to test reports.
The colour film is developed using the C-41 process. This process is offered by most professional photo labs. B/W film can also be developed at home, as the process is less complicated.
The Minolta Dynax 505si Super exposes an area of 24 mm x 36 mm. The film in the 35mm camera is transported automatically. The motor takes 2 pictures per second. For this speed, the camera must be switched to continuous shooting mode.
Minolta Dynax 505si Super QD
In addition to the normal model, there was also a Quartz Date variant of the camera.
