The Minolta F12 is a snapshot camera. It was built in a factory in China and is rather on the cheaper end in terms of time. It also didn't impress anyone with its functions at the time. On the other hand, it is very easy to use. The body is black and made of plastic.
Like other "Minolta F-model", this one comes with a fixed lens. The focal length will probably be around 35 mm. The focus is fixed. There is no autofocus on this model.
Aperture and shutter speed cannot be changed. There is also no exposure compensation. The only setting option regarding the exposure settings is the film speed. Here you can choose between two options, ISO 100/200 and ISO 400.
There is a built-in flash for taking pictures in low light or in unfavorable light situations. Power, for the flash among other things, comes from two AA batteries (eBay / Amazon*). One battery charge is enough for several hundred photos. Of course, when it comes to AA batteries for the Minolta camera, you can also go for rechargeable ones.
Films for the Minolta F12
The Minolta F12 was built for the 35mm format. The film is automatically advanced with a motor after each frame. A counter on the top of the camera tells you how many photos have been taken. Through a window in the back you can see the inserted film. Also on the back, one finds a slider. The slider triggers the return transport of the film into the cartridge. Only when this step is completed, the back may be opened and the film removed.
Great films for the Minolta F12 that are still available today and can be purchased online are the Kodak Portra 400* for color photos and the Kodak T-Max 100* for monochrome B&W photos. Of course, there is other film stock for the camera. For example, Lomography, Rollei, Ilford and Fujifilm offer suitable ISO 100 and ISO 400 films.
