The Minolta Freedom III / Freedom 3 is a compact camera. It was introduced in the mid-1980s. The model was produced by the Asian company in a factory in Japan. The Freedom III was mainly sold on the North American market. It was available to photographers in other parts of the world under the names "Minolta MAC-7" and "Minolta AF-Z".
The lens of the camera is fixed. The name "Minolta Lens" adorns the lens. The focal length is 35 mm and the widest aperture of the lens is f/2.8. There is no need to focus manually with the Minolta Freedom III. The camera has an autofocus system. The closest focusing distance for this lens is listed as 65 cm. This is the minimum distance you need to keep in order to get sharp images.
The photo camera has a built-in exposure meter. It can be used with films from ISO 25 to ISO 1600. The camera technology uses a sensor to determine the correct film speed via the DX code. If this code is missing, the camera always sets a value of ISO 100. The aperture and shutter speed are set automatically by the 35 mm camera. There is no exposure compensation.
The built-in flash provides sufficient light. 4 meters is the specified range at a sensitivity of ISO 100 with the automatic flash. Additionally, there is a mode where the flash can be used as fill-in flash. A self-timer is also available.
The 35mm camera has a thread for a tripod on the bottom. There is also an attachment for a camera strap. The dimensions of the Minolta Freedom III are 13.5 x 7.2 x 4 cm. It weighs 295 grams with its black body.
The camera requires one DL223 battery (eBay / Amazon*). Alternatively, however, you can use four AAA batteries if you don't have direct access to the other battery type. Depending on the battery type, you can take about 1200 or 430 photos with one battery charge.
In addition to the regular model, there was also a "Quartz Date" variant. This version offers the option of having the shooting date imprinted in one corner of the image. This makes it immediately obvious when the picture was taken. For this purpose, a calendar with clockwork is embedded in the camera.
Films for the Minolta Freedom III
The Minolta Freedom III is designed for the 35mm format. 35mm films are still made today and are fairly easy to get. For color images, there is such as the Kodak Portra 400*. An option for black and white images is the Ilford Delta 100*. Both films are good for everyday use and do well according to test reports.
The development process for color film is the C-41 process. This process is offered by almost every photo lab. For example, the major drugstore chains in Germany offer color film development.
The photo camera negatives are 24 mm x 36 mm. Thus, 36 exposures per normal roll of film are usually possible. The film is transported automatically. The motor also transports the film back into the camera. The camera has a continuous shooting mode that takes multiple pictures without interruption, but it cannot be used with the flash unit. The camera shows the number of photos taken on the top display.
