The Minolta Repo is a viewfinder camera. It dates back to the 1960s. The model was produced in a factory in Japan.
The lens of the camera is fixed. The name "Minolta Rokkor" adorns the lens. The focal length is 30 mm and the maximum aperture is f/2.8.
Focusing is manual. The closest focusing distance is 60 cm. To make focusing a bit easier, there is a click and a mark at important distance points. These stops are at 1.2 m, 3 m and 5 m.
The 35mm camera has a built-in light meter. It was designed for films with a sensitivity of ISO 10 to ISO 400. It is a selenium light meter. With this type of light meter, the correct exposure is determined by a chemical reaction. However, the accuracy and functionality may change over the years.
Aperture and shutter speed cannot be set directly. There is an indicator on the top of the housing for the metered exposure. Turning the outer ring on the lens barrel changes the exposure setting. The correct exposure is achieved when the green indicator matches the red needle. It is not possible to directly determine which shutter speed and aperture the camera selects. The shutter speed varies between 1/250 s and 1/30 s.
For long exposures, there is a Bulb mode. In this mode, the shutter remains open as long as the shutter release button is pressed. The aperture in this mode is f/2.8.
The use of a flash is possible via the PC flash socket. The sync speed is 1/30 second. The camera does not have a flash shoe.
The Minolta Repo offers the possibility to connect a cable release. The camera can be mounted on a tripod through the thread on the bottom. No batteries are needed to take pictures.
Films for the Minolta Repo
The negatives of the photo camera have a size of 18 mm x 24 mm. For this reason, the Japanese camera is a half-frame camera. What kind of films are needed for the Minolta Repo? The camera is designed for 35mm film. Due to the smaller format, up to 72 photos fit on a 36-frame roll.
35mm film is still manufactured today, can be easily purchased, and can be developed in most professional labs. A great film choice for color images is Kodak Ultramax 400* and for B&W images is Ilford Delta 100*. Of course, films from other manufacturers can also be used with the half-format camera without any problems.
After each shot, the film must be manually rewound with a lever. When the end of the roll is reached, a small button on the bottom must be pressed in and the film material must be transported back into the cartridge with the crank. Then you may open the camera, remove the film and develop it.
