The Minolta Riva Zoom 70EX is a compact camera from the 90s. The 35mm camera was built by the Japanese company Minolta. The model was aimed at hobby users, is equipped with automatics and is easy to use. The 35mm photo camera was also sold on the market under the name "Minolta Freedom Zoom 70EX".
The 35mm photo camera comes with a fixed lens. The zoom range is from 35mm to 70mm. The widest aperture is f/3.8 at 35 mm. Focusing of the lens is done by a built-in autofocus system. The closest focusing distance is 60 cm. The switchable macro mode allows shooting at a distance of only 48 cm.
The camera has a light meter. It is designed for films from ISO 25 to ISO 3200. The film speed is determined via the DX code. The shutter speed and aperture are set automatically by the electronics. The photographer has no influence on the settings.
The built-in flash provides sufficient light even in difficult lighting conditions. With ISO 100 filming, the light reaches up to 4.6 meters. Of course, the flash can also be turned off. Or you can force its use to brighten up the picture, e.g. in strong backlighting. There is also a mode for portraits at night. In this mode, the shutter opens for one second and the camera fires the flash. This way, the foreground freezes and enough ambient light still falls on the film material. An automatic red-eye reduction mode is also available on the camera.
The Minolta Riva Zoom 70EX has a self-timer. This has a lead time of ten seconds to get into position. There is also a thread for a tripod on the bottom. On the bottom left is an eyelet for attaching a camera strap or wrist strap.
The camera body weighs in at 255 grams. The dimensions are 13.4 x 7.2 x 4.8 cm. A CR123A battery (eBay / Amazon*) is responsible for the power supply. The batteries last for about 300 pictures. The charge level is shown on the display on the top.
Films for the Minolta Riva Zoom 70EX
The Minolta Riva Zoom 70EX is a film camera and is loaded with 35mm film. 35mm films are still manufactured by various producers. Possible films for the Minolta Riva Zoom 70EX are the Kodak Gold 200* for color images and the Ilford XP2 Super* for black and white images. Both films produce solid results with the Japanese model.
The 35mm camera negatives have a size of 24mm x 36mm. So at least 36 shots fit on a normal roll of film. Film transport is handled automatically by a motor. The number of pictures taken is shown on the display.
In addition to the normal model, there was also a Quartz Date model. This model can be recognized by the "Date" imprint on the front and the controls on the back. It can imprint the date and time in one of the corners of the photos as they are taken. However, the calendar only goes to the year 2019. In addition, a CR2025 battery (eBay / Amazon*) is needed.
