Minolta Capios 115S

The Minolta Capios 115S is a compact camera from the Japanese manufacturer. It belongs to the group of snapshot cameras and is easy to use. The target audience was beginners and amateur photographers who used the camera on vacation or at family gatherings. It was built in a factory in China and sold in Minolta’s home market in Japan. The 35mm camera was also sold under the names “Minolta Riva Zoom 115” and “Minolta Freedom Zoom 115“.

In addition to the regular model, there was also a date version. This model can additionally imprint the shooting date into the pictures. This makes it easy to determine the age of the picture. Of course, the function can also be turned off if you don’t want the date in the pictures. The calendar goes up to the year 2029, and no additional battery is needed.

The 35mm camera is equipped with a fixed lens. The zoom range is from 37.5 mm to 115 mm. The largest available aperture is f/5.4 (37.5 mm) and f/10.9 (115 mm). The lens is composed of six different elements. The 35 mm camera does not require manual focusing as it is equipped with an autofocus system. The closest focusing distance is specified as 60 cm for this lens.

The 35mm photo camera has a built-in light meter. It is designed for an ISO range of 25 to 3200. The film speed is determined by the DX code. The aperture and shutter speed cannot be set. Exposure settings are selected automatically. For this, there are modes for portraits and landscapes that you can select. There is also the Auto Depth of Field mode to get the foreground subject in focus and the background out of focus.

The built-in flash provides sufficient light. At ISO 100, it reaches a range of up to 5.1 meters when filming. The flash has a red-eye prevention mode, a fill-in flash for backlit shots and a mode for portrait photos with flash at night. However, the flash can also be turned off.

The 35mm camera has a self-timer. This has a lead time of ten seconds. The camera can be mounted on a tripod for a group picture. The thread for this is located on the bottom of the housing. A camera strap can be attached to an eyelet on the side.

The camera is made of plastic. With a size of 11.2 x 6 x 3.9 cm, the housing weighs 205 grams. The camera requires a CR123A battery (eBay / Amazon*). This type of battery is easy to obtain and quite inexpensive. One battery usually lasts for up to 300 photos.

Films for the Minolta Capios 115S

35mm film is exposed in the Minolta Capios 115S. The shooting area of the photo camera is 24mm x 36mm. The film is automatically transported by a motor after each photo. The number of photos taken is shown on the display on the top.

35mm films are still manufactured today. They can be developed in most laboratories. For black and white images, you can go for the Ilford XP2 Super*. For color images, the Kodak Portra 160* is a possibility. Of course, you can also use films from other manufacturers.