Minolta Capios 140A

The Minolta Capios 140A is a compact camera with a plastic body. It was introduced by the Japanese company in the early 2000s and was intended for the domestic market. Production took place in a factory in the People’s Republic of China. Similar models were also available under the names “Minolta Freedom Zoom 140” and “Minolta Riva Zoom 140“.

The zoom lens is fixed and cannot be replaced. It extends when the camera is turned on and has a zoom range of 37.5mm to 140mm. The maximum aperture changes depending on the zoom level. The maximum aperture is f/5.4 in the wide-angle range. A minimum distance of 60 cm for wide-angle and 90 cm for telephoto should be maintained from the subject.

The compact camera is equipped with an autofocus system. There are three modes to choose from. Spot AF only focuses on a small point in the center of the image or the subject located there. With Area AF, this area is much larger. In Target AF mode, the subject is tracked. This mode is suitable for capturing subjects in motion.

The aperture and shutter speed cannot be set by the user, but are handled by the camera’s automatic system. The exposure meter is designed for films from ISO 25 to 3200. The camera technology reads out the correct sensitivity via the DX coding. The coding is located on the cartridge. If there is no coding, ISO 100 is always set.

Of course, the Minolta Capios 140A cannot do without a built-in flash. This is equipped with an automatic to avoid red-eye. For backlit shots or subjects with strong contrasts, the fill flash mode can be used. There is also a mode for portrait shots at night. The flash has a range of up to 4.6 meters at an ISO value of ISO 100.

There is a thread on the bottom of the camera to attach the camera to a tripod. This makes sense especially in conjunction with the self-timer. The self-timer gives you ten seconds to get into position after pressing the shutter button.

The dimensions of the Minolta Capios 140A are 11 x 6 x 4.5 cm. It weighs 195 grams. Power is supplied by a CR123A battery (eBay / Amazon*). According to the instructions, this will last for up to 240 pictures if you use the flash for half of the photos.

If the model is marked “Date”, it is a quartz date model. This variant can imprint the time of the shot in one of the corners of the photo. This makes it easy to determine when the photo was taken. The calendar lasts until the year 2099, and the watch does not require an additional battery.

Another special feature of the Date model is the ability to use a wireless shutter release. This requires the RC-3 infrared trigger. This has a range of up to 5 meters and requires a CR2032 battery (eBay / Amazon*).

Films for the Minolta Capios 140A

The Minolta Capios 140A is designed for the 35mm format. The 35mm films are automatically transported by the camera. The motor rewinds the film after each photo. The display then shows the total number of pictures taken.

The camera motor manages up to one image every 2.2 seconds. At the end of the roll, it also rewinds the film back into the camera. Only then may the back be opened. If the display shows a “0”, the film has not been loaded correctly.

According to the instruction manual, the point-and-shoot camera is designed for 35mm format. This type of film is still produced and can be processed by most photo labs without problems. One option for color images is the Kodak Gold 200* and the Ilford Delta 400* for black and white photos.