Minolta Freedom Holiday

The Minolta Freedom Holiday is a compact camera. It was introduced by Minolta in the early 90s and is the successor of the Minolta Freedom 50N. The model was also available on the markets outside of the US under the name “Minolta Riva 35 ST“. The camera’s target audience was more casual users and price-conscious buyers.

The lens of the 35 mm photo camera is not interchangeable. 35 mm is the focal length of the lens. The maximum aperture is f/4.5. The 35 mm camera does not have autofocus. The distance is fixed. The close focus distance of this lens is 150 cm.

The Minolta Freedom Holiday has a light meter. It is designed for an ISO range of 100 to 400. The camera uses the DX code to determine the correct film speed. If this code is not present on the cartridge, the camera selects ISO 100. The shutter speed and aperture are set automatically by the electronics. It selects an aperture between f/4.5 and f/11.1 and a shutter speed between 1/100 second and 1/35 second. The variable shutter speed is one of the model’s innovations over its predecessor.

Another innovation is the self-timer. Of course, the camera also has a built-in flash. The output reaches up to 2.8 meters at ISO 100. There are no different flash modes.

The camera weighs 175 grams with its plastic housing and measures 12.1 x 6.8 x 4.9 cm. The 35mm camera is powered by two AA batteries (eBay / Amazon*). This type of battery is still readily available today.

Films for the Minolta Freedom Holiday

The Minolta Freedom Holiday is loaded with 35mm film. 35mm film is still made today and is fairly easy to get. Possible films for the black compact camera are the Fujifilm Superia 400* for color photos and the Ilford Delta 100* for black and white photos. This allows about 36 images to fit on a normal film (135-36). The film is transported automatically. The number of frames is displayed on the top of the camera.

The color film is a color negative film and is developed using the C-41 process. This process is offered by almost every photo lab. Black and white film cannot be developed using the C-41 process, but requires a different developer.

Quartz Date Model

If the camera bears the imprint “QD” it is the model with data back. The camera has a built-in calendar and clockwork, so it can imprint the recording time in one of the corners. There is a small display on the back for this. You can choose between different date formats and also disable the function. In addition to the AA batteries, one needs a CR2025 battery (eBay / Amazon*).