Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i

The Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i is a snapshot camera. It was introduced by Minolta in the 1990s. The camera was sold in two color versions, white and black, in the North American market. The new price at the time was around $500. The 35mm camera was also available on the market under the names “Minolta Riva Zoom 105i” and “Minolta Apex 105“.

The camera has a fixed lens with zoom capability. The zoom range is from 35 mm to 105 mm. The maximum aperture is f/4 at wide angle and f/6.7 at 105 mm. The zoom is adjusted manually with a switch. There is also an automatic mode that selects the zoom depending on the distance to the subject.

Manual focusing is not required with the Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i. The camera has an autofocus system. However, this is not an infrared system, but a passive TTL phase detection autofocus system. The close focus distance of the lens is 70 cm.

The photo camera has a built-in light meter. It is designed for an ISO range of 25 to 3200. The correct sensitivity is determined by the DX code on the film cartridge. If a corresponding code is not available, ISO 25 is set by default.

There are no settings for aperture and shutter speed. The camera selects the exposure settings automatically. You have a little more influence with the built-in flash. The flash can be operated fully automatically. There is also a red-eye reduction function. But it can also be used in fill-in mode, where the flash fires every time you take a picture, such as when taking backlit shots. It can also be turned off completely. The range is up to 5.5 meters at ISO 100 film.

The 35 mm camera has a built-in flash. The range of the flash is 0.7 meters – 5.5 meters.

The dimensions of the Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i are 15.3 x 6.4 x 8.4 cm. At the same time, it weighs 560 grams. Unusual for this type of camera is the form factor. Thus, it reaches more into the depth and is flatter for it. There is a thread for a tripod on the bottom.

A 2CR5 battery (eBay / Amazon*) is responsible for the power supply. The camera can take about 600 pictures. The charge level is shown on the display.

Films for the Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i

What film can be used with the Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i? The camera exposes 35mm film. The film material is automatically spooled from one motor to the next free frame after each press of the shutter button. Of course, this also applies when using the self-timer. Under no circumstances should the camera be opened if the film has not yet been rewound. Rewinding is also fully automatic, but can also be triggered manually by pressing a button.

There is a wide range of different films for the camera. For black and white images in 35mm format, the Ilford Delta 400* is a good choice. For color images, you can reach for the Kodak Ultramax 400*. Both films deliver solid results with the compact camera.