Minolta Hi-Matic 11

The Minolta Hi-Matic 11 is a rangefinder camera. It was introduced in the late 1960s. The model is part of the Hi-Matic series and was built a factory in Japan.

The camera comes with a fixed “Rokkor-PF” lens. The name of the lens is “Rokkor-PF.” The focal length is 45 mm and the maximum aperture is f/1.7. Built up, the lens is composed of six lens elements. The elements are arranged in five groups. The minimum distance to the subject should be 91 cm / 3 feet with this lens. The focus is set manually with the coupled rangefinder. The aperture cannot be set manually.

The photo camera has a built-in exposure meter. It can be used with films from ISO 25 to ISO 500. The camera technology can automatically set the aperture and shutter speed based on the measured values. In addition, there is an aperture priority mode. In this mode, the photographer selects the shutter speed and the light meter selects the appropriate aperture.

Shutter speeds can be selected from 1/500 sec, 1/250 sec, 1/125 sec, 1/60 sec, 1/30 sec, 1/15 sec and 1/8 sec. The Seiko ALA shutter also supports a Bulb mode. In this mode, the shutter is permanently opened when the shutter release button is held down. To take blur-free pictures in this mode, you should mount the camera on a tripod. A thread for a tripod is located on the bottom. There is also a thread for a cable release, very handy for long exposure shots.

A flash can be used via the hot shoe or PC flash connector. The Minolta Hi-Matic 11 has a built-in self-timer with a lead time of ten seconds. According to the manual, the dimensions of the 35mm camera are 14 x 8.2 x 7.5 cm. At the same time, it weighs 740 grams. The camera requires a PX625 battery (eBay / Amazon*).

Films for the Minolta Hi-Matic 11

The camera is designed for 35mm film. After each photo, the film material must be transported to the next free area. There is a quick release lever on the top for this purpose. The exposure area of the Minolta Hi-Matic 11 has a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. A normal film thus usually holds 36 frames. A counter on the top provides information about the number of pictures taken. When the end of the film roll is reached, a small button on the bottom must be pressed in and then the film material must be transported into the cartridge with a crank. Now the film can be removed and the pictures developed.

Especially for the 35mm format, there are still some manufacturers of film material for the Minolta camera. For black and white pictures you can use the Kodak T-Max 400*. For color images, the Kodak Portra 400* is an option.

The Hi-Matic 11 can still be found fairly easily today. Prices for used models vary depending on condition. For a mid-double-digit dollar amount, you should be able to find a working example.