Minolta Hi-Matic ES

The Minolta Hi-Matic ES is a 35mm camera. It is part of the Hi-Matic series and was manufactured by the Asian company in a factory in Japan.

The Rokkor lens of the 35mm camera is fixed. The focal length is 40mm and the maximum aperture is f/1.7, while the smallest aperture is specified as f/11. The camera does not have an autofocus. Manual focusing is facilitated by the coupled rangefinder. The closest focusing distance is 80 cm.

The Minolta camera is equipped with automatic exposure control. Shutter speed and aperture are set automatically based on film speed. ISO values from ISO 25 to 500 are supported by the CdS exposure meter. In low-light situations, the camera warns of possible image blur due to a slower shutter speed. There is no manual mode. It is also not apparent which shutter speed has been set. The shutter supports values from 1/1000 second to 2 seconds.

Hot-shoe flashes can be used with the 35mm photo camera. But there is also an additional port for flash units with a cable connection. A connection for a cable release and a thread are of course also available. However, the camera does not have a self-timer.

The dimensions of the camera body are 12.4 x 7.7 x 6 cm. It weighs 550 grams. Two Mallory RM-640 batteries are responsible for the power supply.

Films for the Minolta Hi-Matic ES

The Minolta Hi-Matic ES requires 35mm films. These films can still be easily purchased today. Transported is the film after each release to the next free area with a lever on the top. On the top side is the counter with the already taken pictures. When the end of the film material is reached after usually 36 frames, the film must be wound back into the cartridge with a crank. Then it can be removed and taken to a lab for development.

Great films for the Minolta Hi-Matic ES that are still around today are the Kodak Gold 200* for color images and the Kodak TRI-X 400* for B&W images. Both films deliver reliable results and can also convince in professional test reports. Films from other producers can of course also be used with the camera.