Minolta Hi-Matic SD

The Minolta Hi-Matic SD is a camera for the 35mm format. It was presented by Minolta in the 70s and built in a production facility in Japan. The model is part of the Hi-Matic series and is very similar in functionality to the Hi-Matic S. However, this camera lacks the self-timer and the ability to expose the shooting date into the images.

The Rokkor lens of the 35mm photo camera is fixed. It is made up of four glass elements. These are arranged in three groups. The focal length is 38 mm and the maximum aperture is f/2.7. The smallest possible aperture is f/17. A filter can be screwed onto the 46 mm thread. You have to focus the lens manually on the desired subject without an aid. The closest focusing distance for this lens is 80 cm. Four symbols for different distances help with focusing.

The 35mm camera is equipped with a built-in light meter. It is designed for films from ISO 25 to ISO 400. The exposure settings are automatically controlled and adjusted by the camera electronics. Aperture and shutter speed cannot be set manually. There is also no exposure compensation. The shutter offers speeds from 1/450 sec to 1/4 sec. If the value is below 1/45 second, a warning light jumps on and informs about a possible blurring of the photos.

The Minolta Hi-Matic SD comes with a built-in flash. According to the manual, the power of the flash reaches up to 0.8 meters to 5 meters at ISO 100. The 35mm camera comes with a self-timer with a lead time of ten seconds. There is also a connection for a cable release and threads for a tripod.

The dimensions of the Japanese camera’s body are 13 x 8.4 x 5.5 cm, according to the user manual. It weighs 330 grams without batteries and film. The camera requires two AA batteries (eBay / Amazon*). Depending on the battery type, one set of batteries will last for up to 250 pictures with flash.

The camera can imprint the shooting date and letters into the pictures. The values are then located in the lower corner of the photo. The function can also be switched off. The function makes little sense today, since the selectable years only go from 1980 to 1992.

Films for the Minolta Hi-Matic SD

35mm films are exposed in the Minolta Hi-Matic SD. The films must be manually advanced with a lever. The return transport into the cartridge also proceeds manually. For this purpose, there is a crank that can be used to transport the material back into the lightproof cartridge.

A possible film for color images is the Kodak Ultramax 400*. One option for B&W images is the Ilford Delta 100*. According to test reports, the films provide good results in most everyday situations.