Minolta Hi-Matic SD2

The Minolta Hi-Matic SD2 is a 35mm camera. It is part of the Hi-Matic series and was sold to photographers in the 1980s. The camera’s country of production is Minolta’s home country, Japan. The model is identical in functionality to the Hi-Matic S2. The SD2 additionally comes with the functionality to imprint the date in one corner of the pictures.

The Japanese model is equipped with a standard lens. The lens has a focal length of 38 mm. It is composed of four lens elements. These glass elements are arranged in three groups. The apertures range from f/2.8 to f/17. A filter can be screwed onto the 46 mm thread. There is no zoom function. There is also no autofocus system. Instead, there are small pictograms to help with focusing. The closest focusing distance for this lens is given as 80 cm.

The Minolta Hi-Matic SD2 has a built-in light meter. Shutter speed and aperture are automatically selected by the camera technology. Film in the ISO range of 25 to 400 can be used, and the shutter allows shutter speeds from 1/430 second to 1/8 second. In low-light conditions, the camera warns of the risk of camera shake by slowing the shutter speed with a sound.

The 35mm camera comes with a built-in flash. There is also a thread for a tripod. You can’t use the camera without batteries. It is powered by two AA batteries (eBay / Amazon*).

Films for the Minolta Hi-Matic SD2

What kind of films does the Minolta Hi-Matic SD2 need? 35mm format films are used. 35mm films are still manufactured and are developed without problems at most photo labs. Nice 35mm films for color or black and white images are the Kodak Ultramax 400* and the Ilford FP4 Plus*. A good number of other manufacturers also produce film for this format. However, they should be in the ISO 25 to ISO 400 range.

Film transport is mechanical. After each frame, the film is transported to the next free area with a quick release lever. The negatives of the photo camera have a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. Thus, approximately 36 pictures fit on a normal roll of film. The number of photos taken is indicated by a counter on the top. When the end of the film is reached, the film must be returned to the cartridge with a crank. Before this, however, a small button on the bottom must be pressed in so that the rewind lock is released.