Minolta Repo-S

The Minolta Repo-S is a 35mm camera. The model was presented in the 1960s and also under the name Minolta Reporter-S. It was produced in a factory in Japan.

The lens of the camera cannot be changed. The manufacturer’s name for the lens is “Minolta Rokkor-PF”. The focal length is 32 mm. The largest aperture is f/1.8. The lens is focused manually. The camera does not have an autofocus. The minimum distance to the subject must be 91 cm.

The 35mm camera has a built-in light meter. It is a selenium exposure meter. It is designed for an ISO range of 25 to 800. This type of light meter has advantages and disadvantages. You don’t need batteries for exposure metering because a chemical reaction takes place. However, the meter can lose accuracy over the years and cannot be easily replaced.

When you take a photo, you set the shutter speed. Then you look at an indicator on the top and turn the ring for the aperture. If the green index and the red needle match, you have selected the correct exposure settings according to the camera technology. Of course, you can also set the aperture first and then the shutter speed. The aperture range is from f/1.8 to f/16, and the Seiko shutter allows speeds from 1/500 second to 1/8 second.

A bulb mode is available for long exposures. In bulb setting, the remains open as long as the photographer keeps the shutter button pressed. For this, it is best to mount the camera on a tripod. In addition, it makes sense to release the camera via a cable release.

The use of a flash is possible via the PC flash socket. There is no hot shoe for attaching the flash. The sync speed is 1/30 second.

The dimensions of the 35mm camera are 11.5 x 6.7 x 5.1 cm. It weighs 440 grams. No batteries are needed to operate the Minolta. All functions are mechanical.

Films for the Minolta Repo-S

What kind of films does the Minolta Repo-S need? Films of the 35mm format are used. These films are still manufactured and can be offered by almost any professional photo lab. A good film choice is the Kodak Ultramax 400* for color images and the Ilford Delta 100* for black and white images. Both films deliver convincing results and do well in test reports. Of course, there are a variety of other suitable films from other manufacturers for this camera.

The color film mentioned is a color negative film and is developed using the C-41 process. A development of a 35mm color film is possible e.g. at most drugstore chains in Germany.

The exposure area of the Minolta Repo-S is 18 mm x 24 mm. This is the so-called half format. The exposed area is half that of a normal 35 mm camera. Therefore, twice the amount of individual images will fit on one roll of film. With a normal 36-image film, that would be 72 photos.

The film is advanced manually with a lever on the top of the 35mm camera. To avoid double exposures, there is a corresponding lock from the camera mechanism.