Revue 400 SE

The Revue 400 SE is a compact rangefinder camera with a fixed lens. It was sold under Foto-Quelle’s house brand “Revue” in Germany. It is not entirely clear who the “real” manufacturer was; there are various conjectures. Chinon and Cosina are floating in the air. But also Minolta and Konica, who produced similar cameras at that time, like the Konica Auto S3.

A special feature of the camera from the 70s is its lens. Namely, the model has a 40 mm fixed focal length with a maximum aperture of f/1.7. Nevertheless, the black full-frame camera and the Revuenon 1:1.7 40 mm lens is quite compact and handy.

The exposure meter supports 35 mm film with a sensitivity of ISO 25 to ISO 800. It works on the principle of shutter priority, which means that the photographer selects an exposure time (1/500 s, 1/250 s, 1/125 s, 1/60 s, 1/30 s, 1/15 s, 1/8 s) and the camera selects the appropriate aperture.

When the shutter button is pressed halfway, the selected exposure is locked (AF lock). The Revue 400 SE does not have a completely manual mode, but there are four settings for a hot shoe flash (guide number 7, 14, 28, 56).

The flash can be used with all exposure times thanks to the Copal central shutter. There is a Bulb mode for long exposures. A tripod and cable release thread and a self-timer complete the picture.

The Revue 400 SE or exposure meter requires a PX 675 1.35V mercury battery. This type of battery is no longer allowed to be manufactured in the EU. A possible alternative for the 35mm camera is a 1.4V hearing aid battery, but this will not last as long as the original battery.

The Vivitar 35ES is very similar to the Revue 400 SE. There was also a rarer version of the 400 SE with a body in chrome.