Phil Koenig

Introduction to the cameras

The Minolta Hi-Matic 7 and the Konica Auto S2 are very similar. They were direct competitors in the upper-level amateur market of the 1960s, along with similar offerings from Canon, Olympus, and some other Japaneses camera makers.

Nikon steered clear of this market segment.

Defining characteristics of this type of camera

• A high grade, large aperture, fixed lens.

• A CdS light meter sensor mounted inside the filter ring, eliminating the need for exposure correction when using a filter. This feature increases the diameter of the lens.

• Automatic and manual exposure capability.

• The viewfinder is large and bright, with automatic parallax correction.

• A big, heavy camera. About like a contemporary SLR.

The Hi-Matic 7 has three operating modes. As described in the manual:

• Automatic operation: ‘You simply focus and shoot. Everything is automatic… The Hi-Matic 7 is equipped with a program shutter operated in conjunction with a CdS electric-eye light meter. The meter calculates the available light. The camera then selects from an optimum combination of shutter speeds and lens apertures to give you a correct exposure under a wide variety of conditions… There are no annoying calculations to make. Hi-Matic 7 does all the work for you’.

• Manual operation: ‘You are in complete control of the camera. You select the shutter speed and aperture yourself’.

• Light meter system: ‘You read the light meter scale in the viewfinder. It tells you how to set the camera for correct exposure’.

The automatic mode was quite advanced at the time and could be very useful, except that it is driven by an obsolete mercury battery. I leave the battery compartment empty, and use the ‘manual operation’ mode exclusively, with a hand-held light meter or the sunny 16 method.

1962: the Hi-Matic is used on an early manned space mission

The Hi-Matic is historically significant. In 1962, on the first American orbital space flight, astronaut John Glenn used two cameras: a screw mount Leica supplied by NASA as mission equipment, and an Ansco Autoset that he had purchased himself. The latter was a Minolta Hi-Matic rebranded for the U.S. market by Ansco (Levasseur, 2011).

See my Hasselblad review for more on the cameras used in the American manned space program of the 1960s and 70s.

Konica Auto S2

It’s very similar to the Minolta. Same lens spec, same basic design, same weight and form factor, same obsolete mercury battery for the meter. A few minor differences in the controls and styling.

Integral lens hood

The Konica has a built-in retractable lens hood — a useful feature. If offered a Konica Auto S2 or Minolta Hi-Matic 7 in the same condition, I’d choose the Konica for this reason.

Maintenance and repair

No maintenance has been done yet on either camera. The Konica is in fine condition. The Minolta can produce equally good results because the lens and shutter are in top condition, but it is more difficult to use because the viewfinder is cloudy and the rangefinder spot is indistinct. It needs a good CLA. This is an issue specific to my camera, not to this model in general and it is a reminder that in the world of vintage film cameras, condition is all-important.