This Minolta Autocord I is a late model among the popular Autocord series of TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) medium-format cameras. This focusing mechanism is also found on all postwar Flexarets, beginning in 1945, according to McKeown. But the metal of the Autocord lever is brittle and vulnerable to breakage-the one notable weak link in these otherwise excellent cameras. Some photographers have noted the ergonomic advantage of this design compared to knob-focusing TLRs such as the Rolleiflex, as it is not necessary to shift the camera between hands for focusing versus winding. A 1957 magazine ad proclaimed, 'Your wife or child could have done it-even without looking at the f/stop or shutter speed numbers.' Despite this appeal to the male ego, the system was never adopted by any other camera maker, and no doubt perplexes Autocord purchasers today who are missing the original manual.Īutocords use a focus lever that protrudes from below the lensboard. Some metered models use a quirky system where the shutter and aperture indicators each point to a different row of integers the photographer was intended to mentally add these two numbers until they equaled the EV indicated on the light meter. Many versions of the Autocord feature some form of EV number scale around the taking lens to assist with exposure settings. Both meterless models and ones including a light meter (originally selenium later, CdS) were offered in parallel throughout the series. These features compared well with a Tessar-equipped Rolleiflex of the day, yet Autocords sold at a subtantially lower price. Early Optiper shutters only had speeds to 1/400 sec., but this was increased to 1/500 in later versions. Īll shared a number of desirable features: crank film advance with automatic shutter cocking and frame counting a highly regarded Tessar-type 4-element Rokkor f/3.5 lens slow shutter speeds, down to 1 second self timer (some models) and an override button, allowing the advance crank to rotate backwards and cock the shutter without advancing the film, permitting double exposures. The Autocord series went through a large number of minor variations during its lifespan between 19-at least 17, by one count. to compete in the premium-quality segment of the TLR market. The Minolta Autocord series was an effort by Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko, K.K. However, by the mid-1950s, the Japanese TLR market had become quite crowded.

Template:Japanese postwar 6×6 TLR (M–Z)Twin-lens reflexes bearing the Minolta name had been offered as early as 1937, starting with the Minoltaflex (I).

Minolta autocord cds iii specs