Minolta Hi-Matic 9

[Tim Murphy]

Dear Board,

I just received one of these that I won in an auction and I was curious if anyone else has one that they use and can offer me any tips, or anything I should be concerned with?

The camera I received is clean as a whistle and after fiddling with it for a few minutes I discovered how to change the aperture and shutter speed. I ran through the SS and aperture settings and while I can't eyeball accuracy I can say that the aperture and SS definitely appeared to change to the correct settings. The rangefinder patch is definitely usable so I figured it should be good to go?

Based on those extensive tests, I dropped a 625 alkaline battery in the camera and discovered that the meter works well and matches my Gossen Luna-Lux for EV value even with the higher voltage battery so I'm pretty confident that it will expose 35mm print film properly. Since it came with neither a case nor lens cap I definitely like the idea that the meter can be turned off though I'll have to remember the film speed in the camera when I use it each time.

The camera is a big girl, and most definitely not pocketable but I like its heft and I personally think it feels a bit more solid and better built than the Yashica 35 GSN that I also own. The full manual control is a plus too, so I'd like to hear from anyone who owns one as to what I can expect for results?


p5250146 by Tim Murphy, on Flickr

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[julio1fer]

I owned one of those. Great lens. I shot almost all the time in automatic mode, but manual is perfectly usable too. Sold the camera to a student, as I had several RF already, and I like smaller types. For me it is one of the most complete Japanese RFs of its time, when they took the photo world by storm.

An example from those days, in a forgettable film.

 

[narsuitus]

I own one (see camera on right) and have a few notes I could send you if you send me a request via private message.


Rangefinders by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[skucera]

I bought a Hi-Matic 9 for my oldest daughter when she expressed interest in old cameras, and wow! It has an exquisite lens, and she really appreciates the fully automatic exposure and aperture. The only drawback is that it is hard on batteries. We compared the clarity of our images between my Leica M3, my New Canonet QL17L, and her Hi-Matic 9, and they were all quite comparable, with the Hi-Matic 9 being really "tack sharp" at moderate apertures.

Scott

 

[JoeLopez]

I have a Hi-Matic F currently, it's a great pocket shooter for sure. No complaints 🙂
Run some film through that thing.