Memory lane…
September 11th, 2008
When I was 8 years old and my younger brother was about to be born, my father had gotten interested in photography and bought himself an Olympus OM-1 with a 50mm f1.8 Zuiko lens. He also bought several books and lots of magazines about photography. Later he sold the camera but kept the books and magazines. I started reading these, mainly to look at the pictures in them, but also picked up the basics about photography – aperture, shutter speeds, depth of field, exposure, etc.
I don’t know exactly when, but my father bought a black Minolta Himatic 7sII to replace the Olympus. When I was about 14, I expressed an interest in photography and he let me use the Minolta – he explained how the rangefinder worked and how to load the film. I guess that’s where I got my love of rangefinder cameras – today I own 6 rangefinder cameras in different formats. Foolishly, some years later we traded in the Minolta for an auto-focus zoom point and shoot camera.
In the last few years, from time to time I’d check prices for the Minolta on ebay, but never saw one at a reasonable price (especially the black version). Then I saw a silver one with a good (low) starting price and I managed to win the auction. It arrived today and I can’t wait to start shooting with it.
But first I have to solve the battery problem – it was designed for a 1.35V mercury battery which is no longer made due to environmental concerns. Alternatives are available but each have their disadvantages. Until I find the right battery I’ll have to carry around a meter.
More information: Rokkor Files Cameraquest
Posted in Personal
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