Minolta AL with expired film
If you have read more than a few of my blog posts you may be aware that when it comes to film I will shoot just about anything I can get my hands on. This can produce some interesting and unpredictable results but it also allows me the chance to test out cameras without a huge investment. No one wants to waste a roll of some fantastic and now rare slide film only to find out the shutter on the camera didn’t work. Fortunately the AL worked. The AL has a matched needle exposure system which means that as you adjust the shutter speed and aperture for a given film it changes a small arm in the top window where there is also a small needle that varies depending on the light hitting the photcell on the front of the camera. The cell is meant to be used as a reflective meter so you need to get close to the object that you are measuring. When the arm and the needle align that indicates that the settings match the reading. Me I just ignore old meters and adjust the shutter and aperture based on more accurate readings from a digital camera or general exposure settings based on experience. The lens of the AL is a relatively fast F2 45mm but suffers from chromatic aberration and low contrast. Well as best as I can tell from this expired film anyway. The shutter though does go to 1/1000 of a second which is nice. I’ve seen it posted several times online that it is similar to the Minolta A5 but I think that other than both being Minolta rangefinders that is erroneous. The A5 has a slower F2.8 lens and slower maximum shutter speed of 1/500 second as well as no meter, these are great enough differences in my mind to disqualify it from comparison. Minolta A5 getting back to the AL its a nice solid camera that has that 1960’s aesthetic (not surprising since its from the 60’s) If you want the 1970’s feel and a slightly better camera have a look at a Minolta 7s either way Minolta made some great rangefinders over the years and they all can be enjoyed today.
