35mm SLR Autofocus Cameras

Canon \| Chinon \| Minolta \| Nikon \| Olympus\| Yashica
Canon
Canon T80, while the EOS 650 started Canon's new autofocus era, Canon actually had one autofocus camera before the EOS which used Canon's FD lens mount. The Canon T80 was introduced in April 1985, about two years before the EOS 650. The design evolution from the Canon AE-1 (1976), the first camera controlled by a Central Processing Unit (CPU), to the Canon T80 (1985), to the Canon EOS 650 (1987), and finally to the Digital Rebel (2003) is apparent. Bodies became more rounded, automatic film advance was built in, autofocus motors were included in the lens, a larger lens mount to accomodate autofocus lenses was introduced with the EOS line, autofocus lens motors became smaller and more sophisticated, and finally, with the Digital EOS, the entire process became electronic eliminating film all together.	Canon T80 AC 35-70 f3.5-4.5 lens. The T80 could use three Canon AC automatic focus lenses, a 50mm f1.8, a 35-70mm f3.5-4.5 zoom, and a 70-210mm f4.5 zoom. These all had Canon's FD lens mount and could be used on other Canon cameras with the FD mount in manual mode. Also, any Canon FD mount lens could be used on the Canon T80 in manual mode. With the EOS line, FD lenses could no longer be used. My T80 was purchased on e-Bay for $12.06 with $8.00 shipping. The camera and lens are in excellent cosmetic condition. The camera was sold as broken, however, since the shutter does not fire. The camera takes 4 AAA batteries. The camera's battery compartment is very clean.
Canon EOS 650, the first camera in the EOS line. It was introduced in March 1987 and I purchased mine in May 1987. The Canon Camera Museum's presentation includes a rotating 3D image of the 650. Although the Minolta 7000 autofocus camera came out before the Canon EOS, Canon departed from other manufacturers by including the autofocus motors in the lenses, not the camera bodies. This combined with a larger lens mount on the camera body, meant that prior Canon lenses would not fit the EOS models. Canon believed the new lens design, however, increased autofocus performance and Canon has remained at the forefront of autofocus lens design. This is a wonderful camera still in excellent condition. I do not use it much now, however, because I prefer the light weight and built in flash of the Rebel 2000. The EOS 650 was purchased on the morning my first son was born and the first images are of his birth.	Canon EOS 630 (Large Image) Introduced in April 1989, the EOS 630 is the third Canon EOS camera after the EOS 650 and EOS 620 which were introduced in March 1987 and May 1987 respectively. It is clearly based on the original EOS 650 and 620. The Canon Camera Museum describes it as "notch above the EOS 620 with faster AF speed." While it had a faster AF speed than the EOS 620, it shared the lower 1/2000 second maximum shutter speed and 1/125 second flash synch speed of the EOS 650. (The EOS 620 had a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 second and a maximum flash synch speed of 1/250 second.) According to the specifications at the Canon Camera Museum, the EOS 630 also provided "seven Programmed Image Control modes with different combinations of AF, AE, film advance mode, and program mode." According to dpreview the EOS 630 cost about $900 in 1989. That is considerably more than the about $400 I remember paying in 1987 for my new EOS 650. Photography in Malaysia - Canon EOS Resources and EOS Documentation Project have excellent detailed information about the EOS 630. The owner's manual is available at butkus.org. I purchased my EOS 630 for $20 on December 22, 2011 in Escondido, California from an ad on Craigslist. It came without a lens, but included a carrying bag, strap, body cap and battery. The inclusion of a 2CR5 battery is important since the battery alone can cost around $10. The camera is in excellent working and cosmetic condition.
	Canon EOS 700 (Large Image) (marketed March 1990) "The camera’s mode dial has two faces: One face shows icons for eight Programmed Image Control modes while the other face functions as an Intelligent dial to set shutter speed-priority AE, program AE, and bulb. The dial can be detached and flipped over for reattachment to the camera. For the normal lens, the Power Zoom EF 35-80mm f/4-5.6 was available." (Canon Camera Museum.) The Power Zoom EF 35-80mm lens had buttons on the side to zoom in and out. There was no manual zoom. The camera has a built-in TTL flash. Film speed was set automatically by DX coding. It could not be set manually. If film did not have a DX code, the ISO was set at 25. The camera had automatic film transport at 1.2 frames per second. Shutter speeds were from 1/4 second to 1/2000 second. If set on bulb, the aperture was f5.6. The camera was powered by a 2CR5 6 volt battery. To me the EOS 700 seems gimmicky designed to appeal to point and shoot photographers. The only advantage I see compared with the original EOS 650 was a built-in flash. It has several disadvantages including lack of aperture priority and manual exposure, and more limited range of shutter speeds. The EOS 650 was not overly complicated and could be used as a point and shoot camera also. The powered zoom lens also seems like a gimmick. It seems at least as easy just to turn a zoom ring as push the buttons. (See generally The EOS 700 Revisited - photo.net.) The EOS 700, however, was a step up from, and largely replaced, the EOS 750 which used exclusively programmed exposure. (See camera-wiki.) The EOS 650 and EOS 700 each with a lens were about the same price in late 1990. An EOS 700 kit, I assume with the 35-80mm Power Zoom lens, was $339.95 (about $750 in 2022 dollars) at B&H on page 157 in the December 1990 Popular Photography Magazine. An EOS 650 body was $224.95. A Canon 30-80mm f4 lens was $109. The instruction manual is available at cameramanual.org. As I recall my camera was a generous gift from a student's family in the mid 2010s. It is in excellent cosmetic condition and comes with the 35-80mm power zoom lens, a Canon 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 lens, and a Canon 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 ultrasonic lens. I assume it works, although I do not have a fresh 2CR5 battery to try it out.
	Canon Elan, introduced August 1991, this was the first camera in Canon's mid level, full featured, Elan line which continues today with the Elan 7N. Canon Camera Museum states the Elan was noted for its quiet operation. Unlike the EOS 650, it has a pop-up flash which adjusts for zoom lenses. It has a wide range of shutter speeds from 1/4000 to 30 seconds, with 1/125 flash sync, and depth of field preview. It also has mirror lock-up through its custom features. Mirror lock-up locks the mirror prior to taking the picture to prevent vibrations. This is useful to obtain very sharp close-ups and is often found only in professional level cameras. Film advance is up to 3 frames per second. Another useful feature found on the Elan and higher level Canon cameras is the rear command dial. It can be used to adjust the aperture with your thumb making manual exposures much easier. It in effect puts the aperture ring on the back of the camera since EOS cameras do not have an aperture ring on the lens. While the Elan is a great camera, the Rebel 2000 satisfied my needs at a significantly lower price. I purchased this Elan used on eBay in February 2005 for $49 plus $10 shipping. It is in good working condition. It was purchased from a professional photographer who used it sparingly as a backup wedding camera. He had the shutter mechanism replaced by Canon after his young son punched his finger through the shutter! PhotoNotes.org has excellent information on EOS cameras including the original Elan press release and an Elan review.
	Canon Rebel 2000, a wonderful camera purchased new the summer of 1999. It is quite small and light compared to EOS 650 or Elan. It has a complete range of functions, including depth of field preview which prior Rebels did not have. It is in terrific working condition, although I don't use it as often anymore since I am taking more digital photos. I have numerous EOS mount lenses (Canon and Sigma) and other accessories.
	Canon EOS 1V (Large Image, Back) (2000) the EOS 1V is Canon's last professional film camera and represents the pinnacle of 35mm SLR film camera development. The Canon USA Support page for the EOS 1v states: "The ultimate in professional vision with the world's fastest AF, and a continuous shooting speed of up to 10 frames per second, the EOS-1v continues the Canon tradition of advanced features and exceptional speed in a rugged, reliable package. The EOS-1v has more customizable features than any other Canon 35mm SLR: a 45-point AF system, 100% viewfinder coverage, a top shutter speed of 1/8000 sec., a flash sync of 1/250 sec., 21-zone evaluative metering, E-TTL auto flash, full-time depth-of-field preview, and much, much more." It has a rubber covered magnesium body with 72 gaskets for dust and moisture resistance. The Canon page adds that " the EOS-1V HS adds Canon's Power Drive Booster PB-E2 for even more speed." The power drive booster increases the frame rate from 3 frames per second to 10 frames per second, an incredible accomplishment especially for a film camera. I do not have the power drive booster. According to the Canon Camera Museum it was originally marketed in March 2000. In spite of explosion of digital SLRs in the last ten years, the EOS 1V is still available new as of 2011 at B&H Photo and Amazon for $1,699.95. Used on eBay the EOS 1V body sells for several hundred dollars. I was very lucky to get mine in excellent cosmetic and working condition for $50 in the Point Loma area of San Diego from an ad on Craigslist on December 26, 2010. It came with the manual and a body cap. It takes a 2CR5 battery 6 volt battery. The seller is a very interesting chemical engineer, journalist, software designer, mountain climber, sailor and author! I also purchased a Nikon F from him as well as a Commodore 64 computer that was originally his daughter's and with which he started a real estate software company. After I told him about my Web site, he also gave me a HP 45 calculator, Hewlett Packard's second scientific calculator model, which he bought while a graduate chemical engineering student at Michigan State University. Part of the joy of collecting technology and doing this Web site is not only getting to see and use wonderful pieces of technology, but also getting to meet the fascinating people who used them.
Canon \| Chinon \| Minolta \| Nikon \| Olympus\| Yashica
Chinon
	Chinon Genesis III (Circa 1990) (Large Image, Other Side, Back) The Chinon Genesis III camera is a "bridge" fully automatic SLR with a non-interchangeable 38-110, f4.4-5.6 lens with 12 elements in 11 groups. The 1990 introduction date is from several sources. It succeeds the prior Chinon Genesis II which is given a date of 1989 according to petapixel.com which has a teardown video of that camera as well as a magazine ad. Another PetaPixel page has a review of the Olympus IS-1 and reference to a November 1990 Popular Photographing article referring to "new concept all-in-one cameras, such as the Chinon Genesis III and Ricoh Mirai." That webpage also has a photo of the cover of the November Petersen's Photographic Magazine where the Chinon Genesis III appears to be one of the "10 Hottest Cameras of 1991." Finally, Herbert Kepler has a review starting on page 24 of the May 1990 Popular Photography Magazine. The article describes how the camera uses both active infrared autofocus and passive contrast detection autofocus. The article indicates the camera will be available in a few months at a selling price of around $370 (or about $865 in March 2023 dollars). The camera only has program and scene exposure modes. There is no aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual modes. It is truly fully automatic having automatic exposure, automatic focus, automatic loading, automatic DX film ISO (25-3200) sensing, automatic flash, automatic film advance, and automatic rewind. The Genesis III goes one step further, however, with automatic programmed zoom. In this mode the camera chooses the focal length, and hence angle of view! It in effect composes the photo. This seems to be taking automatic decision making a step too far. This automatic programmed zoom can be shut off, however, and the powered zoom used with Telephoto and Wide buttons on top of the camera. The Genesis was not the only camera to choose the focal length. The Minolta Riva Zoom 105i, aka Freedom Zoom 105i, had a similar feature.
The camera has an electromagnetic vertical running focal plane shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/1000 second plus bulb. There is a small LCD screen on the side that tells what mode you are in and shows the number of exposures. There is no indication of the shutter speed or aperture on that screen or in the viewfinder. The camera is rather bulky and weighs 710 grams although it has a nice grip and can be held very steady. An ad at page 4 in the November 1990 Popular Photography Magazine describes it as "the perfect camera." Ignoring that there is no perfect camera, I would describe it more as "an interesting camera." It certainly shows the increase in electronics over the prior two decades. The automation makes it convenient and the camera has a useful zoom range. It is frustrating that there is no way to adjust the aperture or shutter speed, however. It seems that it would not be that difficult to add aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes to what is a very complex electronic camera. Further, it seems that it would not be that difficult to display the aperture and shutter speed. Rather, I'm guessing these features were not included for marketing purposes. It is designed to truly be a point and shoot camera. For the price of this camera, you could have bought a nice interchangeable lens SLR with much more flexibility and allowing one to grow in their photographic skills. I don't recall where I got this camera. It was many years ago. It is in very good cosmetic and working condition. It came with a generic case. It takes one 2CR5 Lithium 6 volt battery. To open the battery door in the grip area, you must first take something like a ball point pen tip and press in the button above the battery door. Rather amazingly as I'm trying the camera out in April 2023 it is still working with an Energizer battery with an expiration date of 2011 although the battery warning symbol does show up on the LCD screen. It just keeps going and going.
Canon \| Chinon \| Minolta \| Nikon \| Olympus\| Yashica
Minolta
	Minolta 7000 (1985) from the "minds of Minolta," (a trademark of Minolta) the first successful autofocus SLR system. See Photography in Malaysia. Minolta the same year also introduced the lower end Minolta 5000 and the higher end Minolta 9000. (Pentax introduced the autofocus ME-F earlier than the Minolta 7000. Pentax produced only one camera model and lens, however, and the lens was bulky with both the autofocus motor and battery in the lens. It was not a success and Pentax continued later with another autofocus system. See Wikipedia, Pentax K Mount.) For further information on the 7000 see Wikipedia - Minolta Maxxum 7000, Camerapedia - Minolta Maxxum 7000, Australian Photography - Minota 7000 Review. The manual is available at Photography in Malaysia. Minolta has been making cameras since 1928 and in 2003 merged with Konica, which traces its photographic roots back to 1873. (See Konica Minolta History). Sadly, Konica Minolta announced in January 2006 that it was quiting the camera business - both digital and film. Camera assets were sold to Sony, which will continue to use the Minolta AF mount in digital SLRs it produces. (See Konica Minolta Camera and Photo Support, Wikipedia - Konica Minolta, Konica Minolta 1-19-06 Press Release.) A wonderful display of over seven decades of Minolta cameras is Photoclub Alpha - Minolta History - Seven Decades.
My first camera was a Minolta 600-X, 126 film camera. I purchased a Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35mm waterproof camera in 1989. The museum has an extesive collection of Minolta 126, 110, 16mm still, 35mm, movie, and APS cameras, as well as a Konica C35AF, the world's first autofocus 35mm camera (non-SLR). I remember using a Minolta SRT 101 which belonged to a relative in about 1976. I also remember considering purchasing a Maxxum 7000 in about 1986 at Target, but I held off and got the Canon EOS 650. I have since acquired several manual Minolta SLRs. My Maxxum 7000, my first Minolta SLR, was purchased on e-Bay on 5-20-06 for $22.50 with $8 shipping. It is in good cosmetic and working condition. Both the viewfinder LCD and the LCD on top of the camera are fully functioning with no "bleeding." Shutter speeds and light meter appear to be accurate. I shot a roll of film with it and everything worked well. The camera uses primarily buttons instead of dials. The layout of controls appears logical and easy to use. It uses four AAA batteries, a nice touch to cut down on battery expense. I do not believe it has a depth of field preview, however. I bought from another seller on eBay on 5-16-06, a 28-70mm, f3.5-4.5 Sigma lens with Minolta AF mount for only $.99 with $10 shipping for that lens and two others for other cameras. I think the low price was because they weren't sure it was a Minolta mount and did not know the operating condition. It is in great working and cosmetic condition. In 2005 I purchased on eBay for about $10 including shipping a Sigma 75-200mm, f3.8 lens in good cosmetic condition except for wear to some of the lettering. The glass is clean and it works well except the distance scale is off. To focus at infinity you have to go past the infinity mark and sometimes it gets stuck at the infinity mark. Still a great deal for a fixed f3.8 lens. The seller did not know what mount it was and neither did I until I got the Minolta 7000. Therefore, for about $45 I have a complete two lens Minolta 7000 system! My Minolta system greatly expanded when I purchased 4 lenses, a flash, cable release and L.L. Bean gadget case at a La Mesa, CA garage sale on 5-19-07 for $150 (also included two old phones). The lenses are (1) Minolta 28-85mm f3.5-4.5, (2) Minolta 50mm f2.8 1:1 Macro, (3) Minolta 70-210mm constant f4, and (4) Tokina 100-400mm f4.5-6.7. All lenses appear to be in good condition and would work with a Sony A-100 digital SLR with optical image stablization in the camera. The women had used the lenses on a Maxxum 7000, but it broke. She bought a new digital camera that did not use interchangeable lenses. $150 is a lot of money for a garage sale, but looking on eBay, many of these lenses go for over $100 each. The flash is a Minolta Maxxum 2800 AF in good working condition. The shutter release is a Minolta RC-1000.
	Minolta 9000 (Large Image, Back) Minolta 9000 - Wikipedia has extensive information about the Minolta 9000. It was introduced in August 1985, six months after the Minolta 7000 was introduced in February 1985. In the United States it was called the Minolta Maxxum 9000, while in Japan it was called the Minolta Alpha 9000. It is the first professional autofocus single lens reflex (SLR) camera and is the only autofocus SLR with manual film advance. While released after the Minolta 7000, it was actually developed before the Minolta 7000. For marketing purposes, it made sense to release the mid-level Minolta 7000 first. "At the time of its introduction, the Minolta 9000 retailed for $684." (Id.) That's equal to almost $1,900 adjusted for inflation as I write this in January 2023. The camera featured all metal construction, shutter speeds from 1/4000 second to 30 seconds and 1/250 second flash sync. Exposure modes included program, aperture preferred, shutter preferred and manual, with both center weighted and spot metering. It could accept a variety of focusing screens and had a lockable depth of field preview button. My camera came with the Minolta Auto Winder AW-90 auto winder capable of 2 frames per second. It takes two AA batteries. It does not have motorized rewind. There was also the professionally oriented Motor Drive MD-90 which took four AA batteries or a proprietary Ni-Cd batter pack. It shot at 5 frames per second and had fast motorized rewind. Extensive information about these winders is at www.9000.org. That site also has excellent detailed information about the operation of the Minolta 9000. Several backs were available including "a 0.38 mega-pixel digital sensor, called the 'Still Video Back' ( SB-90 / SB-90S ), which recorded images on Video Floppies," foreshadowing the development of digital cameras. (Minolta 9000 - Wikipedia.) That back was only available in Japan. (See also www.9000.org - Backs.)
I bought my Minolta 9000 with two lenses, a flash, and the winder from a Craigslist ad in October 2010. The list price was $150. I don't recall whether I paid full price. It looks like I may have also bought a Canon Photura and a Nikon Coolpix at the same time. The camera is in excellent cosmetic condition with two exceptions caused by aging. First, the grip area over the battery compartment in front and wrapping around the back gets a white powder on it. The front part of the grip has also become brittle from aging and some of the thin material cracked off. I glued the cracked off part back with white glue. As an alternative, one might just remove the entire thin layer. Second, there is a small amount of LCD bleed on the bottom left corner and bottom of the LED screen on the top of the camera. The bleed is small enough not to affect the function, however. This is a common problem that will not get worse according to www.9000.org. I think the camera functions properly. At first it was just blinking 100. I learned at www.9000.org you have to hold the ISO button down and reset the ISO when this happens. With no film, it apparently only fires at the fastest shutter speed, although I was getting other speeds without film and only the fastest speed with film for a while. I'm thinking it works, but the user (me) needs to become more educated about its use! The www.9000.org site is a fantastic resource for this rather complicated camera. Cjo.info also has extensive information.
	Minolta Maxxum 3000i (Large Image) (1988) This camera has only a program exposure mode. ISO is set automatically. It's a simple to use, yet sophisticated, point and shoot camera. Shutter speeds are up to 1/1000 second, although you don't know what the shutter speed or aperture is. A camera like the original Minolta Maxuum 7000 gives the photographer much more flexibility. It can be used as a point and shoot camera in program mode, but can also be used in manual mode, aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode. The photographer can adjust the aperture for different depths of field, or the shutter speed to affect motion. The photographer can also change the overall exposure. Additionally, the aperture and shutter information are displayed in the Minolta's 7000 viewfinder. The main advantage of the 3000i over a camera like the original 7000 was a less expensive price. For example, the price of the 3000i body in a B&H ad at page 115 of the August 1989 Popular Photography magazine in Google Books was $199.95 (about $475 in December 2022 dollars), while the price of the original Minolta 7000 body was $297.95. The owner's manual is available at butkus.org. The 3000i did not have a built-in flash, although there were small Minolta flashes for it that used the camera's power. The camera has a non-standard hot shoe. I'm not sure where I got this camera. It may have been at a May or June 2011 garage sale where I purchased several cameras. It is in very good cosmetic condition except for the deteriorating plastic on the grip which is turning white and cracking. That appears to be a common problem with Minolta grips of this vintage. I have not tested the camera since I do not have a fresh 2CR5 lithium battery handy. This camera has a nice 50mm f1.8 Minolta lens on it which can also be used on the Sony Alpha digital cameras.
	Minolta Maxxum 350i Date (Large Image) (1995) The Minolta Maxxum 350i is a panorama version of the Minolta Maxxum 300i. The Minolta Maxxum 300i was known as the Minolta Dynax 300i outside the Americas. The manual for the Minolta Maxxum 300i is available at butkus.com. I couldn't find a manual for the Minolta Maxxum 350i. It only has a program mode and five "subject program" modes - portrait, landscape, close-up, sports and night portrait. There are no aperture preferred, shutter preferred or manual modes. Like the Minolta Maxxum 3000 above, it is basically a very sophisticated point and shoot camera. It seems silly to me not to include aperture preferred, shutter preferred and manual modes. I'm guessing it is primarily a marketing decision. There was also a Minolta Maxxum 450i Panorama Date model which added these features plus shutter and aperture information in the viewfinder. The manual for that camera is also at butkus.org, although I didn't find a discussion of the panaroma mode. Shutter speed range for the 300i and 350i is from 1/2000 to 30 seconds. The viewfinder does not display aperture or shutter speed. Automatic DX ISO setting from 25-5000. Non-DX coded film is set to ISO 100. It uses one 3 volt 2CR5 battery. Automatic film advance at 1 frame per second. There is an optional Date Back which I have. It takes a 3 volt lithium battery CR2025. The 350i panorama version has a switch on the side for panorama and standard. When switched to panorama, two barriers pop up behind the shutter to crop the top and bottom of the frame. The frame is also cropped in the viewfinder. The negative frame width remains the same and only the top and bottom are cropped. You could hence achieve the same thing by cropping when printing or cropping a print by cutting the top and bottom off.
This camera has only a program exposure mode. ISO is set automatically. It's a simple to use, yet sophisticated, point and shoot camera. Shutter speeds are up to 1/1000 second, although you don't know what the shutter speed or aperture is. A camera like the original Minolta Maxuum 7000 gives the photographer much more flexibility. It can be used as a point and shoot camera in program mode, but can also be used in manual mode, aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode. The photographer can adjust the aperture for different depths of field, or the shutter speed to affect motion. The photographer can also change the overall exposure. Additionally, the aperture and shutter information are displayed in the Minolta's 7000 viewfinder. The main advantage of the 3000i over a camera like the original 7000 was a less expensive price. For example, the price of the 3000i body in a B&H ad at page 115 of the August 1989 Popular Photography magazine in Google Books was $199.95 (about $475 in December 2022 dollars), while the price of the original Minolta 7000 body was $297.95. The owner's manual is available at butkus.org. The 3000i did not have a built-in flash, although there were small Minolta flashes for it that used the camera's power. The camera has a non-standard hot shoe. I'm not sure where I got this camera. It may have been at a May or June 2011 garage sale where I purchased several cameras. It is in very good cosmetic condition except for the deteriorating plastic on the grip which is turning white and cracking. That appears to be a common problem with Minolta grips of this vintage. I have not tested the camera since I do not have a fresh 2CR5 lithium battery handy. This camera has a nice 50mm f1.8 Minolta lens on it which can also be used on the Sony Alpha digital cameras.
	Minolta Maxxum STsi Date (Large Image, Back) (1999) The STsi was also known as the Alpha Sweet S in Japan and Dynax 404si outside the Americas. It was released in 1999. This was towards the end of Minolta SLR film cameras the last model being made around 2004. (See Cameracollector.net and Minolta - Camera Wiki.) It shows the evolution of Minolta SLR film cameras from the 1958 Minolta SR-2, a heafty, purely mechanical camera, to this very light, electronically controlled autofocus camera, with minimal physical controls. On my kitchen scale the STsi body weighs 360 grams vs. 560 grams for the original Maxxum 7000 (1985) vs. 700 grams for the Minolta SRT-101 (1966). (Minolta SLR Generations Photo.) The manual is at Butkus.org or tashimareport.info. The STsi has several exposure modes including program, aperture preferred, shutter preferred, and manual mode. The fully automatic program mode is selected by pressing the P button behind the shutter release. There are also several scene modes that can be selected. The aperture preferred, shutter preferred and manual modes are selected by turning the dial to ASM and then pressing the "Func" (Function) button on top of the dial and turning the control dial in front of the shutter release. It has eight segment metering as well as spot metering. There is also an exposure compensation button. You press that and then adjust the exposure with the command dial. Film speed is automatic with DX coded film, and can be manually set from ISO 6 to 6400. Shutter speeds are from 20 seconds to 1/2000 second. It has a built in electronic flash as well as a hot shoe for an electronic flash. The hot shoe is the non-standard iISO flash shoe introduced by Minolta in 1988 and used by Sony DSLRs until 2012. (iISO Flash Shoe - Wikipedia.) The flash synch speed is 1/90 second. It has automatic film advance up to 1 frame per second.
The STsi was introduced with the QTsi. They both share the same body design but the QTsi is simpler and more focused to the point and shoot photographer. Both were viewed as entry level cameras, however. Popular Photography has a short article on the two cameras in the November 1999 issue of Popular Photography Magazine. The December 1999 Popular Photography Magazine has an ad at page 192 for the QTsi body for $187. The price for the HTsi was $227. The HTsi was a step up from the STsi. The STsi is simply listed as "new" with the price unlisted. I'm guessing the QTsi body would have been around $210 (about $390 in 2024 dollars), a reasonable price at the time for a pretty sophisticated camera. My camera has the optional date back. The camera was made in Malyasia. The STsi would have competed with cameras like the Canon Rebel 2000 which I bought new around 1999. These lightweight SLR cameras with built in flash and all exposure modes were quite handy for travel. I assume I purchased this camera at a garage sale many years ago. It is in like new cosmetic condition. I expected that it would work perfectly. Unfortunately, when I put new CR2 batteries in it wouldn't turn on. At first there is nothing on the LCD screen on top. If I leave it on for awhile there is a flashing battery symbol for a depleted battery. The batteries check out with a multimeter, however. I also checked the orientation of the batteries multiple times. My guess is some electronic component deteriorated. I wasn't planning on using the camera, but it's still nice when they work. Bummer. :( Update: I tried it again a couple of hours later. It works! :)
Canon \| Chinon \| Minolta \| Nikon \| Olympus\| Yashica
Nikon
	Nikon N4004s (Large Image) (1989) Camera-Wiki - Nikon F-401 describes the history of the N4004 series. Known as the Nikon F-401s outside of the United States, the N4004s is a revision of the Nikon N4004 (F-401) first released in 1987. That camera was the first Nikon with a built-in flash. It also had a new control layout with the aperture control and shutter control on top of the camera. The shutter control towards the front could be rotated by your right index finger. The aperture control towards the rear could be controlled by your right thumb. The 1989 revision resulting in the Nikon N4004s added an improved focusing module AM200. Another revision occurred in 1991 which extended the shutter speeds to up to 30 seconds. That revision was called the Nikon N5005 or Nikon F-401s which is below. All three models, the N4004 (F-401), N4004s (F-401s) and N5005 (F401x) are similar. These models were Nikon's entry level 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) autofocus cameras at the time. The manual for the Nikon N4004s is available at butkus.org. The camera has program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual modes. For program mode, the shutter dial is set to A and the aperture dial is set to S. For aperture priority, the shutter dial is set to A and the aperture dial is set to the desired aperture. For shutter priority, the aperture dial is set to S and the shutter dial is set to the desired shutter speed. For manual, set the shutter speed and aperture speed. The viewfinder has a green dot when exposure is correct and red + and - symbols when it is not. Shutter and aperture information is not displayed in the viewfinder. There is no LCD information screen. The camera takes 4AA batteries. The battery compartment door is on the bottom of the camera. Two batteries fit horizontally on the bottom of the camera and two fit horizontally in the grip. I don't recall where I got this camera. It comes with a Tamron 28-80mm f3.5 lens which seems to work. The camera works with two issues. First, the batteries leaked and the contacts in the battery compartment door came out. (I still have the pieces.) I can get the camera to run by placing aluminum foil over the vertical battery contacts and holding the door shut. This problem may be a weak point in the camera design since the F-401x below has the same problem. Second, to move the shutter and aperture controls you are supposed to press down the "dial lock release lever" next to the shutter and aperture controls. My button is missing. I tried pressing down the metal tab underneath. It goes down, but I can't get the dials to move. I may explore the problem further someday (or not). Overall, it seems like a good camera. I like the placement of the aperture and shutter dials. The camera seems bulky to me, however. I prefer the feel of Canon or Minolta cameras at the time. Also, exposure information in the viewfinder would be helpful.
	Nikon N6006 (Large Image, With Flash Down) (Announced Fall 1990) Known as the F-601 outside of the United States, the Nikon N6006 is autofocus 35mm single lens reflex camera with an electronically controlled metal vertical focal plane shutter with speeds from 1/2000 to 30 seconds and a 1/125 flash sync speed. It has matrix, center-weighted and spot metering with programmed, aperture preferred, shutter preferred and manual exposure control. Built-in TTL flash as well as hot shoe for external flash. Automatic film advance up to 2 frames per second. It uses one 6V CRP2 battery. (Camera-Wiki.) The Nikon N6006 is discussed starting at page 22 of the November 1990 Popular Photography Magazine. The body only sold for $369.50 at Abes of Maine on page 56 of the February 1992 Popular Photography Magazine. That's about $800 in February 2023 dollars. Several sites discuss the N6006 including B&H and Matt's Classic Cameras. David Hancock has two extensive videos about how to operate it. I don't recall where I got this camera although I took a photo of it in September 2011. It is in excellent cosmetic condition. I need to get a battery to try it out.
	Nikon F-401x Quartz Date North American version is the Nikon N5005. Sold from 1991 to 1994. Ritz sold the N5005 with the 35-80 f4-5.6 lens and some bonus items for $419.95 according to an ad in the January 1994 Popular Photography. The December 1991 Popular Photography states the list price is $495. Nikon has the Instruction Manual. The camera operates on 4AA 1.5-volt batteries. It provides for autofocus and manual focus. Exposure modes include program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual. It has automatic film advance and powered film rewind. It has a shutter dial and aperture dial on top with the shutter dial operated by your right index finger and the aperture operated by your right thumb. There is no LCD screen as there is on the Minolta 7000 or the Canon EOS 650. There is a review of the Nikon N5005 in December 1991 Popular Photography. It notes that the camera has no remote shutter release. The Nikon F-401X (N5005) differed only slightly from its predecessor Nikon F-401 (N4004) introduced in 1987 with the newer F-401x having wider coverage (28mm vs. 35mm) for the built-in flash and a safety lock button for the exposure controls. (Tinkering with Cameras, Nikon F401.) The predecessor to the Nikon F-401 was the F-501, Nikon's first consumer based autofocus SLR, introduced in 1986. (Wikipedia - Nikon F-401) My Nikon F-401X was a donation around 2017. It is in excellent cosmetic condition. It comes with a quartz data back which I have not tested. I assume the battery is dead. The camera works but has two significant problems. First, it looked like the batteries leaked. You can tell someone cleaned it out . Also, the battery cover is slightly loose. The camera would not power on until I placed aluminum foil between some of the batteries and the contacts. If they are not in the right place, the camera will power off or behave erratically. Second, the 35-80mm f4/5-5.6 Nikkor AF lens has a rather stiff zoom and does not zoom at all below about 50mm.
	Nikon N90s (Large Image) (1994-2001) Designed for the advanced amateur. Called the F90x outside the United States. Preceded by the N90 (1992-1994) and succeeded by the Nikon F100 introduced in 1998. Cross-Type Wide Area AF System. Shutter speeds from 1/8000 second to 30 seconds. Flash synch 1/250 second. Auto film advance at more than 4 frames per second. Matrix, center and spot metering. Runs on 4 AA batteries. Camerapedia notes the following limitations for an advanced camera: no mirror lock-up, no built-in flash, no viewfinder diopter adjustment. It was an expensive camera. The price tag on the box mine came with was $948.86 with a copyright date on the box of 1994. Adjusting for inflation, the price would be $1,380.99 in 2009 dollars measured from 1994. I acquired mine from an ad on Craigslist on 7-13-09 for about $30 in Carlsbad, CA. (A FM2 and an N90s for $70 total.) It is in very good cosmetic and operating condition. No lens included. I previously acquired another one, with as I recall a 28-90mm zoom lens, about two years before for about $50 in the Clairemont area of San Diego. It is in good working condition with cosmetic signs of wear.
	Nikon N65 (Large Image) (2001) Called the Nikon U65 in Japan and the Nikon F65 outside of the United States and Japan, it was at the lower end of the Nikon Autofocus SLR cameras, but still quite sophisticated with program, aperture preferred, shutter preferred, and manual modes, as well as depth of field preview and a remote shutter release. It has an exceptionally light 14 ounce polycarbonate body. It has a built-in flash as well as a hot shoe. The manual is available at Butkus.org. Ken Rockwell praised it for being light, sufficient controls for most people, low cost at $300 and capable of great images. (See also filmbodies.com.) It will not meter with manual focus lenses. I may have bought my camera with several others at a garage sale in May or June 2011. It is in good cosmetic condition except the grip coating is deteriorating and getting sticky. I don't have CR2 batteries handy and have hence not tested it. It still has film in it.
Canon \| Chinon \| Minolta \| Nikon \| Olympus \| Yashica
Olympus
	Olympus OM77AF (1986) (Large Image, Back, Alternate View) Also known as the OM707, the Olympus OM77AF was Olympus' first fully autofocus 35mm single lens reflex camera. Unlike other autofocus SLRs at the time, it did not have traditional manual focus available. Instead, in addition to the autofocus, it had a power focus wheel that you turn with your right thumb. You move this instead of turning a focusing ring on the lens. You still have to judge when the subject is in focus. It works well, although I don't think it is a significant improvement over traditional manual focus. The Olympus OM-88, aka Olympus OM-101 in the 35mm SLR portion of the museum, had only this power focus and no autofocus. The Olympus OM77AF could mount all Olympus OM manual focus lenses unlike Minolta and Canon autofocus SLRs which adopted entirely new lens mounts for their autofocus cameras. It is a very wide camera with the grip which holds the four AA alkaline batteries sticking out from the left side when facing the camera. It has an electronically controlled vertical focal plane shutter with speeds from 1/2000 to 2 seconds. It only has a program mode and an aperture priority mode when using Olympus OM manual focus lenses. Film loading, advance and rewind are automatic. Mine came with an Olympus 35-70mm f3.5 lens. The manual is available at butkus.org. The price at B&H in the January 1988 Popular Photography Magazine at page 103 was $199.95 with Power Grip 100. The 35-70mm f3.5 lens was 109.95. The total for my outfit was hence $309.90 which equals about $805 in February 2023 dollars. According to Camera-Wiki, it was not a market success. I personally find it rather awkward to handle compared other autofocus SLRs at the time such as the Canon 650 or the Minolta 7000. After this Olympus began to focus on non-interchangeable lens bridge cameras like those below. I got this camera many years ago. It is in good cosmetic condition. The batteries were left in and leaked significantly.
	Olympus IS-1 (1990) (Large Image, Back, Other Side) The first in Olympus IS series of 35mm autofocus single lens reflex (SLR) cameras with non-interchangeable lenses. They were commonly called bridge cameras half-way between interchangeable lens cameras and point and shoot cameras. The manual is available from butkus.org. The camera takes two CR 123A 3volt Lithium batteries. The camera has a built-in 35-135mm f4.5-5.6 with 16 elements in 15 groups with extraordinary dispersion glass. Close focus in normal mode is 1.2 meters and in macro mode it's 0.6 meters. Shutter speeds are 1/2000 to 15 seconds plus blub. It has program, aperture preferred and manual exposure modes plus various scene modes. It weighs 875 grams without batteries. It has built-in flash as well as a hot shoe on top of the grip. It has an LCD panel on the back which displays various exposure and other information. In another ten or so years, digital cameras would have a color LCD monitor in this location. Petapixel has a lengthy article about the camera including reviewing magazine articles about the camera at the time and posting magazine ads. The list price according to one article was $800 or $1,850 in March 2023 dollars. AusterityPhoto.co.uk also has a review from the UK where the camera was called the Olympus IS-1000. I don't recall where I got my camera. It is in generally good cosmetic condition although it has a chuck of plastic knocked out towards the bottom of the grip. I don't think it affects anything. It turns on but then shuts off. I think my batteries are going and/or it may need film to fire. These were interesting cameras although I prefer a more tradtional auto SLR. These "bridge" cameras weren't particularly small or light. Further, while it has a wide range zoom lens, the maximum aperture is pretty small. Further, you are stuck with this lens forever. You can't, for example, put on an inexpensive and fast 50mm prime lens.
	Olympus IS-3DLX QuartzDate (1994) "Full-automatic 35mm autofocus single-lens reflex camera with built-in 35-180mm zoom lens," f4.5/5.6. (Olympus Site) The camera's four exposure modes are program, aperture preferred, shutter preferred and manual. Information is provide on the back LCD panel as well as a lighted panel in the viewfinder showing shutter speed and aperture. While you can't change lenses, the 35mm to 180mm range makes it a nice travel camera where you don't have to carry around extra lenses. Olympus had wide and telephoto conversion accerssory lenses which could increase the effective zoom range to 28mm and 300mm. An optional infrared remote was available. In addition to the built in flash, the camera has a flash shoe for a dedicated Olympus G40 flash. The Edmonton Photographic Historical Society has a nice description of the camera. (See also Roll Film-Pro praising the sharpness of the ED (extraordinary dispersion lens) The manual is available at cameramanuals.org. I could not find the original price of the camera. My camera was a donation from a student around 2017 along with a Nikon F-401X. It is in very good operating and cosmetic condition. It takes two CR123A or DL123A 3volt Lithium batteries. Not having these handy, I used a battery pack with 4AA batteries and alligator clamps to provide power. It seems to operate well although I have not tried it out with film.
	Olympus iS-20 QuartzDate (Circa 1997) (Large Image, Back) The manual is available at esif.worl-traveller.org. The specifications at page 62 state the iS-20 is fully automatic 35mm autofocus single-lens reflex camera with built-in (non-interchangeable) 28mm - 110mm (f4.5-5.6) zoom lens. DX film ISO 25-3200. Panorama format available. Electronic controlled vertical focal plane shutter. Shutter speed 1/2000-sec. - 4-sec. Manual F8 1 sec. - 60 sec. Flash-shutter synchronization- under 1/100 sec. Focusing: TTL phase-difference detection system autofocus with focus lock. "Exposure modes: (1) Program AE (Full-Auto, Stop Action, Portrait, Night Scene, Landscape). (2) Aperture-Preferred AUTO. (3) Long Time (manual)." Automatic film advance and rewind. Built-in flash. The bottom of the camera says "Assembled in China, Parts Made in Japan." I likely purchased mine at a garage or estate sale many years ago. It is in decent cosmetic condition with a lot of small scratches to the body. The lens looks good. It seems to work fine with two fresh CR123A lithium batteries although I have not tested it with film.
	Olympus iS-50 QuartzDate (Circa 1999) (Large Image, Back) The iS-50, also called the iS-5, is a fully automatic 35mm autofocus single lens reflex camera with a built-in (non-interchangeable) 28-120mm f4.9-6.8 powered zoom lens. Electronically controlled vertical focal plane shutter with speeds from 1/2000 to 4 seconds. DX ISO 25-3200. It has automatic film advance and rewind. The owner's manual is at butkus.org. The IS-50 was one of the last models in the Olympus IS "bridge" series of cameras first introduced in 1990 with the Olympus IS-1000. (Olympus iS Series - Camera Wiki.) An October 13, 2003 Review for the Olympus iS-500 is at Photography Blog. The camera was made in China. I likely purchased my camera at a garage or estate sale many years ago. It is in very good cosmetic condition. It turns on with two fresh CR123A batteries. I think it needs film to fire the shutter. When I turn it on or off the film motor runs and the shutter fires.
	Olympus iS-5 Deluxe (2002) (Large Image, Flash Closed, Back) The Olympus iS-5 Deluxe is known as the Olympus is-5000 outside the United States. (Camera-Wiki - Olympus iS Series.) This was the last of the Olympus iS Series of "bridge" cameras with built-in, non-interchangeable, autofocus single lens reflex zoom lenses. It is very similar to the iS-50 QD, aka iS-5, above. The iS-5 Deluxe, however, has a 28-140mm 5X zoom lens, f4.9-6.9. The manual is available at manualslib.com with specifications at page 31. The lens has "15 elements in 10 groups (4-gourp [group] zoom construction), 1 ED lens included." ISO DX coded from 25-3200. Shutter speeds from 1/2000 to 4 seconds in program mode and up to 60 seconds in manual mode. It takes two CR 123A 3 volt Lithium batteries. It has a smaller body than the earlier iS-1 and iS-3. It was made in China. The original list price was $349.95 according to the article at photojottings.com. That's almost $600 in March 2023 dollars. I don't recall where I got my camera. It is in very good cosmetic condition. I have not tried it yet.
Canon \| Chinon \| Minolta \| Nikon \| Olympus\| Yashica
Yashica
	Yashica 230-AF (Large Image) (February 1987 to March 1990) (Dates from History of Yashica/Contax/Kyocera Cameras.) Purchased at a garage sale on 5-12-07 for $25. In good working and cosmetic condition although I can't get the flash off and I can't get the flash to work. I may be doing something wrong, although user reviews indicate that flash malfunction is not uncommon. The other common complaint is the limited availability of lenses. Includes instruction manual. 35-70mm f3.5-4.5 lens. The history of Yashica is explained at camerapedia. Yashica was acquired by Kyocera in 1983. According to the above camerapedia article and the Wikipedia article on Kyocera, Kyocera ceased production of all film and digital cameras in 2005.
	Yashica Samurai X3.0 (Large Image, Other Side, Back, 3/4 View) (Commenced 1988) A unique camera. While it doesn't look like it, it is a true single lens reflex camera. It's autofocus. It's point and shoot. There are no manual adjustments of shutter speed or aperture, although shutter speeds range from 2 seconds to 1/500 second and maximum aperture is from f3.5 to f4.3. There are various automatic modes. Finally, it's a half frame camera with 72 photos available on a 36 exposure roll of 35mm film. It therefore could also fit into the subminiature portion of the Camera Museum but it fits here nicely also since it is clearly an autofocus SLR using 35mm film. Zoom lens has a focal length of 25mm to 75mm which translates to the same field of view as a 35 to 105mm focal length on a full frame 35mm SLR. The shutter button and other trim came in various colors. Mine is the Grand Prix 88 model with a gold color shutter button and trim! A hot shoe accessory could be added to use an external flash. Once I added a new 2CR5 6 volt battery (less than $4 through Amazon) it worked great. I purchased it at the Thrift Coral in La Mesa, CA (benefits Grossmont Hospital) on April 5, 2010 for $8 after coupon with tax extra. It also came with a case made for it, Samurai X3.0 Hard Case SM-B2. It took me awhile to figure out that the camera will only go back into the case with the lens pointed down. More information on the Yashica Samurai X3.0 is at Subclub.org.

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Yashica