Topic: more Japanese autofocus 38mm f2.8 cameras w/ flash from the late 70s / early 80s

[hookstrapped]

In response to cs1's thread about the Konica C35 cameras, including the AF and AF2...


https://shootfilmco.com/blogs/shoot-film-co/50413828-gear-review-konica-c35-af2-35mm-autofocus-film-camera

I looked for other similar cameras to consider trying to get one on the cheap. As I noted in cs1's thread, I came across the Konica C35 MF, which I assume got its name because it looks like it's "one bad..." Motorized advance and rewind, plus Focus Lock (hurray!)




I'm not a big fan of motorized film advance because they tend to be so noisy -- acknowledged by some cameras that delay the advance if you keep your finger on the shutter button until you release it under a bunch of pillows. So what I started to look for was non-motorized but with autofocus and focus lock. On the way there I came across this Yashica Auto Focus Motor, which has motor drive as its name suggests.


https://vintagecameralab.com/yashica-auto-focus-motor/

That lead me to an earlier version without motor drive but with focus lock!



I just bought one of these off Etsy for $9.95. Will report back later.

There was also a Fujica line of similar cameras


https://www.d2gallery.com/camera-flash_fujica.php

Some models came with the ever-popular date imprint function. This later evolved to the Fujica Auto-7, which is the fully motorized version.

 

[AJShepherd]

I've still got my old Ricoh AF-2. Back in the early to mid 80s I traded in my old Zenit gear (EM and lenses, plus suitcase style enlarger) for it as I drifted away from photography for a while because computers had taken over as main interest.
Some time later I upgraded to the first in a series of two zoom compacts I had back in the day (both died from zoom failure) and gave this one to my parents as it was simple and I figured they might want to use it.


Ricoh AF-2 by Antony Shepherd, on Flickr

A few years ago clearing out my Dad's house I found the camera pretty much where I'd left it, with a roll of film still in it which I managed to develop and get a few dim and grainy shots from.

I did use it again a while ago, and while it works it is, as has been commented about other cameras of its ilk, pretty noisy when winding on!

[Francois]

Funny 'cause the Konica C35 AF reminds me an awful lot of my RolleiMat AF.
It says on the front that it's made by Rollei. But on the back leather there is a clear Japan stamp...
I was reading on camera-wiki and they say that the Konica C35AF and my RolleiMat AF share the same Honeywell Visitronic autofocus sensor. They both have a 38mm lens that opens at f/2.8. They both have a 25-400 ISO range. They both have roughly the same dimensions. Both have roughly the same weight. Just the shutter specs seem to be slightly different...

[EarlJam]

I've always been a bit fascinated with the 38mm lenses that proliferated in Japanese compact manual and autofocus cameras in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I often wonder if there was a common manufacturer that Konica, Olympus, Minolta, Canon, etc., purchased lens elements from, to which they applied their own unique coatings to maintain the corporate "look". Across the German manufacturers, I can't find anyone outside of Schneider with a 38/2.8 formula, like the Xenar on the Instamatic 500. Always seemed that there was never a full-frame interchangeable lens camera with that focal length.

[Francois]

By looking at all those cameras I'm tempted to say that there probably was just one manufacturer that made them and sold them directly to companies who wanted a camera without laying down cash for development.
My rollei was made just before they went bankrupt...

[cs1]

What a cool thread!

Yes, it indeed seems like the lenses are either the same make or very similar. It's no wonder that these cameras are very similar. It looks to me as if they all feature the same autofocus by Honeywell which has this interesting "two viewfinder lens" design which can be seen on each of these cameras.

[Francois]

That's how they did it before the infrared rangefinder was invented.
I was looking at the patent paper for Honeywell and it's a rather interesting system.
Have a look https://patents.google.com/patent/US4059758A/en?q=autofocus&assignee=honeywell&oq=autofocus+honeywell