Minolta A-2

Minolta A-2, 1957 variant with f2.8 lens image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights)

The Minolta A-2 was launched by Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō in 1955 as the advanced variant of the Minolta A rangefinder camera for 35mm film. First it had a faster shutter than the Minolta A, and later it even got a faster lens. A characteristic detail carried over from the Minolta A is the speed setting thumb wheel in the camera top.

• Type: rangefinder camera
• Manufacturer: Chiyoda Kogaku
• Year of launch: 1955, model with faster lens and shutter in 1957
• Film: 35mm
• Lens: Chiyoko Rokkor 1:3.5/45mm (4 elements in 3 groups like a Tessar), or Chiyoko Rokkor 1:2.8/45mm (5 elements in 3 groups)
• Filter thread: 34mm
• Shutter: leaf shutter, Citizen MVX with speeds B, 1sec to 1/400sec and M/F/X flash sync, or Optiper MVL with speeds B, 1sec to 1/500sec and M/X sync, plus B, both variants with self-timer
• Viewfinder: reverse Galilean bright frame finder with superimposed coupled rangefinder and mechanical parallax correction
• Film advance: fine single stroke advance lever and poor rewind knob on top
• Dimensions: 132×86×65mm
• Weight: 620 g

In 1958 the Minolta A-2 LT was developed, featuring a special bayonet lens mount. While it retained most of the features of the A-2, the A-2 LT had a Citizen-MVL shutter with speeds B, 1sec to 1/500sec. Two interchangeable lenses were made for the A-2 LT: a 45mm f2.8 Rokkor standard lens and a 100mm f4.5 Tele-Rokkor lens

Minolta A-2. Images by railcrew2. (Image rights)

Links

• A-2 with Rokkor 1:3,5 at Guide to Classic Cameras
• A-2 with Rokkor 1:2,8 at Cefiro's (Japanese) (archived)
• Minolta A-2 on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand (in French)