Minolta V2

The Minolta V2 was a rangefinder camera, launched in 1958. It was an all mechanical camera (without a light meter), the first offering exposure times down to 1/2000 seconds with a leaf shutter. This had been made possible with Minolta's strategy of enabling the higher shutter speeds with limited aperture variety.

• the 1/1000 sec can only be used with apertures from f/4 to f/22
• the 1/2000 sec can only be used with apertures from f/8 to f/22

Thats due to the fact that the leaf shutter at 1/1000 and 1/2000 don't fully open in operation to realise the high speed. To remind the user of this, the 1/1000 engraving is colored blue and the 1/2000 in red. With corresponding red (from f/8 to f/22) and blue (from f/4 to f/22) lines near the engraved aperture numbers.
Some surces state that the Minolta V2 and the Minolta V3 use only one set of blades for shutter and aperture. Thats not true.

In the later cameras with exposure automation Minolta some times did combine every possible shutter speed with just a variety of the possible aperture values.

• camera type: rangefinder
• lens: 1:2/45mm Rokkor - PF
• shutter speeds: B, 1 sec down to 1/2000 sec.
• aperture: 2 to 22, 4 to 22 with speed 1/1000, 8 to 22 with 1/2000
• films: 35mm
• weight: 780g
• dimensions: 137×85×74mm