Petri 7s II

Petri 7s II image by Gabo Barreto (Image rights)

The Petri 7s II is a fixed-lens 35mm rangefinder camera introduced by Petri in 1974. It is an upgraded model of the Petri 7 from 1961 and Petri 7s from 1963. In 10 years barely anything changed. Direct competitors of the time were: the Konica Auto S, Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, Canonet QL17 GIII (QL28).

The main difference between the 7s and the 7s II is the addition of a hot shoe, replacing the cold shoe of the previous models. There is still a PC socket on the lens barrel. Little else was changed. There are f/2.8 and f/1.8 lensed versions, both 45mm Amber Coated (Amber C.) as specified in the manual. The latest f2.8 version has the same coating as in the Petri Color 35, labelled only C. on the barrel. The "Green-O-Matic" system (green tint on the rangefinder) was also eliminated in this late model.

The camera is suitable for use with either electronic or bulb flash units. Synchronisation is as follows:

• M Class bulb - 1/30 second or slower
• F Class bulb - 1/60 second or slower
• Electronic (X) - All shutter speeds

A Petri 7s II copy was also sold by the German distributor and retailer - Porst - as the Carena RS. The meter on the top-plate was abandoned, along with a few other cost-cutting minor changes.

Specifications

• Type: Coupled rangefinder camera
• Manufacturer: Petri Camera Company, Inc.
• Film: 35mm film (meter can be set to ASA 10 - 400)
• Lens: 45mm (f/1.8 or 2.8) amber-coated lens. 52mm filter thread.
• Shutter: Petri XV shutter with speeds: B up to 1/500. Self cocking, X synchronization, built-in self-timer, release pressure 200g.
• Viewfinder: Bright-line type with parallax correction mark
• Focusing: Coupled rangefinder, focusing from 0.8 m (2.75ft) to infinity. "Green-O-Matic" (on the f/1.8 model)
• Metering: 'Circle-Eye' selenium exposure meter, reading EV7 - 17 at 100 ASA. 'Zero Method' (i.e. match-needle); displays in the viewfinder and on the top plate.
• Battery: None
• Film advance: Single-stroke (180°) rapid transport lever which automatically cocks the shutter.
• Flash: Hot shoe and PC socket. Electronic flash synchronisation with all shutter speeds.
• Weight: 635g

Links

• User's manual at Mike Butkus' Orphan Cameras.