Ha ha what a co-incidence. I'm working on a video for the hi-matic F. Due to upload in the next 3 or 4 days once editing is complete. I picked one up for £10 and after a battery hack it's working great and I just got back a roll of sharp photos and was so impressed I simply had to do a video on it.
filmismorefun , first model as the hi-matic wasn't even on my radar ...but I was at a camera fair and picked up cheap. The range finder patch is amazing and I'm loving it for that alone...but Will looking into the other models as I'm well impressed
Same here- I had a blast shooting this one, and even though I'm not going to keep it (I prefer my Olympus 35 EC) but if I see another HiMatic I'm going to scoop it up.
I've had mine for about one year now and is a really fun camera for taking pictures of friends or something I find in my way, like a sidearm camera, and the lens is quite sharp. I also have a Hi-Matic 9, which is regarded as one of the best models in the series and there's no point of comparison between the two besides the model line. The 9 has fully manual (and mechanical) mode, both aperture and shutter priority, ISO range from 25 to 800, and a wider range of apertures (1.7 to 16). However, the 9 is heavy and a bit cumbersome (almost the size and weight of a Pentax K1000), also the G has a faster speed of 1/650 vs the 1/500 of the 9 (too bad it's fully automatic and you can't fire at that speed unless you are at an EV of 14 or higher).
Just picked one up the other day and can't put it down. LITERALLY fits in my pocket, unlike other cameras that are called pocketable and could only fit in cargo pants. There are distance markings on the bottom half of the lens(viewfinder side) that have a corresponding mark on the outer chrome ring to let you know around what range your focus zone is. (meters and feet). Great vid!
Tytyty Tytyty Thanks! I totally over looked that distance scale. If you really like this HiMatic, you might want to check out Olympus's 35 EC... it's smaller, and has a little better build quality imo. Between the two, I prefer the Olympus.
The problem in summarizing the Hi-Matic line of cameras is that Minolta put the label on a long string of cameras over the years, a few excellent and others little more than plastic box cameras. The limits of the G are a decent but not great lens and full programed auto-exposure with no user control. The Hi-Matic 7SII is generally considered the best model, having a great lens, full automation, and full user (manual) exposure override.
Hello just got this camera. Dont have the film though and was wondering what the best priced film is for this camera..ive been hearing about the Ilford XP-2 Film but am uncertain about the compatibility. And also which size should i get? Thank you so much.
Hi there. Any 35mm color or black and white film is compatible. There really is no 'best' film. You might want to try searching videos that compare the different 'looks' each film creates to help you decide what ones you'd like to try. 🙂
hello i have this camara but i think that the light meter does not work, i bought the batery buy the neddle on the view dont move and is down. how can i fix that?
Hi there If you've tried replacing the batteries, and advanced the counter a few frames, but still see movement your best bet is finding a camera repair and having it serviced.
Hi there. I haven't personally used a Konica Pop, but I've read that the image quality is not that great, where on this Minolta it's pretty sharp. Also, the Konica has one shutter speed where this Minolta has automatic variable shutter speed. I hope that helps!
Need some help - I just got one of these and I don't know why, but it overexposes most frames. The guide number ring (that's behind the focus ring on the lens) is stuck at the 32ft (10m) and won't budge. Does this set the shutter speed to a fixed value (something like 1/30)? Or maybe the aperture to the maximum F2.8? I found a table in the manual that had F2.8 under that 32ft guide number position.
Hey there. Mine overexposes just a bit as well due to the battery being a higher voltage than the original mercury batteries were. How much is yours overexposing? Mine tends to expose about a 1/3, or maybe half stop higher than what seems correct. I'm not sure about any connections between the guide number arm and correlated shutter speeds though. Have you verified if the aperture is definitely changing?
@@filmismorefun It's my first film camera, but I know film has good dynamic range and my images are all blown out so I would say they are a good 5-6 stops over exposed. The film I used is ISO 400. I just ordered some zinc air batteries which should work better than the alkanine one that came with the camera so I'll be able to test more accurately. Can you suggest a way to test if the aperture is changing? It's rather hard since on this camera you can't really see what you're focusing on in order to check the depth of field.
Thanks for covering the build quality, that was super helpful!
Just picked one up at a yard sale! Excited to test it out!
Nice! It's a blast.
Ha ha what a co-incidence. I'm working on a video for the hi-matic F. Due to upload in the next 3 or 4 days once editing is complete. I picked one up for £10 and after a battery hack it's working great and I just got back a roll of sharp photos and was so impressed I simply had to do a video on it.
Film Camera Reviews I can't wait to check it out! Is that the only model you've used, or are there other HiMatic's worth picking up?
filmismorefun , first model as the hi-matic wasn't even on my radar ...but I was at a camera fair and picked up cheap. The range finder patch is amazing and I'm loving it for that alone...but Will looking into the other models as I'm well impressed
Same here- I had a blast shooting this one, and even though I'm not going to keep it (I prefer my Olympus 35 EC) but if I see another HiMatic I'm going to scoop it up.
I've had mine for about one year now and is a really fun camera for taking pictures of friends or something I find in my way, like a sidearm camera, and the lens is quite sharp. I also have a Hi-Matic 9, which is regarded as one of the best models in the series and there's no point of comparison between the two besides the model line. The 9 has fully manual (and mechanical) mode, both aperture and shutter priority, ISO range from 25 to 800, and a wider range of apertures (1.7 to 16). However, the 9 is heavy and a bit cumbersome (almost the size and weight of a Pentax K1000), also the G has a faster speed of 1/650 vs the 1/500 of the 9 (too bad it's fully automatic and you can't fire at that speed unless you are at an EV of 14 or higher).
Thanks for all the info about the 9. I'll keep an eye out on eBay for one.
Just picked one up the other day and can't put it down. LITERALLY fits in my pocket, unlike other cameras that are called pocketable and could only fit in cargo pants. There are distance markings on the bottom half of the lens(viewfinder side) that have a corresponding mark on the outer chrome ring to let you know around what range your focus zone is. (meters and feet). Great vid!
Tytyty Tytyty Thanks! I totally over looked that distance scale. If you really like this HiMatic, you might want to check out Olympus's 35 EC... it's smaller, and has a little better build quality imo. Between the two, I prefer the Olympus.
filmismorefun I just rejuvenated an Olympus 35UC (basically an SP but all black)! If you’re telling me I can have that, but tiny......
I've never owned or shot a UC, or SP, but I think you're right on the money.. from what I see on the interwebs, it appears to be!
filmismorefun Thanks to you I have one on the way, so I will get back to you with a report. (Found an awesome black one! 🤟🎸)
Hell Yeah!
2:03 look at the underside of the lense. there it says it in meters and in feet
Gotcha, thanks!
The problem in summarizing the Hi-Matic line of cameras is that Minolta put the label on a long string of cameras over the years, a few excellent and others little more than plastic box cameras. The limits of the G are a decent but not great lens and full programed auto-exposure with no user control. The Hi-Matic 7SII is generally considered the best model, having a great lens, full automation, and full user (manual) exposure override.
Thanks for the info!
Hello just got this camera. Dont have the film though and was wondering what the best priced film is for this camera..ive been hearing about the Ilford XP-2 Film but am uncertain about the compatibility. And also which size should i get? Thank you so much.
Hi there. Any 35mm color or black and white film is compatible. There really is no 'best' film. You might want to try searching videos that compare the different 'looks' each film creates to help you decide what ones you'd like to try. 🙂
hello i have this camara but i think that the light meter does not work, i bought the batery buy the neddle on the view dont move and is down. how can i fix that?
Hi there If you've tried replacing the batteries, and advanced the counter a few frames, but still see movement your best bet is finding a camera repair and having it serviced.
Ever use a Konica pop? If so, how would you compare these
Hi there. I haven't personally used a Konica Pop, but I've read that the image quality is not that great, where on this Minolta it's pretty sharp. Also, the Konica has one shutter speed where this Minolta has automatic variable shutter speed. I hope that helps!
Need some help - I just got one of these and I don't know why, but it overexposes most frames.
The guide number ring (that's behind the focus ring on the lens) is stuck at the 32ft (10m) and won't budge. Does this set the shutter speed to a fixed value (something like 1/30)? Or maybe the aperture to the maximum F2.8? I found a table in the manual that had F2.8 under that 32ft guide number position.
Hey there. Mine overexposes just a bit as well due to the battery being a higher voltage than the original mercury batteries were. How much is yours overexposing? Mine tends to expose about a 1/3, or maybe half stop higher than what seems correct.
I'm not sure about any connections between the guide number arm and correlated shutter speeds though.
Have you verified if the aperture is definitely changing?
@@filmismorefun It's my first film camera, but I know film has good dynamic range and my images are all blown out so I would say they are a good 5-6 stops over exposed. The film I used is ISO 400.
I just ordered some zinc air batteries which should work better than the alkanine one that came with the camera so I'll be able to test more accurately.
Can you suggest a way to test if the aperture is changing? It's rather hard since on this camera you can't really see what you're focusing on in order to check the depth of field.
@@filmismorefun sending you over on Instagram some images that I got from the lab so you can see for yourself, if you have the time.
@@silviusmeria Cool I'll take a look
I’ve always wanted one of thosw
Sounds like a great travel cam! Thanks for the review man! (:
Luke Synthetic It is a great pocket filler, and I would definitely recommend it. 😀
Can you adjust the shutter speed?
The exposure is automatic, so shutter speeds and aperture are chosen by the meter.
The one i can 100% recommend is the Ricoh 500ME 👌The one you have should be equal to the Ricoh 500ZF i guess (not minolta hi matic, but its twin :) )
_joka it does look like a twin brother! Maybe this is why people were skeptical about Minolta actually manufacturing the camera.
does this camera have a built in flash?
Hi Danny. No it does not. It just has a hot shoe for adding a flash.