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Minolta Weathermatic 35 DUAL
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:23 pm    Post subject: Minolta Weathermatic 35 DUAL Reply with quote

A nice cam with dual Zeiss lenses 35mm/50mm that can work under water down to 5 meters. All purpose, I've been trying it again after a couple of years.





Some uretouched samples with cheap film (Fotorpix), cheap developping ans cheap scan, on a boring cloudy day:

















Kind regards.

Jes.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jes, nice to see this - I bought daughter one for her high school graduation. She immediately took it in the shower Smile

These are nice cameras, about the only annoyance is the 4xAAA battery requirement.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice images, looks a good lens. Would this take the AAA NiMH batts?


PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hii colleagues, thanks for your comments.
I took it out with the idea of tak¡ng some pictures from inside the sea, at the beach. And this first roll confirms the quality of the lens. Not sure if it will stil be fully sealed after so much time, anyway I won't be diving Wink.

I haven't tried yet with NiMH, the specs tell about not to use NiCd but nothing about NiMh... Maybe is related to voltage, 4xAAA is 6volt, whilst 4xNiCd or NiMh are 4.8 volt... They would be 5 needed to get the same voltage.

Can use also lithium batteries DL223A, that do exist in rechargeable incarnation as RCR-P2, stated at 5volt. Yet to try. Alkalines drop voltage very quickly with use, lithium trend to keep the same voltage level along its life so maybe they will work.

Regards.
Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zeiss lenses? What is the source of that information?


PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dof wrote:
Zeiss lenses? What is the source of that information?


My local guru, let me ask him again. You are right, it make no much sense...

Regards.

Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 1:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jes-

Any chance you have tried this camera underwater? Did your seals hold up, and does the auto-focus work OK in the poor lighting?

I've been looking for a weather resistant all-purpose beach camera, and the Minolta Weathermatic 35DL seems to be the most common in my area. They are almost always untested though, and without accessories, so a bit of a gamble. Wink


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 5:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jes, did you get any clarity on the lens, is it truly Zeiss? Very nice performance, whoever made it.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The lack of information about the use of NiMH batteries in de camera may be caused by the fact that the camera intruction is of 1987, while the entry of the NiMH batteries on the market was 1989 (info Wikipedia).
I have good experience with another diving AF P&S the Konica Mermaid (not for rechargeable batteries). No worries about water.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scheimpflug wrote:
Jes-

Any chance you have tried this camera underwater? Did your seals hold up, and does the auto-focus work OK in the poor lighting?

I've been looking for a weather resistant all-purpose beach camera, and the Minolta Weathermatic 35DL seems to be the most common in my area. They are almost always untested though, and without accessories, so a bit of a gamble. Wink


Hi,

I do not dare to put it underwater, I only take it to the beach to shot from inside the sea but not underwater. Anyway, the seals seem to be okay, they seem to be strong. I'll take some pictures to show them. I got a second one that is currently failing (the shutter is not working but the winding engine is, and the batteries flatten quickly. I have to open it). This second one has a cut in the seals.

For your purposes (water resistance) this cam is more than adequate...
Out of the water is a very nice cam. I like it a lot.

Regards.

Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Katastrofo wrote:
Jes, did you get any clarity on the lens, is it truly Zeiss? Very nice performance, whoever made it.


Bill, apologies for the delay, I missed this thread...

My colleague is still thinking it's Leica, not Zeiss, (my fault) but I don't have any evicdences on it yet. He's a collector and has told me the weathermatic is the underwater version of a similar Leica called AC-10 (or somewhat similar). He owns both, so he will be checking this. I've asked him to lend me the Leica to take some pictures. Maybe he's wrong, (he owns more than 1.000 cams), but we'll know as soon as he can find the cam.

If it's so, I'll be trying to repair my second one and also I'll try to remove the glass in front of the lens, to improve out of water quality, so I'll keep one "water resistant" and another as a standard P&S without the front glass.

Regards.

Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Under water you can get really funny results (here Mermaid)




It is great that we are fond of our old stuff, often handling as very precious objects sometimes, after purchasing for a few lousy dollars. But when they are made for special purposes it is not too odd to try them for that applications!
Try the camera under water for a rather short time and inspect thouroughly after that on any little dpos of water as a proof of leaks. It is really not to expect that the camera will be flooded in some minutes!


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're right.

Really nice picture!

It's a pity the cold season started here a few days ago and now it's not possible for me to go to swim to the beach, but for the next summer I'll be trying it underwater Wink.


Regards.

Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jesito wrote:
My colleague is still thinking it's Leica, not Zeiss, (my fault) but I don't have any evicdences on it yet. He's a collector and has told me the weathermatic is the underwater version of a similar Leica called AC-10 (or somewhat similar). He owns both, so he will be checking this. I've asked him to lend me the Leica to take some pictures. Maybe he's wrong, (he owns more than 1.000 cams), but we'll know as soon as he can find the cam.


I did some research, and this is what I have come up with:

Minolta and Leica have a history of cooperation.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta)

The Minolta Weathermatic 35 DL (DL = "Dual Lens", two selectable focal lengths), also called the Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35, is a "weatherized" version of the Minolta AF-DL (also called the Minolta Freedom DL).
(sources: http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Minolta_Weathermatic_35_DL, http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Minolta_AF-DL)

The Minolta AF-DL with its 35/3.5 & 50/5.6 lenses was complemented by the Minolta AF-Tele Super (also called the Minolta Freedom Tele AF) with its switchable 38/2.8 & 80/5.6 lenses.
(sources: http://www.cameraego.com/html/freedom_tele.html, http://www.thecamerasite.net/02_Rangefinders/Pages/minoltaaf.htm)

The Minolta AF-Tele Super was reworked cosmetically, given some minor changes (40/2.8 lens on the wide end - perhaps just marketing?), and sold as the Leica AF-C1.
(sources: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/AF-C1, http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/008KNs)



So it looks like it is not a rebadged Leica after all, but instead the other way around. Wink Either way, it certainly gives a lot of credit to the Minolta designs! Cool


PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice to know, thanks for sharing!...

Anyway is a bright performer, (I don't care about branding) Wink

Regards,

Jes.