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Konica Auto S3

In production from 1973 to 1977 The Konica Auto S3 seems to have a strong following today. It is a shutter priority rangefinder. There is no option for manual operation of the aperture, not a big deal to me, but an issue for some. The Hexagon 38mm f1.8 lens gets lots of praise for it images.  Even more praise for how well it does with a flash.

The size and weight is outstanding, smaller than the Canonet and noticeably lighter. But it still has a quality fell and looks fantastic. Mine does not show much ware so the black finish looks nice. I generally prefer a black camera and this one looks great. Fun and easy to use. Mine has a distinct gear sound to the film advance, really reminds you that you are shooting film.

My Take:

This may be the winner of the compact rangefinder class for me. If not it is in the running. I shot the whole roll on a walk in a bamboo forest so way too much green. I did have trouble with getting the focus right. That may be an issue with my camera needing an adjustment or more likely operator error.

Film: Porta 400 

Links:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/52950256/Konica-Auto-S3-Manual-English-Deutsch-Francais-Svensk

http://thecamerasite.net/02_Rangefinders/Pages/konicauto.htm

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Konica_Auto_S3