Minoltina AL-s

At the time of launch in 1964 this was marketed as the world’s smallest 35mm rangefinder. “Don’t be fooled by the ultra-compact size of the Minoltina AL-s… you get [all of the] features found in the finest 35mm cameras.”

The 6 element, 40mm 1:1.8 lens is fast, critically sharp, and renders professional quality images that would be expected from any Rokkor. With a 58° angle of view it provides a wider angle than the 45mm lens on the Hi-Matic 7s & 9 and a slightly closer focusing range. The film advance lever is on the back of the camera rather than mounted on the top leaving a beautifully clean design comparable to the sophistication of the original Canonet. It is much smaller than that though, and than the Hi-Matic 7s & 9, and slightly bigger than other compact rangefinders such as the later Hi-Matics, the Konica Auto S3, Olympus 35RD etc. The controls are very easy to access and it’s a very useable camera even for larger hands (changing the aperture on the Oly 35RD is very difficult). It’s also fully manual, the later compact models tended to be shutter priority with CdS meters and therefore battery dependent. You need neither a working meter nor a battery to use the Minoltina AL-s.

It has all of the essential features of the 7s and 9 (no Auto mode, no problem with Sunny16) but in a much sleeker, elegant and more compact body which feels solid with a satisfying weight.