C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →rangefinder-35mm
The Minolta Hi-Matic 9 (1966) is the top model of Minolta's Hi-Matic rangefinder family, featuring a fixed Rokkor-PF 40mm f/1.7 lens (7 elements / 5 groups) in a Seiko SRL-A leaf shutter unit. It is one of the few rangefinder compacts of its era to offer true two-cell metering: a standard averaging CdS cell for overall exposure and a spot-reading cell that can be toggled for difficult lighting. Aperture-priority AE mode (auto) plus full manual override. The rangefinder is bright and accurate; the lens is among the fastest fixed-lens rangefinder optics of the 1960s.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
Minolta's 1966 rangefinder flagship. 40mm f/1.7 Rokkor, two-cell metering with spot option, 1/500s leaf shutter — the fully manual RF that could.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Lens | 40mm f/1.7 Rokkor-PF, 7 elements / 5 groups |
| Years | 1966–1972 |
| Shutter | 4s – 1/500s, Seiko SRL-A leaf, B |
| Flash sync | 1/500s (X and M sync) |
| Meter | CdS two-cell (averaging + spot), aperture-priority AE + manual |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder, min 0.85 m |
| Weight | 730 g |
| Battery | PX625 / 1.35V (SR44 + adapter recommended) |
Minolta's Hi-Matic line began in 1961 with the original Hi-Matic (based on Ansco Autoset OEM). The Hi-Matic 7 (1963) was the camera John Glenn carried on Friendship 7, giving Minolta enormous publicity. The Hi-Matic 9 (1966) was the culmination of the series: faster lens (f/1.7 vs f/1.8 of the 7S), two-cell spot metering, and full manual control. It was produced until around 1972. The Hi-Matic E and F (later 1970s models) moved to programmed AE and slower lenses; the 9 remains the finest rangefinder in the series.
The Hi-Matic 9 sits in an excellent gap: faster than an Olympus 35 DC (f/1.7 vs f/1.7 — same speed, but the Rokkor rendering is distinctively warm), capable of spot metering (unusual for a fixed-lens compact), and priced far below Leica or Nikon S equivalents on the used market. The 40mm focal length is perfect — the same as what Rollei chose for the 35S and what Leica eventually offered in the Summicron-C. Wide enough for street and travel, tight enough for portraits.
The f/1.7 Rokkor at close focus produces pleasing subject separation; at f/4–5.6 it is sharp corner-to-corner. The aperture-priority mode works on negative film even when the PX625 battery voltage is slightly off (the meter shift is predictable and can be corrected by rating film a third stop slower).
Lens is fixed. Accepts standard accessory shoes for flash; the Seiko leaf shutter syncs at all speeds in X and M modes (M for older bulbs, X for electronic). Close-up lenses can be fitted via 55mm filter thread. Self-timer built in. No interchangeable lens system.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →Minolta Hi-Matic 9
Image coming soon