Konica Top's AF-300: manual and user guide

The Konica autofocus compact with a 34 mm f/4.5 lens. Its official PDF manual, then the essentials for using it.

Konica’s official PDF, which it no longer publishes: the link opens the copy kept by the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

Getting started

Battery Open the battery door by pushing its catch, then put in a 3 V CR123A or DL123A lithium battery, + facing the marked direction, and close it. On the display, a full battery symbol means the battery is charged. Once it shows empty, the battery needs changing.
Loading First push the switch to ON: the lens cover opens and the display shows AUTO and the frame counter. Lower the back latch, open the back, put the cartridge in and pull the film leader to the FILM TIP arrow, nice and flat, then close. Press the shutter button once: the film advances by itself and the counter goes to 1, otherwise load the film again.
Sensitivity It reads the cartridge’s DX code and sets itself to ISO 100, 200 or 400. A film without a DX code is treated as ISO 100.
Your first photo Put the cross in the centre of the viewfinder on the subject, at least 1.2 m away, and press halfway: the green viewfinder lamp lights up. Press all the way and the film advances one frame. If there isn’t enough light, the red lamp lights up too and the flash fires by itself. While it recharges, the shutter button stays locked.
Rewinding At the end of the roll, it rewinds by itself and the counter counts down the frames, then a 0 blinks: that’s when you open the back and take out the cartridge. To rewind before the end, press the R button, next to MODE, with the tip of the key attached to the wrist strap.

The MODE button cycles through four modes, shown on the display: AUTO (automatic flash), self-timer, forced flash and flash off. It goes back to AUTO each time you switch on and after a self-timer shot. Forced flash or flash off stays set until you go back to AUTO.
For an off-centre subject, aim at it with the cross, press halfway until the green lamp lights up, reframe without letting go, then press all the way. If you release the shutter button, the lock is cancelled. Through a window, press the camera against the glass to lock focus, then reframe.
Self-timer: choose its mode, aim and press. The lamp lights for 7 s then blinks for 3 s, and the picture is taken about 10 s after you press. Pressing halfway first locks focus and exposure. To cancel it, switch the camera off. Set it on a tripod or a steady surface.
Forced flash fires even in broad daylight. If the subject is dark, the shutter speed slows down: set the camera on a tripod.
Flash off, for evenings and night shots: the shutter speed goes down to 1/15 s (1/60 s at ISO 400), and down to 2 s when it’s too dark. Set the camera on a tripod.

The shutter button stays locked while the lens cover is closed, and while the flash is charging (red lamp on).
Flash range: 1.2 to 3 m at ISO 100 and 200, 1.2 to 6 m at ISO 400.
Keep fingers and hair away from the lens, the autofocus windows, the light sensor and the flash.
The manual illustrates the subjects focusing struggles to lock on to: black hair, a moving branch, a flame, shiny bodywork.
The display darkens in the heat and responds slowly in the cold. It returns to normal at ordinary temperatures. The manual also describes a date version (MODE, SELECT, SET buttons on the back, CR2025 battery): a TOP’S AF-300 with a plain back has no date function.

Format: 135 film, 24 × 36 mm frames
Lens: Konica Lens 34 mm f/4.5, 3 elements in 3 groups, cover that opens when you switch on
Focusing: active infrared autofocus with two sensors, from 1.2 m to infinity, half-press lock
Shutter: programmed, also acting as the aperture, electromagnetically controlled, 1/15 to 1/160 s and 2 s
Metering: CdS cell, automatic program from EV 8 to 15 at ISO 100, f/4.5 and 2 s below EV 8
Sensitivity: ISO 100, 200 and 400 by DX code, ISO 100 without DX code
Viewfinder: Albada-type collimated finder, autofocus frame, parallax marks, green (focus) and red (flash) lamps
Flash: built-in, automatic below EV 11, recycles in about 4 s, auto, forced and off modes
Power: one 3 V CR123A or DL123A lithium battery, about 20 rolls of 24 exposures with flash on every other shot
Dimensions and weight: 130 × 73 × 47.5 mm, 220 g without battery (without date). Date version: 130 × 73 × 50.5 mm, 230 g