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Minolta Hi-Matic: manual and user guide

An automatic rangefinder, sold in the United States as the Ansco Autoset. Its manual, then the essentials for using it.

View the manual on butkus.orgManual for the Ansco Autoset, the same camera · 29-page scan · in English

Manual scanned and put online free of charge by Mike Butkus, whose library runs on donations. The link opens his model page, where you can download the PDF.

Getting started

Loading Pull the latch at the top of the left-hand side and open the back. Turn the take-up spool with your thumb, slot at the top, put the cartridge in with the emulsion side facing the lens, hook the second full perforation onto the tooth in the slot and check that the perforations engage the small sprocket. Close the back, then fire the shutter and wind on until the counter reads 1.
Sensitivity On the ASA dial at the back, pull the outer ring out slightly and turn it to set the mark against your film speed. The values alternate on both sides of the dial, each side with its own mark, and you can set it between two numbers: just past 400 for an ISO 500 (ASA) film.
Focusing Compose your photo in the bright-line frame of the viewfinder, corrected for parallax at all distances. In the centre, the pink diamond shows a double image: turn the focusing ring until the two images overlap.
Your first photo Set the exposure ring to AUTO and aim at your subject: if the needle, to the right of the bright-line frame, is in the white zone, there is enough light. In the red, there isn’t: switch to flash. Hold the camera straight, gently press the shutter button on the front, then push the film advance lever all the way to the right.
Rewinding After the last frame, don’t wind on any more: the film could come away from the cartridge. Unfold the rewind crank, press the small button under the camera and turn in the direction of the arrow until you feel the tension give. Then open the back and take out the cartridge.

What it can do

On AUTO, it sets the aperture and shutter speed by itself, from 1/30 to 1/800 s, according to the light and the film speed.
In manual, turn the exposure ring clockwise until the aperture you want is against the bottom mark. The shutter speed is then always 1/30 s.
Long exposure: ring on B, the lens opens to f/2.8 and the shutter stays open as long as you press. Put the camera on a tripod and screw a cable release into the socket on top.
Self-timer of about 10 s: push its lever down, then press the shutter button. It returns to place by itself and also works with flash.
Intentional double exposure: after the first shot, hold down the rewind button under the camera and give the lever a full stroke. The shutter is cocked without the film advancing.

The flash

It works with flashbulbs and electronic flash, on X sync. With flash, the shutter speed is always 1/30 s.
The socket takes a cord with a 3 mm continental plug. The flash slides into the shoe on top.
Look up your flash’s guide number for 1/30 s. Focus, then turn the exposure ring to set that number against the end of the line running from the red dot on the focusing ring.
If you change distance, refocus and redo this setting. If the red dot falls outside the marks, move closer or further back until it is within them again.

Good to know

As long as the film isn’t wound on, the needle stays frozen and the exposure ring won’t turn. A needle that doesn’t move is a reminder to wind on.
Compose within the bright-line frame: the meter reads the same area as your photo.
High-contrast subject, such as at the beach or against dark foliage: move closer, aim at the main subject, press halfway to lock the reading, go back to your spot and press all the way.
Under lamps, set it as you would in natural light, with your film speed.
The manual doesn’t mention any battery.

Care

Protect it from dust, rain and damp. Don’t leave it in the sun for long, or in a car’s glovebox.
Wipe the front and rear elements of the lens often with a clean, lint-free cloth.
Each time you load, blow out the inside of the back to clear dust and lint.
If it breaks down, don’t repair it yourself: take it to a repairer.

Hi-Matic specifications

Format: 135 (35 mm) film in a cartridge
Lens: Rokkor 45 mm f/2.8, four coated elements
Shutter: 1/30 to 1/800 s on AUTO, 1/30 s in manual and with flash, B
Exposure: automatic (aperture and shutter speed), or aperture set by hand at 1/30 s
Metering: meter cell on the front, needle in the viewfinder, reading locked with the shutter button half-pressed
Sensitivity: ASA dial on the back, can be set between two values
Focusing: coupled rangefinder, central diamond with a double image
Viewfinder: bright-line frame with automatic parallax correction
Flash: X sync at 1/30 s, socket for a 3 mm plug, shoe, guide numbers from 20 to 340 on the ring
Self-timer: about 10 s