Minolta Hi-Matic AF2-M Rangefinder with Minolta 38mm 1:2.8 fast lens. Excellent Condition!

Minolta Hi-Matic AF2-M Rangefinder with Rokkor 38mm 1:2.8 fast lens

The Minolta Hi-Matic AF2 is one of the final entries in a long line of “Hi-Matic” cameras produced by Minolta. Starting in the early-1960s, the Hi-Matic line comprised a number of small rangefinders with lots of automation and a normal lens. The first Hi-Matic was Minolta’s first camera to offer auto-exposure. This first model achieved fame when one of its ranks (re-branded as an Ansco Autoset) was purchased in a drug store by John Glenn and eventually taken into space.

Over the next twenty years, Minolta would release a plethora of Hi-Matic cameras of various capability and quality. Following the release of the Hi-Matic E, the Hi-Matic line became increasingly inexpensive, including the Hi-Matic F, G and G2, each of which used the same “Electro” exposure system found in Yashica’s camera line of the same name.

A lot of changes were brewing in the camera industry in the two years between the release of the manual-focus, photographer-oriented Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII and the Hi-Matic AF. Most notable was the tidal wave of autofocus technology, which was so momentous a creation that it gave the newer camera its name. Second, but also notable, was the widespread shift from metals to plastics in camera design. The new Hi-Matic AF also eschewed almost all of the creative control function found on the 7sII. The photographer was still able to set the film’s ISO, but the camera controlled the rest from there, automatically calculating shutter speed, aperture and, of course, focus.

Two years later the second iteration was released as the Hi-Matic AF2. Owners of the AF who “upgraded” to the AF2 now enjoyed Minolta’s newly updated branding, the famed Rising Sun logo. More practically, they lost the focus lock button found on the earlier Hi-Matic AF. There’s little else to differentiate either camera from the other.

In 1981 the Minolta Hi-Matic AF2 sold for $248, and while it hasn’t quite returned to those price figures, it’s been steadily rising in popularity and price.


The spec sheet is filled with uniquely specific numbers and reads as follows:

Lens – 38mm f/2.8 lens with an aperture range of f/2.8-17
Shutter – Leaf shutter with a range from 1/8 to 1/430 of a second
Metering and Exposure – CdS sensor-governed autoexposure with a range of EV 6 to 17 controlled by the ISO range of 25-400
Focus – Automatic focus from 1 meter to infinity, with parallax correction in the viewfinder and icons indicating the zone of focus
Above the hood is what looks like a stylized classic rangefinder. The all-black, minimal rectangle design that lends the feeling of seriousness to countless other cameras is also employed here.

One year later Minolta released this camera, the AF2-M, which has motorized film transport.

Today, the Minolta Hi-Matic AF2 is a quite novel camera that produces sharp, saturated and interesting photos.

This camera is particularly small, light, and cute, with a fast, sharp and beautiful Minolta 38mm F/2.8 lens.
The Minolta Hi-Matic AF2-M is a fully automatic rangefinder with an excellent lens, excellent viewfinder, and excellent meter. It is a handsome and compact camera that easily fits in a large coat pocket or small handbag, making for an extremely capable daily camera.

Please visit the Gallery of images made with Minolta Hi-Matic AF2-M camera:

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=Minolta%20Hi-Matic%20AF2

The camera comes with small camera bag and brand new artisan designer's neck strap


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