The Sub Club

MINOLTA QT

The Minolta QT was a real "cu-tie". It was manufactured from 1972 to 1974 and was designed to meet the challenge of the new Kodak 110 camera. Despite it's neat features, this was, sad to say, the last of the Minolta 16mm cameras. It could not compete with the new, cheaper 110 cameras. But it had features that stood out at the time. It had a focusing 23mm lens with f-stops from f3.5 to f22 and two shutter speeds of 1/30 and 1/250, for low-light and bright situations. The shutter speed and aperture were set manually although it was done so conveniently, many people assume that the camera is an automatic exposure camera. A pair of LED's in the viewfinder indicate correct exposure. By pressing down on the rotating aperture ring, the LED's would read "O", "K", or "OK" (for over, under, and correct exposure, respectively). The "O" and "K" lights stay on solid when only one is lit. When you hit the magic spot the "O" and "K" flash. Film speeds from 50 to 400. The distance setting was also visible in the viewfinder with tiny icons. Two colors were available: a black & chrome version, and an all black model. And a wide range of accessories were available. Filters: 1A, 80A, Yellow. Closeup Lenses: 80cm, 40cm. (the 25mm close-up lens of the MG-s could be used, but since it blocked the viewfinder, it could only be used with exact manual measurements.) Accessories & features: Spy finder, closeup measuring chains, wrist strap, built in lens cover, tripod socket, attache case, flash bulb adapter, flash cube adapter, electronic flash adapter.

In body style, the QT is very similar to the earlier Minolta MG-s, and uses many of the MGS accessories. As a result, many people assume that the QT is basically the same as the MGS. But the are many differences. Since the QT was designed to be a simple camera -- to compete with the new 110 cameras, there were several features dropped from the MGS model: the fastest shutter speed was reduced to 1/250, the shutter speed selection was reduced to two speeds, the film speed selection was shortened, maximum aperture dropped to f3.5, the number of lens elements was dropped from four to three (three elements in three groups), the built-in close-up lens was removed, exposure readout on the top of the camera was removed, and automatic exposure was dropped. The MG-s copy stand can not be used with the QT. These are not small changes. Some features were added however: the minimum f-stop was increased to f22, a focusing lens was added, distance and exposure information appeared in the viewfinder. You need to decide if it was worth it. The focusing lever has four settings -- far (33 feet), normal (11.5 feet), intermediate (6.5 feet) and close focusing (4 feet). (The focusing lever has a nasty habit of getting stuck at infinity.) The built-in close-up lens of the MGS was removed as a result. This allowed for the easiest control of depth-of-field in any of the Minolta models. Same 12x17mm format as the MGS. Another problem sometimes encountered with the camera is battery drain when the camera is placed in a camera case. With very little pressure the LED switch can be activated and the large, expensive battery loses power. The camera only draws power from the batteries when BOTH the lens cover is open AND the silver button is pushed. The camera will operate manually without a battery. Minolta made a special case for the QT with rigid inserts to protect the switch, but the camera must be placed in the case in a particular position. Finally, it should be noted that the shutter speed is actually adjustable between the two set speeds of 1/250 and 1/30 -- for example, if set right in between, the speed will be about 1/75 -- although this is not mentioned in the manual. Uses one PX30 battery -- or equivalent.