Autocord wide-open performance.

[msbarnes]

How do the Autocords perform wide-open? I like to shoot candid portraits in low light so I'm not too concerned about edge resolution, but I do care about center resolution and contrast. I know that these aren't the best choice for low-light, but I really want a cheap, compact, and portable TLR. I have the Mamiya C220, which I love, but it seems kind of clumsy, so I'm thinking of adding something more portable/compact.

A few other questions:
Are the lenses coated? I assume that they are only single-coated at best.
Which version/model should I get?
Are the lens hoods easy/cheap to find?

Thanks

Michael

 

[David Lyga]

My first real camera (1966) when I was 16 was a Minolta Autocord CDS. I did a wedding with it and I assure you that the optics are tops. Wide open the center should be tack sharp but be sure to check focus accuracy first by taking a picture of a diagonal 'picket fence' so that what you SEE in focus in the VF can be CONFIRMED in the negative as ACTUAL focus. - David Lyga.

 

[Ian Grant]

For that usage the lens should be fine. No Tessar type lens is great wide openn but they are all greatb for portraits.

Ian

 

[Dan Daniel]

The Rokkor lens is typical for a Tessar wide open. Still sharp in the center, dropping off at the corners. Contrast is good.

Best as I can see and have heard, all Autocord lenses are single coated. The lens name changes from Chiyoko Rokkor to Minolta Rokkor by 1960 or so, but I have never seen nor heard that the formulation changed.

I would avoid the 'LVS' model. This is the early selenium meter model, where the meter cell is under a flip-up lid where the name plate is. The selenium is almost always dead. The meter works by giving a number, such as '13.' You then set the aperture and shutter speeds to add up to '13' using the scales on the front of the lens shroud. Clunky! You can ID this model by the larger black where the name plate is located, and the protruding meter block on the left side of the body. The later CdS versions, although ugly as all get out, should be better if you need a meter built in, but I do not know if the meter is coupled or not.

Early models, Optiper MX and Seikosha MX shutters, have 10 bladed apertures. All Citizen MVL shutters I have seen have 8 bladed apertures. I do not know about the transition model Optiper MVL (Optiper is written around the lens, not above the lens). Other than this, I do not think that there is much to be said for any particular. Well, except for the silly strap lugs on the later models, the round post system (you can tap the hole with a 6-32 tap and insert a button-head screw and use a Hassy clip if you must; or make a lug matching the old simple style- just two bolts holding it in place).

The important thing is that the focus lever is free and not gummed up or broken. And overall condition. Beyond that, I don't think any one model has an edge over another. I have a Seikosha and an early Optiper which are going strong, and a mid-era Citizen which is dead from a broken shutter and scratched lenses. At least most parts move from model to model with ease- lenses and such. The cocking mechanism changes from shutter to shutter....

A simple Bay I lens hood. Plastic ,and goes on the inner bayonet so you can't use it with filters-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Lens-Ho...049?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3356a899a1