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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Why do I like the view so much from these older Minoltas? (1 Viewer)

Minolta U.K. had a great tech guy doing both lenses and binoculars. I forget his name.
After Minolta closed he carried on repairing optics, but I didn't keep in touch after a while.
He probably also had others on the repair team.

I dropped my Minolta SRT 101 from 16ft onto concrete photographing the abominable comet Kohoutek I think. The top was smashed and my insurance had it 'repaired' by their own non repairer. It took a year. I bought a replacement straight away.
When the original came back I forced the insurer to send the terrible repair to Minolta, who did a comprehensive full repair, not a replacement.

Minolta, Canon, Nikon and Vivitar and Leica had world class repairers in the U.K. Vivitar U.K. had I think the best optical bench in the U.K.

At head office Mr Pettigrew had an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Minolta.
Minolta club members got free annual checks and servicing.

Yes, sometimes a replacement is the cheapest option, But Minolta were capable of top quality repairs.

The 58mm f/1.2 Rokkor was fast centrally, but only f/2 at the edges. I had published photos of Aurorae and noctilucent clouds that I took with it. 1 second at f/1.2 for NLC, 4 seconds for Aurorae.
I also got a comet and fireball in the same frame at 14 seconds about at f/1.4 with the 50mm f/1.4.
The SRT 303b had the neat trick of moving 1/3rd frame if wound with the bottom button pressed I think. This gave 111 photos of Saturn or Jupiter on one roll of film. 1 second at f/72 with the 317mm DK, i.e. ~ 23,000mm at f/72. High speed Ektachrome 160 ASA. The photos were impressive, at least the best few on a roll.

In the era your talking about I'm pretty sure Samuelson Film Services had the best optical bench. They had a complete stranglehold on movie rental equipment in the UK which is built and maintained to exacting standards. Now incorporated into Panavision
 
... Samuelson Film Services ... Now incorporated into Panavision
Wow!
That brings back memories, from the 1960s! I was working in radar research, and specifically portable radar for the Army. What we were offering suffered from vibration effects, and so we hired a gyro cine camera stabiliser unit from Samuelsons. Their place at Cricklewood was like an Aladdin's cave for me! Can't remember if attaching the stabiliser to the radar solved the problem, but the necessary lead-acid battery was so heavy, it was rather impractical. (Our small portable radar did go into Service.)
 
I did visit Samuelsons.
They had a great museum collection.

But there was also another quite large movie rental outfit that I also personally visited.
Can't remember the name at the moment.

Technicolor lenses were also rented out not sold. Made by TTH. But 1930s onwards.
 
I did visit Samuelsons.
They had a great museum collection.

But there was also another quite large movie rental outfit that I also personally visited.
Can't remember the name at the moment.

Technicolor lenses were also rented out not sold. Made by TTH. But 1930s onwards.

Joe Dunton cameras was the other large one, and favoured by Stanley Kubrick and a host of Oscar winning DOP's. I used to work there. Latter renamed Panavision UK.
 
Thanks maico.
I met the boss.

And indirectly I got to meet someone who sold me an incomplete Zoomar 180mm f/1.3 in a large trunk that I promptly got working on my Minolta.
I also got many Kilfitt adapters for Alpa, Contarex, Minolta and numerous other makes for very little money from another source. They fitted the Zoomars.
The lens cost £25.
The Zoomar man was pretty angry when I showed him the photos.
The six complete ones were £600 plus used.
Difficult to handhold.

I never saw the 240mm f/1.2 or 250mm f/1.3 Zoomars for medium format.

Apparently the De Oude Delft Rayxar was made in 250mm f/0.75. I have seen many 150mm f/0.75s.
 
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I have a pair of Minolta Activa 7x35. Very wide view, center sharpness is outstanding. Edge sharpness leaves a little to be desired as common with ultra-wide binoculars, but the are water proof and images are crisp, clear with great color rendition. Just like their MD camera lenses from the 80s.
 
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