The classification used here is adapted from those of Wolfgang Huller and Andrea Apra ', which is serving as the basis for data from the Minolta Manual Focus Collector's Society.
In December 2015, on TTYs all over the world is shown an incredible news : a new category of Minolta 35 has just been discovered by Swiss-Italian researchers. Well, to be fair, the news may not have impacted the whole world, but really ... it does not happen every day!
At an auction there appeared a curious device, the engraving of which was unusual: only the mention "Minolta 35" and the serial number (1516) appeared, without Osaka or Chiyoda-Kogaku or CKS,. In addition, the engraving is shifted to the right. But as it turns out that another copy of this type is known (no. 1482), it must be admitted that a small series, perhaps 50 apparatuses, came out of the factories in Osaka with this peculiarity. Thus was born the Minolta 35 B (type a) newcomer in the nomenclature of this beautiful family of Japanese rangefinders.
Unfortunately, I do not own this very scarce camera, but as I helped to unveil its existence, the buyer (Andrea Apra ') was kind enough to send me photos. Thanks Andrea!
For the rest, this device is in all respects identical to the ordinary 35 B, which in fact become 35 B (type b):
- the view counter has a counterclockwise progression of the digits, which are readable from outside the circle.
- the slow speeds are marked 1, 2, 4, 8, 25, readable from the front.
- the lens is a 2.8 / 45 mm of the first series, with a hole in front face to read the diaphragms, and whose scale of depth of field is also readable from the front. Of course, there is no lever for focusing. These lenses were treated, as early as 1947, from where the © displayed on the ring.
For now, unless a new discovery comes to shake everything up, it is the rarest variant of all the Minolta 35.
 

Help to identify the Minolta 35 models

by Renaud Laemmli

*Serial number