While this is a review of the Hi-Matic FP, it is also a caveat about having old cameras repaired. The Minolta Hi-Matic FP is the black bodied version of the Hi-Matic F. This was released in 1974. The “P” may have stood for professional, as black bodied cameras were considered more professional in the 70′s. Though thinking of this is a “professional” camera is a misnomer. The Hi-Matic F and hence the FP is a scaled down version of the beautiful Hi-Matic E. Gone is the paralax correcting viewfinder, the fastest shutter speed is now 1/724 sec instead of 1/1000, and the maximum aperture is f/2.8 is down from f/1.7. On the upside, the camera is considerably smaller and much easier to take along which makes it a great snapshot camera. If you don’t want to take a camera along with you, it will do you no good.
So on the plus side is that the Hi-Matic FP is a compact, auto exposure camera with quick and easy to use rangefinder focusing, and on the negative side is that the Matic FP is a compact, auto exposure camera with quick and easy to use rangefinder focusing. With this going for it, the camera should be easier to use than it is really is in practice. With this camera, you have to make sure that you hold the shutter release down until you hear a second click of the shutter closing. Press, Click…hold and wait, Click, Release. This odd shutter action is exacerbated by the fact that there is no way to know what shutter speed the camera has choosen. You only are warned if the shutter speed is going to be slower than 1/20th sec. Press and hold are the key words to remember when using the Hi-Matic F. At first I tended to release the shutter button too soon and ended up with under exposed pictures.
Furthering the under exposure problem is the camera’s tendency to shoot under when there is a strong front lighting in the picture like a snow or beach scene. The metering acts more like spot metering than evaluative metering. So watch the brightness of any subjects placed in the center of the frame and try to avoid any scenes that have a lot of contrast between light and dark areas.
All is not dark and gloomy. The Hi-matic is a flash champion. With the FlashMatic system, you just attach the flash, which sets the camara to 1/20 sec, set the guide number of the flash on the camera and then the aperture is automatically adjusted based on the distance to the focused shutter. This flashmatic system works very well, especially with an Electroflash P attached to the camera.
Also on the plus side, the rangefinder focusing is quick and accurate. So, with a little thought about choosing and framing your subject, the Hi-Matic FP with it’s great lens, can produce tack sharp and well detailed pictures.
