MinoltaWeathermatic-A

The Minolta Weathermatic-A is a product of an era when 'point and shoot' stopped being a slur and started being a marketing promise — a underwater pocket camera paired with a Minolta Rokkor 26mm f/3.5. Some backstory: bright-yellow housing built for divers wearing gloves — oversized knobs everywhere.

Format

110

Year

1980

Lens

Minolta Rokkor 26mm f/3.5

Shutter

Fixed 1/200s

Min. focus

1.2 m

Flash

Built-in (selected via aperture switch)

Battery

1× AA

The Minolta Rokkor 26mm f/3.5 doesn't chase exotic specifications; it just renders cleanly, focuses predictably, and gets out of the photograph's way. 110 cartridges are still made fresh by Lomography in colour and B&W, and any lab willing to spool the tiny negatives (or Lomography's own lab service) will develop them — easier to feed than APS. It runs on common AA batteries — you can resurrect one on a Sunday afternoon with whatever the corner shop has in stock. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 1.2 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Something that catches new owners off guard: rated to a modest 5 m, so it's a snorkel and rain camera rather than a real dive rig. Best for street, travel and group shots — 28mm is the reportage classic, close enough to feel in the scene without distortion.

The Minolta Weathermatic-A sits exactly where you want a sleeper to sit: low prices, working examples plentiful, and a spec sheet that holds up against far pricier rivals. File away for later: takes 110 cartridges — Lomography still makes fresh stock, so unlike most 110 cameras you can actually shoot it today.

• §1Bright-yellow housing built for divers wearing gloves — oversized knobs everywhere.
• §2Rated to a modest 5 m, so it's a snorkel and rain camera rather than a real dive rig.
• §3Takes 110 cartridges — Lomography still makes fresh stock, so unlike most 110 cameras you can actually shoot it today.