HOME | DD

Description
I've inherited my father's old cameras. All of these are ones he or some other relative once used.

Minolta Autopak 400-X
It was the last Minolta camera to use 126 film.
First released in 1972, I don't know when it was discontinued or how much it cost.

One of the great things about this camera was that neither the flash or the light meter required an electric charge, so no batteries were required.

The camera used a selenium light meter. I'd describe it as solar powered system. The selenium meter controlled the aperture and when someone would start to press down on the shutter release button it would cause the image, seen through the viewfinder" to turn red if it determined he light level was too low.

The flashbulb shown here is a Magicube (or X-Cube) by General Electric. These are a little larger than a Flashcube (which were developed by Sylvania Electric Products) and did not require electric power. Instead, each bulb in a Magicube was set off by releasing one of four cocked wire springs within the cube. The spring struck a primer tube at the base of the bulb, which contained a fulminate, which in turn ignited shredded zirconium foil in the flash. Kind of like having a miniature flintlock on your camera.

Description
I've inherited my father's old cameras. All of these are ones he or some other relative once used.

Minolta Autopak 400-X
It was the last Minolta camera to use 126 film.
First released in 1972, I don't know when it was discontinued or how much it cost.

One of the great things about this camera was that neither the flash or the light meter required an electric charge, so no batteries were required.

The camera used a selenium light meter. I'd describe it as solar powered system. The selenium meter controlled the aperture and when someone would start to press down on the shutter release button it would cause the image, seen through the viewfinder" to turn red if it determined he light level was too low.

The flashbulb shown here is a Magicube (or X-Cube) by General Electric. These are a little larger than a Flashcube (which were developed by Sylvania Electric Products) and did not require electric power. Instead, each bulb in a Magicube was set off by releasing one of four cocked wire springs within the cube. The spring struck a primer tube at the base of the bulb, which contained a fulminate, which in turn ignited shredded zirconium foil in the flash. Kind of like having a miniature flintlock on your camera.