Minolta EXPLORER FREEDOM ZOOM user Manual

E Instruction Manual

Thank you for your purchase of a Minolta camera. This camera is equipped with functions to suit all your photographic needs. Before using your new camera, please take the time to read through this instruction manual for it contains information important to the proper use and care of your camera.

FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE

Read and understand all warnings and cautions before using this product.

WARNING

Batteries may become hot or explode due to improper use.

•Use only the batteries specified in this instruction manual.

•Do not install the batteries with the polarity (+/–) reversed.

•Do not subject batteries to fire or high temperatures.

•Do not attempt to recharge, short, or disassemble.

•Tape over lithium battery contacts before disposal. Follow local codes for battery disposal.

Use caution, accidents may occur when using this product near young children.

Keep batteries or things that could be swallowed away from young children. Contact a doctor immediately if an object is swallowed.

Immediately remove the batteries and discontinue use if...

•the camera is dropped or subjected to an impact in which the interior is exposed.

•the product emits a strange smell, heat, or smoke.

The lens retracts when the camera is turned off or Auto Power Off is activated. Touching the lens barrel while it is retracting may cause injury.

Do not disassemble. Electric shock may occur if a high voltage circuit inside the camera is touched. Take your camera to a Minolta Service Facility when repairs are required.

OPERATING TEMPERATURE AND CONDITIONS

•This camera is designed for use for -10 to 40°C (14 to 104°F).

•At colder temperatures, the data panel response time will be slow; at higher temperatures, the display will temporarily darken, but will restore when the temperature normalizes.

•Never subject your camera to extreme humidity.

•To prevent condensation from forming, place the camera in a sealed plastic bag when bringing it from the cold exterior to a warm building. Allow it to come to room temperature before removing it from the bag.

•When photographing in cold weather, we recommend that you keep the camera and spare batteries inside your coat to keep them warm when you are not shooting. Cold batteries will regain some of their charge when they warm up.

•This camera is not waterproof, dust-proof, or sand-proof; take care when using it at the beach or near water. Costly or irreparable damage may occur.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Lens:	28-75mm f/3.5-8.9 power zoom lens with 4 elements in 4
	groups
Focusing:	3-beam, active infrared autofocus system with focus lock;
	Focusing range: 0.4m - ∞ (16 in. - ∞ ), Close-up: 0.4m - 1.0
	(16 in. - 3.3 ft.); Maximum magnification 1/4.3X
Exposure:	Center-weighted metering; Metering range (ISO 100):
	28mm: EV 2.6 - 17, 75mm: EV 3.3 - 17; Film speed range:
	Automatic setting for DX-coded film ISO 25-3200 in 1EV
	steps
Film transport:	Auto advance to first frame, auto rewind, auto threading,
	manual start of rewind possible; continuous drive: 1.2
	sec./frame (without flash)
Flash:	Retractable, built-in flash, flashmatic with intensity control;
	Recycling time: approx. 0.3 - 7 sec.; Range (ISO 100): 28mm:
	0.4 - 5.9m (16 in.- 19.4 ft.), 75mm: 0.4 - 2.3m (16 in. - 7.5 ft.)
Viewfinder:	Real-image zoom; Diopter (subject at 3m/10 ft.): -1 diopter
Battery:	One 3-volt CR123A or DL123A lithium battery; Battery
	performance: Approx. 13 rolls (24 exp. roll w/ 50% flash)
Dimensions:	121 x 66.5 x 44mm (4-3/4 x 2-5/8x 1-3/4 in.)
Weight:	245g (8.64 oz.)

Specifications are based on the latest information available at the time of printing and are subject to change without notice.

Minolta Co., Ltd.	3-13, 2-Chome, Azuchi-Machi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka 541-8556, Japan
Minolta GmbH	Kurt-Fischer-Strasse 50, D-22923 Ahrensburg, Germany
Minolta France S.A.	365 Route de Saint-Germain, F-78420 Carrieres-Sur-Seine, France
Minolta (UK) Limited	7 Tanners Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5BU, England
Minolta Austria Ges. m.b.H.	Amalienstrasse 59-61, A-1131 Wien, Austria
Minolta Camera Benelux B.V.	Zonnebaan 39, P.O. Box 6000, NL-3600 HA Maarssen, The Netherlands
Belgium Branch	Prins Boundewijnlaan 1, B-2550 Kontich, Belgium
Minolta (Schweiz) AG	Riedstrasse 6, CH-8953 Dietikon, Switzerland
Minolta Svenska AB	Albygatan 114, S-171 54 Solna, Sweden
Finland Branch	Niittykatu 6 PL 37, SF-02201 Espoo, Finland
Minolta Portugal Limitada	Av. do Brasil 33-A, P-1700 Lisboa, Portugal
Minolta Corporation
Head Office	101 Williams Drive, Ramsey, New Jersey 07446, U.S.A.
Los Angeles Branch	11150 Hope Street Cypress, CA 90630, U.S.A.
Minolta Canada Inc.
Head Office	369 Britannia Road East, Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 2H5, Canada
Vancouver Branch	230-3771 Jacombs Road, Richmond, B.C. V6V 2L9, Canada
Minolta Hong Kong Limited	Room 208, 2/F, Eastern Center, 1065 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Minolta Singapore (Pte) Ltd.	10, Teban Gardens Crescent, Singapore 608923
Shanghai Minolta Optical
Products Co., Ltd.	368 Minolta Road, Songjiang, Shanghai, China
9222-2445-11 NI-C909	©1997 Minolta Co., Ltd. under the Berne Convention and	Printed in China
	Universal Copyright Convention

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes or modifications not approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

•Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.

This mark on your camera certifies that this camera meets the requirements of the EU (European Union) concerning interference causing equipment regulations. CE stands for Conformité Européenne (European Conformity).

NAMES OF PARTS

1. Shutter-release button

FRONT

2.Date buttons (DATE model only)

3.Data panel

4. Subject-program selector

5. Self-timer/Drive-mode button

6. Flash-mode button

7.Flash*

8.Back-cover release

9. Viewfinder window*

10.Metering window*

11.Lens*

12. Self-timer/Remote-control lamp

13. Autofocus windows/Remote-control receiver*

	*Do not touch
BACK	14. Flash lamp (orange)
	15.	Focus lamp (green)
	16.	Viewfinder*
	17.	ON/OFF button
	18.	Zoom control
	19.	Battery cover
	20.	Strap eyelet
	21. Tripod socket
	22.	Rewind button
	23.	Film window
	24.	Back cover

DATA PANEL

1.

Flash-mode indicator

8.

Film-transport signals

2.

Self-timer indicator

9.

Film-cartridge mark

3.

Continuous-drive indicator

10. Landscape/Night View mode

4.

Remote-control indicator

indicator

5.

Date/Time display (date model only)

11. Night Portrait mode indicator

6.

Low-battery symbol

12.

Close-up mode indicator

7.

Frame counter

13.

Subject-program pointer

VIEWFINDER

1.

Focus lamp (green)

Glows: Focus confirmed

Blinks: Subject too close

2.

Flash lamp (orange)

Glows: Flash will fire

Blinks quickly: Flash charging

Blinks slowly: Camera-shake warning

3.

Focus frame

4.

Close-framing guides

Step

ATTACHING THE STRAP

Attach the strap as shown.

Step

INSERTING THE BATTERY

Your camera uses one 3-volt CR123A or DL123A lithium battery to supply power for all camera operations.

Open the battery cover using a coin or similar object.

Insert the battery according to the + and – marks inside the battery chamber and snap the cover closed.

• Before removing an old battery, make sure the camera is off.

LOW BATTERY SYMBOL

If the blinking low-battery symbol appears in the data panel with the other indicators, you can still use the camera, but the battery will have to be replaced soon.

If the blinking low-battery symbol appears alone (date model: only the date/time display with the blinking low-battery symbol), you cannot use the camera until you replace the battery. The shutter cannot be released.

Step

LOADING THE FILM

Use only 35mm, DX-coded film rated ISO 25 to 3200. ISO 400 or higher is recommended for taking telephoto photographs or pictures in low light.

• Do not use Polaroid instant 35mm film. Winding problems may occur.

Slide the back-cover release down to open the back cover and place the film cartridge into the film chamber.

• Always load and unload the film in subdued light.

Extend the film tip to the “FILM TIP” mark,

making sure it lays flat.

Close the back cover.

• The film automatically advances to the first frame and appears in the data panel.

• If the film has been loaded improperly, will blink in the data panel and the shutter will remain locked. Open the back cover and repeat the loading procedure.

Step

FULL AUTO OPERATION

Press the ON/OFF button to turn the camera on.

• The flash will pop up and the lens barrel will extend.

•Press the ON/OFF button to turn the camera off.

•To conserve power, the camera automatically turns off if

it is not operated for more than eight minutes. The lens barrel and flash will retract.

• Do not obstruct the lens while it is retracting.

FULL AUTO OPERATION - CONTINUED

Look through the viewfinder and press the W side of the zoom control to move toward wide angle or the T side to move toward telephoto.

• Do not hold the lens barrel; focus may not be accurate.

• Make sure your subject is at lease 0.4 m(16 in) from the camera.

Align your subject within the focus frame and press the shutter-release button partway down.

When the green focus lamp glows, gently press the shutter-release button all the way down to take the picture.

• The flash will automatically fire in low light.

• The film automatically advances to the next frame.

CLOSE-FRAMING

Close-framing Guides

When your subject is closer than 1.2m (4 ft.) at 75mm, first lock focus on your subject by pressing the shutter-release button partway down, then recompose your picture within the close-framing guides.

•If the green focus lamp blinks, your subject is closer than the minimum focusing distance of 0.4m (16 in.) and

will not be in focus. The shutter cannot be released.

• If the subject is very close to the camera, the green focus lamp will glow, but the picture will not be in focus.

FOCUS LOCK

When your subject is located outside the focus frame, you can first lock focus on your subject, then recompose the picture as desired.

Align the subject within the focus frame and press the shutter-release button partway down until the green focus lamp glows.

Without lifting your finger, recompose the picture then press the shutter-release button all the way down to take the picture.

Step

REWINDING THE FILM

The film will rewind automatically after the last frame has been exposed.

When appears and blinks in the data panel, open the back cover and remove the film.

If rewind stops before the film has been completely rewound and all indicators blink, DO NOT OPEN THE BACK COVER. Insert a fresh battery then press the rewind button.

MANUAL REWIND

To begin rewind before the end of the roll, turn the camera on and gently press the rewind button using a pen or similar object.