Minolta 7SII=REVUE 400SE=VIVITAR 35ES??

[bocata_mixto]

Hello RFF,

Do these three cameras share the same optics?

I have read in several web pages that they share the same optics, but I´d like to know your opinion...is it really true?

thanks!



Family photo:

http://35mm-compact.com/images/minolta-himatic-7sii.jpg
http://35mm-compact.com/images/revue-400se.jpg
http://35mm-compact.com/images/vivitar-35es.jpg

brothers? cousins? nothing?

[ray_g]

IMHO, yes. I have the vivitar, and the lens is very, very, very sharp.

[Russ]

[QUOTE=bocata_mixto]Hello RFF,

Do these three cameras share the same optics?

I have read in several web pages that they share the same optics, but I´d like to know your opinion...is it really true?

thanks!



Yes they do. They were made Cosina, for Vivitar, Revue & Minolta. The lens is a design that was designed by a Minolta-Leitz collaberation, and is a very good one. I have and use the Minolta and Viv ES.

Russ

[eclat]

The Revue 400SE is manufactured by Minolta (OEM'd by Cosina in most cases) for Revue of Europe and is indeed a Minolta Hi-matic 7s-II clone-- well, almost. The main difference is that the 400SE is shutter priority only, which to my mind actually makes more sense since the aperture ring on the 7s-II is so damn small, no one ends up using it anyway--at least I don't--and it only clutters up the interface. The 400SE, unlike it's 7s-II cousin, has a Guide Flash Control and a PC connector *as well as* a hot-shoe.

Also unlike the 7s-II, the 400SE has Guide Numbers marked "LZ" (Leitzahl = guide number in German) for flash automation. If you fire a flash at full power, you can calculate depending on the LZ/GN and aperture the distance where the light is optimal. If you know the distance (and the camera does from the rangefinder) and the LZ/GN (which you can set), you know the aperture - and the camera sets it automatically. So if you have a non-automatic flash, just dial in the LZ/GN (in meters), focus and get perfectly illuminated shots. A nice feature, which provides results better than some TTL flashes. And the camera can sync at any speed, enabling daylight fill flash at shutter speeds of up to 1/500 sec!

That may have been more info than you needed--certainly more than you asked for--so take it for what it's worth. Happy shooting.

[bocata_mixto]

Thanks to all for the info!

eclat, all kind of info is wellcome!