June 5Th 2022
Konica C35 AF
When you compare firsts in the camera industry, most people’s minds go to larger brands like Leitz, Nikon, Pentax, and Canon to name a few. However, Konica seemed to be really pushing the boundaries of their cameras and film starting in the 1960s. Over the next 30 years, Konica consistently brought out incredible and impressive products, one of the most important was released in the late 70s. This was the world’s first consumer autofocus camera, the 1977 Konica C35 AF.
The First Consumer Autofocus Camera
Konica was not the first on the scene with an autofocus camera and the C35 AF design was not just Konica’s as well. The concept was purchased from Honeywell and implemented into a very compact AF camera. There is an excellent article from Everett H. Ortner in the December 1977 edition of the Popular Science Magazine, that goes into great detail about how this autofocus mechanism works. The Visatronic Auto-Focus (VA/F) within the C35 AF was not a new invention, but one that was a decade in the making and first appeared in an autofocus slide projector in the mid 1960s. The author of the article praises Konica for the work they did in getting the mechanism within a compact camera and how they are the first to the market. From what I understand, the C35 AF essentially uses an infrared rangefinder. A single array of infrared LEDs emit light while two sensors detect the returning infrared light of a scene and produce a voltage. When the rangefinder sensor is moved across, this will produce a voltage curve that will be compared to the other static infrared sensor. The highest correlation will be when the rangefinder is correctly aligned and a signal is sent to the lens for the focus. The lens focusing mechanism is equally as complicated, but with that in mind you can see why this is an incredible feat of engineering for Honeywell and Konica alike.
Looking at the C35AF, it’s very similar to most rangefinder auto exposure cameras of the time, and that is one of the most impressive feats. Compact, elegant, and unassuming to the eye with no compromises in design makes this camera really stand out in its engineering prowess. Aesthetically, the C35 AF has all the marks of a late 70s and early 80s camera. Clean lines, sharp corners, and a muted color palette lend to the timeless look of this camera and one copied by other brands and their AF cameras shortly after.
There is no ON button or switch for the C35 AF, it is essentially in a standby mode until the shutter button is pressed or the flash is deployed. The camera takes two AA batteries, to power everything from the meter to the flash, no separate meter button cell is needed. Looking through the viewfinder you can see standard frame lines, parallax correction marks, and an outline of a square in the middle of the frame. This would be the first inception of the AF area, taking inspiration from a rangefinder patch I imagine. Being one of the first autofocusing mechanisms, special consideration needs to be taken on what you aim at. The manual is a bit vague with instructions on the original C35 AF, but within the manual of the successor of this camera (the AF2), a more detailed guide is laid out. The autofocus mechanism will have difficulty with striped patterns and low contrast scenes. A warning underneath this guide also advises against using a lens hood or filters with a reflective ring, to avoid focus errors.
Looking at the top of your camera, first you must wind the lever on the upper right side and look through the viewfinder. Line up your shot, and press the shutter button next to the winding lever about half way. A green lamp may light in the upper righthand corner, and this light signifies that the image will be underexposed, prompting you to activate the flash. As long as the camera is 3.6 - 16 feet (1.1 - 5 meters) away when using the flash, you will have sharp pictures. Looking at the rest of the camera, there is not much for the user to interact with. On the top, close to the winding lever, is a frame counter, and threaded shutter release, while on the left you have the rewind crank.
The back has nothing of note, and the bottom has the typical rewind release button, tripod socket, and battery compartment. Moving to the front of the camera, this is where the majority of control lies. On the right side, toward the bottom of the camera, you can see a silver button close to the 'Flash' symbol. Pressing this extends the flash and you are able to hear the charging noise. A lamp on the top edge of the camera will illuminate when the flash is fully charged and ready to take a picture. Above the silver flash button is a very unconventional focus scale going from 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) to infinity. The focus does not seem to be zone based, something with a more accurate measurement in my guess. Lastly around the lens is the ASA selector going from 25 to 400 in half steps. There is a filter ring as well, making sure to keep the meter within this area to accurately compensate for the filter. That is really all for the C35 AF. Loading and unloading the camera is standard fare and the shutter speeds go from 1/60th to 1/125th and 1/250th, with an aperture of f/2.8 to f/22.
As I was looking through the 70s and 80s articles about this camera, I found a few complaints. As other models were introduced to the scene, they included an autofocus lock and was a slight nuisance to one reviewer. Another complaint was that you had no option for manual control. An odd statement looking back, being the point of an autofocus camera was to automate another function, but it seemed to come from a fan of the camera. The reviewer states that he has been using the C35 AF for a couple of months and simply adores the camera, a true fan indeed. Lastly, there seemed to be a few revisions of the C35 AF, in terms of the circuit design. Earlier models feature a rougher hand made circuit board, in terms of drawn traces and possibly hand soldered, while later variations cleaned up the design and standardized it. Over the next couple of years, Konica went on to release a few cameras within the C35 AF range, the AF2 and the AF-M, updating the visuals and adding a few features each time.
THE SPECS AND FEATURES
Shutter Speeds - 1/60th, 1/125th, 1/250th
Aperture - f/2.8 to f/22
Meter Type - CdS AE System
Shutter - metal leaf shutter
ASA - 25 to 400 in half stops
Lens - Konica Hexanon 38mm, 4 elements in 3 groups
Autofocusing between 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) to infinity
Flash Option - built in flash, 3.6 - 16 feet (1.1 - 5 meters)
Batteries - 2 AA batteries power the entire camera
Film Type - 35mm
Other Features - shutter locked when the battery is dead, underexposure warning lamp
The Experience
I knew about this camera for a handful of years, but I never had one come across my path. That was until I found a listing online that was ambiguous at best. This camera had no mention if it was working or not and on top of that, it was half way across the world. It was a reasonable price so I took the chance not knowing if the camera would function. I was pleasantly greeted with a very clean example about a month later and was excited to try it out.
Out of the gate, this camera was dead. Nothing, not even a slight flicker or movement. Not the best first impression, but I was happy to have another project in the rotation. The usual small tricks did nothing at all and when I opened up the top cover, I was in shock and awe at the number of wires involved inside. They were of very thin gauge and if one disconnected, I would have a very hard time locating where it would go. I took plenty of pictures inside the camera, in the event that I would accidentally break a wire off, and continued to look for any signs of malfunction. Once again nothing at all.
Diving deeper and taking off the lens board, I looked to the autofocusing mechanism for potential issues. When certain electronic shutters are out of sync, it can cause a dead short or just an intended break in power. I’ve also run across some that have components that bend over time, random wires breaking, or springs that fall off. All was fine until I got to the shutter button mechanism and I will try to explain this succinctly. Within the C35 AF, there is an incredibly overengineered half press mechanism on a complex mount made of clear brittle plastic. It needs to have isolated components so they do not make contact until a determined point, all while being moved along with the shutter button… or so I gathered how it worked. Springs, shielding, and pivoting points were more than confusing, but it does not matter because mine disintegrated. The plastic was broken and the mechanism was in disarray and barely hanging on. I assumed it would be a straightforward fix, but I would be sorely mistaken.
I tried rebuilding the mechanism and its crazy theatrics to no success, it seems to have broken for a reason. Then I was looking for an easier solution, checking other broken cameras for how they handled half presses and tried to scavenge some parts. The first attempt was to no avail, the second was closer, and on the third attempt, I found a long leaf switch that just fit inside the original space. I was able to mount the piece to the existing area, tested the half press and it seemed to light up and work! I fully assembled the camera and realized that once together, the contacts were always touching and the camera was continuously metering. That wasn’t viable, so I spent the next couple of days slightly bending and cutting the contacts shorter. I fully assembled the camera again, and it was working as intended. The ASA dial was stuck as well, and a quick disassembly fixed that too.
I waited a bit of time for the weather to warm up before taking the C35 AF out for a test. Then a sunny Saturday morning with a few clouds here and there arrived, perfect for a test. The camera faired well, hitting infinity focus most of the time, but it seemed to struggle in complex lighting. A few shots came out with a glowing effect, I’m not sure if this was caused by the exposure, a lagging shutter, or fogging, but it was few and far between. Overall a good test, but something was really bothering me, the position of the half press on the shutter button. It was too close to the shutter tripping point, and I knew this would bother me to no end.
I resolved to take apart the camera once more and try to adjust the contact point. It was a bit of trial and error, but eventually I had it in the perfect spot. However, this was not the end as I ran into another problem. A small cap on the shutter mechanism fell off and was shorting on the contacts. I ended up 3D printing the smallest 2mm cap, and press fitting it in place. Fully assembled for the hundredth time, it was finally in perfect working order.
One day driving home from work, it was a cold and foggy evening and I rushed out with a roll of black and white to capture the mood. The camera conveyed every scene wonderfully, and I came away with some excellent images. Quite a few weeks passed and on an exceptionally warm Saturday afternoon I walked to the park and did another black and white test in the harsh sunlight. After leaving the camera sitting for an extended time it unfortunately developed an issue. When I was almost to the end of the roll, the camera focused and the lens did not return. The camera was jammed and would not advance anymore. Once home, I found out the main spring for the shutter/winding was losing tension. I lubricated the sliding points and ran it through fifty or so exposures to work it out.
This seemed to help with the autofocus mechanism as well, given the spring pulls a lot of mechanisms into place. It hit focus faster as well and was more accurate after that. I did one final shoot, trying a few closer pictures and landscapes and really came to like the C35 AF. It has a charm that I cannot convey and an incredible history behind it. There are quirks for sure, like checking the autofocus scale after every shot to make sure it was hitting focus. But as time went on and I learned the camera’s limitations, I stopped looking. An auto everything camera had already been on the scene for decades at this point, and it cannot be understated that the addition of autofocus really made this an almost fully automatic experience. This camera has an important place in history, and I’m glad to have worked on and saved this example. I stopped counting the hours after 15 because it was a passion project and one that I believed the camera deserved. I may be looking into it a bit too much, but at the end of the day and through the multiple rolls shot, I really enjoyed using this camera. I recommend you give the Konica C35 AF a try, it’s a beautiful piece of engineering and well worth your time.