Revere 1074

The cartridge based rangefinder

Within the short line of Revere 126 cameras from 3M, the best of the few examples made was the Revere 1074. It does not fit the stereotypical look and feel of common 126 cameras at all; It happens to be an automatic exposure rangefinder. Consisting of what feels to be a painted metal and plastic body, the camera is a reasonable size and has a good weight to it. The camera uses a ‘canvas tent’ colored and textured paint for most of the front and back of the camera. Around the edges and sides, there is black and dark brown textured leatherette with hints of silver around the lens and logo. A very artistic look from the choice of unobtrusive colors used, down to the rounded square design used throughout the camera.

The viewfinder is very bright and easy to use with glasses. Within the viewfinder, there are reflected frame lines for regular focus and parallax corrected lines for up close shots. There is a focus scale on the left hand side and has the markings of one person or two indicating if you're focusing close or far away. Also within the viewfinder is a reflected light. It is on the right hand side of the viewfinder, and turns on when it is too dark for an exposure and a flashcube is needed. The rangefinder focusing patch is a decent sized diamond in the center, that you can easily see even in low light. To power the Revere 1074 there are two different types of batteries used. A PX 625 button cell is used for the metering system and shutter, while a PX-23 is used for firing the flashcube.

The shutter has the two speeds of 1/45th and 1/90th of a second and an electronically controlled aperture. The aperture also adjusts with focusing distance, for use with the flash. To focus the rangefinder there is a knob on the bottom left hand side of the camera. The focus goes from infinity to 3.3 feet and has a scale for both feet and meters. On top of the camera, there is a flashcube socket and threaded shutter release. Somewhat standard strap lugs are present as well, along with the winding lever on the back, and a film back release on the side. A Revere 3M 1074 logo is proudly presented on the front, along with the lens specifications of 38mm f/2.8 and Rokkor around the meter.

THE SPECS AND FEATURES

Shutter Speeds - 1/45th and 1/90th

Aperture - automatically controlled and coupled to distance

Meter Type - CDS electric eye, EV 8.5 - 16

Shutter - electronic, metal leaf

ASA - dependent on 126 cartridge notches, 100-400 ISO

Lens - Minolta designed Rokkor 38mm f/2.8, 4 elements

Flash Option - Flash cube socket (flash at 1/45th), aperture coupled to distance

Batteries - 1 PX 625 (LR44 works fine) for meter and shutter, 1 PX-23 for flashcube, 1/45th mechanical option

Film Type - 126 film cartridge

Other Notable Features - threaded shutter release, low light warning in viewfinder

The EXPERIENCE

I found this camera on a fluke looking into the 126 Minolta cameras and seeing the one rangefinder model that they made. Shortly after, when I was looking into Revere cameras I saw they made a few 126 cameras. Checking one out it had a striking resemblance to the Minolta line and sure enough, the top of the line model had ROKKOR next to the lens. I knew that Minolta worked with Leica but I had no idea that they helped Revere.

The Revere 1074 is a copy of the Minolta Autopak 600-X, but surprisingly a better one. The Autopak is plastic while the Revere is a heavy and really solid metal and plastic design. I was incredibly surprised when I got this camera how great it feels in the hand, and the quality it was. I initially broke the battery tabs inside, thinking there was to need for it, but realized both batteries used the center as negative. The main functions of the camera will work with just one LR44 battery installed but be careful! Make sure the polarity of the battery is correct. The camera light will function with the battery in each orientation, but the meter will only work when the polarity is correct. I scared myself into opening up the camera this way thinking I broke something. Another thing you need to beware of is the low light indicator. If this light goes off DO NOT attempt to take a picture without a flashcube, it will not come out correctly. The camera was built to always have a flashcube installed and only fire (and turn) when necessary. A neat feature for the time, but a bit of a pain when I don’t have flashcubes on hand. Depending on the distance, the aperture will default to a select size for the flash when in low light. But given the fast f/2.8 lens and 1/45th of a second shutter speed, I was fine in most situations.

My initial run with the camera went better then I could have hoped for. No problems with the battery and no issues with the shutter, aperture or focus. I ended up rolling Kentmere 100 into a cracked 126 cartridge and got pretty good results. The focusing was smooth and easy even in low light, and the battery lasts quite a long time. The only hiccup I had was when I was shooting in below freezing weather, it was having a few problems. Once the camera warmed up and a fresh battery was installed, it was working again like a dream. After shooting with the Kodak Instamatic X-30 and now the Revere 1074, I’ve become a true believer in the magic of 126 film and cameras. There are millions of these cameras around today, and they are somewhat easy to adapt. There will always be the Instamatic line of cameras, but the higher quality 126 cameras are no joke. The Revere 1074 was built to a high standard, has a great Minolta lens and is a rangefinder. It’s one of the greatest 126 cameras ever made and deserves to be on that list, I cannot stress that enough.