Minolta DYNAX 3L manual

E INSTRUCTION MANUAL 2165_E.qxd 03.2.10 2:06 PM Page 1[...]

T ABLE OF CONTENTS 2 FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE .....................................................5 NAMES OF P ARTS .........................................................................8 Body ......................................................................................................8 Data Panel........................................[...]

Autoflash .............................................................................................34 Autoflash with Red-eye Reduction ......................................................34 Fill Flash ..............................................................................................35 Fill Flash with Red-eye Reduction ............[...]

4 Thank you for purchasing this camera. Please take time to read this manual so that you can enjoy all the features of your new camera. This product is designed to work with accessories manufactured and distributed by Minolta. Using accessories or equipment not endorsed by Minolta may result in unsatisfactory performance or damage to the product an[...]

5 FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE Read and understand all warnings and cautions before using this product. Using batteries improperly can cause them to leak harmful solutions, overheat, or explode which may damage property or cause personal injury . Do not ignore the following warnings. • Only use the batteries specified in this instruction manual. • D[...]

6 FOR PROPER AND SAFE USE • Store this product out of reach of children. Be careful when around children not to harm them with the product or parts. • Do not fire the flash directly into the eyes. It may damage eyesight. • Do not fire the flash at vehicle operators. It may cause a distraction or temporary blindness which may lead to an accide[...]

7 • Do not point the product directly at the sun. If sunlight is focused on an inflammable surface, a fire may result. Replace the lens cap when the product is not in use. • Do not use or store the product in a hot or humid environment such as the glove compartment or trunk of a car . It may damage the product and batteries which may result in [...]

8 NAMES OF P ARTS Body Built-in flash* (32) Shutter-release button (27) Self-timer lamp / Remote-control receiver** (41) Lens contacts* (22) Mirror* (22) Lens mount (22) Focus-mode switch (47) Lens release (22) Manual-rewind button(26) Flash-mode button (32) Strap eyelet (20) Battery-chamber door (14) T ripod socket For information on specific part[...]

9 * This camera is a sophisticated optical instrument. Care should be taken to keep these surfaces clean. Please read the care and storage instructions in the back of this manual (p. 60). ** Quartz-date model only . The quartz-date model is equipped with remote- control function. Main switch (28) Data panel (10) Subject-program button (37) Drive-mo[...]

10 NAMES OF P ARTS Data Panel Autoflash Autoflash with red-eye reduction Fill flash Fill flash with red-eye reduction Flash cancel Portrait Landscape Close-up Sports Night portrait / Night scene Subject-program indicators (37) Flash-mode indicators (32) Single frame / Continuous advance indicator (41) Wireless / Remote flash indicator (48) Date / t[...]

Blinks 11 V iewfinder • When the flash signal does not blink after taking the picture, the subject was not within the flash range. Please check the flash range (p. 32). Wide focus frame (28) Spot-focus area (46) Flash signals (33) Focus signals (29) Flash output was sufficient to provides correct expo- sure. Steady Flash is charged and will fire [...]

12 QUICK OPERA TION 1. Insert the batteries (p. 14). • This camera uses two CR2 lithium batteries. 3. Attach the lens (p. 22). • Align the red mounting index on the lens with the one on the camera. Carefully insert the lens into the mount and turn it clockwise until it clicks into the locked position. 4. Slide the main switch to the on position[...]

13 5. Open the back cover and load the film (p. 23). • Align the film tip with the red mark, then close the back cover . 6. Center the subject in the wide focus frame. If using a zoom lens, rotate the zooming ring to frame the subject (p. 28). •T he camera will focus and set exposure automatically when the shutter release button is pressed part[...]

14 BA TTERIES GETTING ST ARTED Installing the Batteries 2. Insert the batteries with the polarities as indicated by the illustration next to the battery chamber . 3. Close the battery-chamber door and push until it clicks into place. The camera uses two 3V CR2 lithium batteries to supply power for all camera operations. • Setting the camera down [...]

15 Battery Condition Indicators Slide the main switch to on position. •A battery indicator appears on the data panel indicating the power status of the batteries. • If the data panel is blank, the batteries may be dead or installed incorrectly . • Occasionally , the battery-condition indicator will give a false low-battery- power warning, eve[...]

The clock and calendar are powered by the camera’ s batteries. If the clock and calendar have not been set, “-- -- --” blinks on the date / time displays of the data panel when the camera is on. Before the initial use of the camera, or after changing the bat- teries, the date and time should be set. The imprinting format should be selected at[...]

17 Setting the Date and T ime 2. Press the select button to select the year . • ‘03 will blink indicating 2003. • The item will cycle as follows. Y ear Month Day Hour Minute 3. Press the adjust button to change the year . • ‘04 indicates 2004. • The item continues increasing as long as the button is held down. • During the cycle the y[...]

18 DA TE AND TIME SETTING - FOR OWNERS OF THE QUARTZ-DA TE MODEL GETTING ST ARTED 9. Press the adjust button to change the hour value. • The data back has a 24-hour clock 3pm is 15. . 10. Press the select button to select the minute. • The minute register will blink. The initial setting is 00. 11 . Press the adjust button to change the minute v[...]

19 Changing the Date Format 1. Press and hold the select button for 3 seconds until the date on the data panel blinks. 2. Press the adjust button to change the format. • The format will change in the following sequence: 3. Press the shutter-release button partway down to set the format. Y ear/ Month/ Day Month/ Day/ Y ear Day/ Month/ Y ear Date b[...]

20 AT T ACHING THE STRAP GETTING ST ARTED 4. Pass the tip of the strap through the holder ring. • If the ring is tight, fold the strap, and slide the holder ring over the tip (1). Hold the strap, and slide the holder ring in the direction shown (2). 2. With the visible protrusions on the inside of the holder ring oriented as shown, pass the tip o[...]

21 6. Push the holder ring toward the strap eyelet to secure the strap to the camera. • Repeat with the other end of the camera strap. 5. Pass the tip of the strap through the buckle and pull to tighten. • Leave some slack in the camera strap (A) so the tip may be threaded through the buckle easily . T ake care not to cover the lens or flash wi[...]

22 LENS GETTING ST ARTED 1. Remove the body and rear lens caps. 2. Align the red mounting index on the lens and camera body . Carefully insert the lens into the mount, then turn it clockwise until it clicks into the locked position. • Do not insert the lens at an angle. • Do not press the lens release button when mounting the lens. The lens wil[...]

23 FILM 2. Press the back-cover release to open the back cover . Loading the Film The camera automatically sets the correct film speed (ISO) with DX- code film. Always load or remove the film under subdued light to reduce the chances of fogging. • If non-DX-coded film is used, the camera will use the last DX-coded film’s ISO setting. • More t[...]

24 3. Insert the film cartridge into the film chamber . •W ith the top of the cartridge down, insert the film at an angle into the bottom of the film chamber . Push the cartridge into the chamber until it clicks into place. FILM GETTING ST ARTED 4. Extend the leader between the guide rails to the index mark. • Hold the film cartridge down so th[...]

25 When the film is loaded incorrectly , the frame counter (“0”) and film transport signals blink on the data panel, and the shutter is locked. If the camera is off, the warning is displayed for approximately five seconds. Open the back cover and reload the film. When the film is loaded correctly with the camera on, the frame counter (“1”),[...]

26 FILM GETTING ST ARTED Manual Rewind Rewinding the Film 2. Press the back-cover release to open the back cover and remove the film, then close the back cover . Gently press the manual-rewind but- ton using a pen. • Only use blunt objects. Sharp objects may damage the camera. • When the film is rewound, zero will be displayed on the frame coun[...]

27 HANDLING THE CAMERA BASIC OPERA TION • Lean against a wall or rest your elbows on a solid surface to steady the camera when not using the flash in low-light situations. • The use of the tripod is recommended when using the camera in low-light situations, with slow shutter speeds, or with telephoto lenses. Pressing the Shutter-release Button [...]

28 T AKING PICTURES BASIC OPERA TION 2. Center your subject in the wide focus frame. If using a zoom lens, rotate the zooming ring to frame your subject as desired. 3. Press the shutter release button partway down to activate the autofocus and exposure systems. • When flash signal appears in the viewfinder , the flash will fire (p. 33). • In lo[...]

29 Focus Signals When the shutter-release button is pressed partway down, the follow- ing signals appear in the viewfinder to indicate the focus status. • Focusing time can be longer with macro or telephoto lenses, or in very dark conditions. • If the camera is unable to focus, the subject may be too close or one of the special focus situations[...]

FOCUS LOCK BASIC OPERA TION 1. Center your subject in the wide focus frame. 2. Press the shutter-release button partway down to lock the focus. • When focus signal appears in the viewfinder , the focus is locked. 4. Press the shutter-release button all the way down to take the picture. The focus-lock function is used when the sub- ject is off-cen[...]

SPECIAL FOCUS SITUA TIONS/ AF ILLUMINA T OR Special Focus Situations The camera may not be able to focus in the situations described below . Use focus lock (p. 30) or manual focus (p. 47). If the subject within the focus frame is very bright, or low in contrast. If two subjects at different distances overlap in the focus frame. If a subject compose[...]

32 USING THE BUIL T -IN FLASH BASIC OPERA TION Changing the Flash Mode Flash Range •D o not use the built-in flash with with lenses with focal lengths shorter than 28mm. • Make sure you are at least 1m (3.3 ft.) from your subject when using the built-in flash. The subject must be within the flash range specified in the table below for the image[...]

33 Flash Signals When the shutter-release button is pressed partway down, the viewfinder flash signal indicate the status of the flash. • Remove the lens hood before using the built-in flash. • Lens shadowing may occur with the following lenses at the shorter focal lengths. AF Zoom 28-70mm f/2.8G AF Zoom 17-35mm f/3.5G AF Zoom 28-135mm f/4.0-4.[...]

34 USING THE BUIL T -IN FLASH BASIC OPERA TION Press the flash mode button until the flash mode indicator appears on the data panel. •W arn your subject that the flash will fire a few times just before the picture is taken. • When the camera is turned off, the flash mode is reset to autoflash or autoflash with red-eye reduction whichever was se[...]

35 Fill Flash Fill Flash with Red-Eye Reduction Use fill flash when taking pictures under fluo- rescent lighting or to eliminate harsh shadows under strong direct lighting or sunlight. When set, the flash will fire every time a picture is taken. Press the flash mode button until the flash mode indicator appears on the data panel. •T o return to a[...]

Press the flash mode button until the flash mode indicator appears on the data panel. • The flash will not fire even if the built-in flash is up. • The shutter speed may be slow . Use a tripod to reduce camera shake. •T o return to autoflash mode, repeat the step above until autoflash indicator appears. 36 Flash Cancel Use flash cancel to pho[...]

37 SUBJECT -PROGRAM SELECTION Portrait Landscape Close-up Sports Night Portrait /Night scene Programmed autoexposure Press the subject program button to select any one of the following sub- ject program. • Set the appropriate flash mode according to the subject program selected. See the following descriptions of each subject program. • Every ti[...]

38 Landscape photography requires a large depth- of-field to make sure the subject and back- ground are in focus. This mode uses the great- est depth-of-field possible, while maintaining a shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring from camera shake. Press the subject-program button until the subject-program indicator points to the landscape mod[...]

Close-up Sports Press the subject-program button until the subject-program indicator points to the close-up mode. Use the close-up mode when photographing small objects like flowers or jewelry . In the close-up mode, the camera automatically sets the best possible aperture and shutter speed for close-up photography . Focusing time can be longer wit[...]

40 Cancel the flash in night portrait/night scene mode to photograph views at night. The longer shutter speeds used in this mode allow twilight scenes and night skylines to be captured. 1. Press the subject-program button until the subject-program indicator points to Night Portrait Mode /Night scene mode. 2. Press the flash-mode button to set flash[...]

41 SELF-TIMER 3. Press the shutter-release button partway down to lock the focus. • Focus lock can be used for off-center subjects (p. 30). 1. Place the camera on a tripod. Press the drive-mode button until the self- timer indicator appears on the data panel. • When the drive mode button is pressed, the drive mode changes in the following seque[...]

42 • Do not press the shutter-release button while standing in front of the camera.The focus and exposure is set when the shutter-release button is pressed. • The self-timer is canceled after the picture is taken. •T o cancel the self-timer countdown, press the drive-mode button or turn the camera off before the shutter releases. • Attach t[...]

43 CONTINUOUS ADV ANCE 1. Press the drive-mode button until continuous advance indicator appears on the data panel. 2. Press and hold the shutter-release button to begin taking a series of pictures. • The camera takes a maximum of 1.7 frames per second when the shutter- speed is 1/250 second or above, flash set to flash cancel, and new batteries.[...]

44 REMOTE-CONTROL FUNCTION FOR OWNERS OF THE QUARTZ-DA TE MODEL BASIC OPERA TION 1. Place the camera on a tripod. 2. Press the drive-mode button until remote-control indicator appears on the data panel. 3. Arrange the camera and subject to compose the picture. 4. Point the emitter window toward the remote-control receiver and press the release or t[...]

2. Center your subject in the focus frame, then press the shutter-release button partway down until viewfinder focus signal appears. • Focus and exposure is set for the picture. •P ress the shutter-release button partway down again to reset the focus. • Focus can also be locked with the spot AF button (p. 46). 45 FOCUS LOCK IN REMOTE CONTROL [...]

46 SPOT FOCUS ADV ANCED OPERATION 1. Place your subject inside the spot focus area. 2. Press and hold the spot AF button. • The focus signal appears in the viewfinder . • Focus and exposure are set and remain locked until the spot focus button is released. 3. While holding the spot AF button, press the shutter-release button all the way down to[...]

47 MANUAL FOCUS 1. Slide the focus-mode switch down and release. • “MF” will appear on the data panel. 2. T urn the focusing ring until the subject appears sharp. • When the shutter-release button is pressed partway down, the AF system monitors the focus. The viewfinder focus signal glows when the object in the focus frame is in focus. •T[...]

The flash mode can be set with the flash unit. With the flash on and mount- ed on the camera, change the flash mode on the flash unit. Set the mode by pressing the shutter-release button partway down; the camera will display the cor- responding flash mode indicator on the data panel. Only autoflash or flash cancel are available. The other flash mod[...]

Flash Metering Flash metering changes according to the lens used. ADI flash metering Advanced Distance Integration (ADI) metering is employed when using D series lenses. ADI metering combines distance information from the autofo- cusing system with information from a pre-flash exposure. Unlike conventional TTL flash metering, ADI is not influenced [...]

50 WIRELESS / REMOTE FLASH ADV ANCED OPERATION 1. Normal flash 2. Wireless flash Photographs taken with a flash attached to the camera are flat as shown in example 1. An accessory flash positioned away from the camera creates three-dimensional lighting as shown in the second example. Wireless / Remote flash uses the camera’s built-in flash to con[...]

51 2. Press the flash mode button on the camera until WL appears on the camera’ s data panel. Setting Wireless / Remote Flash Mode 3. Detach the accessory flash. 1. With the camera and flash off, mount the flash unit on the camera. T urn both the camera and flash on. • The flash must first be mounted on the accessory shoe so the camera can set [...]

52 FLASH ADV ANCED OPERATION 1. Position your camera and flash unit around the subject. See the description below for subject distances. • Photograph in dark locations. • Refer to the flash unit’s manual for specific information. • The shutter speed will be set to 1/45 second or slower automatically . The use of a tripod is recommended. •[...]

3. Press the subject program button to test fire the wireless/ remote flash. • If the accessory flash does not fire, change its position. 4. When both flash units are fully charged, press the shutter- release button all the way down to take the picture. • If the exposure from the accessory flash was sufficient for the subject, the flash signal [...]

1. T urn the camera off. 2. Press and hold subject-program button and drive-mode button. 3. With both buttons held down, turn the camera on. • Repeat the procedure to activate the shutter-release lock. To prevent the film from being fogged, the shutter cannot be released if a lens is not attached to the camera. This can be changed when mounting t[...]

1. T urn the camera off. 2. Press and hold flash-mode button. 3. While holding the button down, turn the camera on. 55 Canceling the AF Illuminator The built-in flash is used as an AF illuminator and will fire when nec- essary to assist the autofocus system in low light. The AF illuminator function can be turned off. • This does not affect an acc[...]

56 APPENDIX ACCESSORY INFORMA TION Accessory Flashes The following accessory flash units are compatible with this camera: Program Flash / Maxxum Flash 5600HS (D) Program Flash / Maxxum Flash 3600HS (D) • The flash cancel indicator is displayed on the data panel with no other icons when an incompatible flash unit is attached. • An accessory flas[...]

57 Angle Finder V N / Magnifier V N The 90° Angle Finder VN allows the camera to be used in hard-to-view positions or at low angles. The Magnifier VN enlarges the viewfinder image by approx. 2.3X and is ideal for macro photography , copy- ing, and telephotography . Remove the eyepiece cup when attaching a finder accessory . • Push up to remove t[...]

58 APPENDIX TROUBLESHOOTING Problem Focus cannot be confirmed. Camera is attached to a microscope or tele- scope. Slide the focus- mode switch down. Use focus lock or manual focus. Cancel the shutter-release lock. – 30/ 47 54 The lens is not attached correctly . Attach the lens so that it clicks into place. 22 Check the minimum focus distance of [...]

59 Problem Cause Solution Page Lens hood was attached or subject distance was less than 1m. Subject is beyond flash range. Make sure the subject is within the flash range. 32/ 33 32 Camera mal- function Tu rn the camera off and on. If normal camera operation does not resume or the camera malfunctions repeatedly , contact an authorized Minolta Servi[...]

60 APPENDIX CARE AND ST ORAGE • Check the camera’s operation carefully , or take test photographs. • Minolta is not responsible for any loss that may occur due to an equipment malfunction. Before Important Events • This camera is designed for use from -20° to 50°C (4 to 122 °F). • Never leave your camera where it may be subjected to ex[...]

• If you have questions about your camera, contact your local cam- era dealer or write to the Minolta distributor in your area. • Before shipping your camera for repair , contact an authorized Minolta Service Facility . Questions and Service When storing your camera for extended periods: • Always attach the protective caps. • Store in a coo[...]

APPENDIX SPECIFICA TIONS 62 CAMERA TYPE: 35mm autofocus SLR with autoexposure (AE) and a built-in flash LENS MOUNT : Minolta A mount AUTOFOCUS SYSTEM: Detection system: TTL phase-detection Autofocus sensors: CCD line sensors (3-point AF system with a center cross-hair sensor) Autofocus sensitivity range: Ev -1 – 18 (ISO 100) AF illuminator: Built[...]

63 Specifications are based on the latest information available at the time of printing and are subject to change without notice. VIEWFINDER: T ype: Eye-level fixed roof mirror Focusing screen: Spherical acute matte Field of view: 90% (vert.) x 90 % (hor .) Magnification: 0.75x (with 50mm lens focused at infinity) Eye relief: 16mm (13mm from the ey[...]

9222-2165-1 1 P-B302 Printed in Japan Minolta Co., Ltd. 3-13, 2-Chome, Azuchi-Machi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka 541-8556, Japan Minolta Europe GmbH Minoltaring 1 1, D-30855 Langenhagen, Germany Reparatur/Repair Senator-Helmken-Strasse 1, D-28197 Bremen, Germany Minolta France S.A.S. 365 Route de Saint-Germain, F-78420 Carrieres-Sur-Seine, France Minolta (UK) L[...]