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The Minolta Pocket Autopak 401 was first released past 1973, a simple camera for Kodak 110 pocket film
*(see below), but it has an electronic shutter and a hot shoe. The company made quite a range of pocket cameras, including SLR models.

* 110 film was introduced by Kodak in 1972. The film sits in a cartridge, like Kodak's earlier 126 film, but is much smaller. A frame is 13mm × 17mm, has one perforation per image to control film advance and 24 frames per cartridge (12 were also available). The film is protected by a backing paper like 120 film. The frame number is visible through a window at the back of the cartridge. The basic film is ordinary 16mm film which was already on the market, so it could be processed in existing machines. The small picture size made very small, pocketable cameras possible.

Kodak introduced with its 110 film a line of Kodak Pocket Instamatic cameras which were followed by cameras from other manufacturers. Most cameras were cheap point-and-shoot, but very sophisticated models were also made. Small digital cameras made 110 film obsolete. Bit by bit manufacturers
stopped making 110 format film (Fujifilm in 2009), but in 2012 (and 2019) Lomography made a large batch of 110 film, followed by other firms.


The Minolta Pocket Autopak 401 has a 2-zone focussig. There is very little information about this model. It looks like a 40 model with a hot shoe added.
So its presumed main features are:

26mm F8 glass lens, 3 elements, F8, min. focus 0.9m, 2 zones
Electronic shutter, 1/10 - 1/330s, 1/40s for flash
Size 140x58x26,  Weight 205 gr.
100 ISO only, parallax indication marks, LED for insufficient light, either Magicubes, indicator for used cubes in the finder, or electronic flash via hot shoe


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Camera open. Big and bright viewfinder with bright framelines, only parallax indication. If the camera is closed, the lens is well protected and shutter release blocked.

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Seen from above. Cable release socket. Distance setting slider and scale.

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Back view.
The window will show the film type and the frame number, when a cartrigde is inserted.

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Seen from below. Tripod socket. Film advance slider. Distance indications in meters and feet for the symbols.

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Camera film and battery compartment open. This is an odd battery, which is not available any more. It's a Kodak K battery, marketed under 7R31 type K, 7K31, Eveready Energizer 538 and RPX31. It has 4.5 volt. You will need an old battery to make yourself a new one, how to replace a Kodak K 7R31 battery, I have shown here.

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A whole lot of different Minolta 110 cameras, all with electronic shutter except the 430Ex.

This camera is very easy to use, silde it open and it's ready.
It has no manual settings, everything is automatic. You only  have to focus and frame, which is easy via the bright finder and an easy 2-zone focussing scale in the upper part of it. If by half pressing the shutter no light appears, exposure is fine, if there is a light, the camera will use slow shutter speeds or needs a flash. There are Magicubes (or X-cubes) possible or an electronic flash via the hot shoe on the right side of the camera, but the camera deals well with available light within its 1/10s limit. After taking a picture, you have to advance film and cock shutter via the slider under the camera. Putting a film is easy as well, you drop the film into the compartment, advance to the first frame and that's it.

It's a simple point and shoot camera with the advantage of an electronic shutter and a hot shoe, but the disadvantage of an odd battery.

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