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Freedom Zoom Gallery

Snapshots from the Minolta Freedom Zoom by Philip Greenspun, 1995


Are the results from a point and shoot camera "publication quality"? Sure. SOMA Magazine found the photo at right in one of my New York pages. To capture the strange clear glass doors in front of the bathroom stalls (they turn opaque with electric current), I turned off the flash on the T4 and steadied myself against a wall. I'm pretty sure that I was using Fuji ISO 400 color negative film. Anyway, it turned out to be the photo that SOMA needed for its article.

The rest of my photos

Money for beer. Times Square, 1995.

Times Square. Lens set at 35. Flash off. Fuji 400 Super G+.

Taxi Driver. Manhattan 1995.

New York cab driver. Fill flash used to balance interior and exterior illumination. Lens set at 28. Fuji Sensia slide film.

Nathan's. Coney Island.

Nathan's original hot dog stand at Coney Island. Lens set at 28, flash off, Fuji Sensia slide film.

Sunglasses & ferris wheel. Coney Island.

Coney Island. Lens set at 28?, flash on, Fuji Sensia slide film.

Virginia. Queens, New York.

On-camera flash ruins just about every picture and this is no exception. Lens set at 50. Note green background from fluorescent light, correctly color balanced foreground from flash. Fuji 400 print film.

Manhattan 1995.

Ecuadoran girl, age 12, at an Upper West Side street fair. Lens set at 50?. Fuji 400 Super G+.

Rollerblader. Manhattan 1995.

New Rollerblades on Broadway (at Columbus Circle), flash on. Fuji 400 Super G+.

Soho door. Manhattan 1995.

Door in Soho. Lens set at 50. Flash off. Fuji 400 Super G+.

Text and pictures copyright 1995 Philip Greenspun

Article created 1995

Readers' Comments


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Barry Bridgeford , December 06, 1998; 09:18 P.M.

Up to this point I have been shooting with a Minolta SLR (28mm, 35-70mm zoom). Lugging the SLR into the interior of Algonquin Park sure adds weight and bulk to my portaging pack. http://www3.sympatico.ca/barrybri/algonq/bigpics/g roup1/index.htm Your gallery shots with the Minolta Freedom Zoom (28-70mm) are pushing me closer to buying one for my 1999 canoe trips.

Barry Bridgeford , August 02, 1999; 08:50 P.M.

This is Barry Bridgeford again. This past Christmas, my wife got me a Minolta Freedom Zoom Explorer. Last month I took it with me to Algonquin Park, Canada. I'm very pleased with the results. Photos are on-line at . . .

http://pages.ivillage.com/misc/barrycanada/booth1.html

Kenneth Kim , February 28, 2000; 05:55 P.M.

I bought a Freedom Zoom Explorer and ran several rolls of film through it. I was very impressed with the sharpness of the images, especially at the short focal lenght. The fill flash worked well and the controls were well layed out. I was very disappointed, however, when after 5 rolls, it started to prematurely rewind the film midroll. I exchanged it for a new one and it exhibited the same problem. I live in sunny San Diego so cold weather was not an issue. I really liked the performance of the Minolta, but in the end could not live with the relability problem. I exhanged it for a Fuji DL Super Mini. --Kennth Kim

Maciek Stankiewicz , June 14, 2009; 08:19 P.M.

Thank You for very interesting article. I own Minolta Freedom Explorer and I love this camera. Lens is sharp from corner to corner. Not supersharp like some High End P&S prime lenses, but very good. This lens is special for five more reasons: - Lens is aspheric. - Lens is very simple ( four elements I believe) - Fast (starting at 3.5 at wide angle, which is nice for P&S) - 28mm with no distortion and no vignetting. - Very quiet. I don't use zoom to really zoom, for me it's for changing perspective, for example for portrait. People joking about 28-56 zoom cameras but hey, It's like having three lenses. Check out Fuji Natura Classica on Flickr. For me it's the Best P&S camera, ultimate travel camera and... Lens that put all other P&S zooms to shame! I know, it's 2009, but if You shoot on film and see this camera, get one, You will like it.


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