I was in Budapest recently and spotted some wonderful notebooks in a design shop near Szimpla Kert: Each one was unique and filled with special little abandoned things like different old newspaper clippings, vintage photographs and used stamps between the pages.

When I opened the cardboard cover of the notebook I bought, I found a quote written in typewriter style:

"Handwriting, letters, opening a piece of mail. We might be the last people to enjoy that stuff". - Ed Templeton

Below the quote I found an old black and white analogue photograph of two young girls walking outside on a summer's day, each with her own doll trolley.

Minolta Riva Mini - The camera with many names

Whenever I travel, I love to take an analogue camera with me to get some special shots on film. For the Budapest trip, I brought my mother's old compact camera - the Minolta Riva Mini - which she also used for capturing moments during her travels thirty years ago.

The Minolta Riva Mini is a small and lightweight analogue point-and-shoot camera made in Japan and released by Minolta in 1991. Depending on where you are located, the camera has different names: Riva Mini is the European name, but it is also known as the Minolta Freedom Escort or Minolta Pico. While these cameras all look the same, despite the name on the body, the camera was also marketed as the Panasonic C-625 AF Super Mini with a slightly different look on the outside but the same features on the inside.

Meet the original camera that inspired the Leica Mini II

The Riva Mini is also affectionately known as the Leica Mini II's clone, close cousin or little sister, due to the collaboration between the German manufacturer Leitz/Leica with the Japanese company Minolta in the 1970s. It is known that the companies exchanged research results on the development of new optical glasses and helped each other with newly acquired manufacturing know-how. This collaboration lasted more than 25 years and resulted in many cameras such as the Leica CL or the Leica AF-C1.

Compared to similar joint camera ventures, Leica shared its lens-making secrets while Minolta donated its electronics expertise: the cameras have a glass lens allegedly manufactured by Minolta with electronics by Matsushita (Panasonic) to the specifications required by Leitz/Leica.

Similar to the old photograph in the notebook, the girls could be sisters, cousins or friends. The girl on the left stands out a little more with her checkered blouse and cute ribbon in her hair. Metaphorically speaking, the girl on the left could represent a Leica Mini II with the famous red Leica dot logo, while the girl on the right with the plain white blouse could be representing a Riva Mini, which should not be underestimated.

Comparing the camera manuals, both have a sharp lens with four elements in three groups with an integrated and protective UVa filter: The Riva Mini has a 34mm f/3.5 prime lens, while the Leica Mini II has a 35mm f/3.5 lens labelled Elmar. Both are compact cameras with infrared autofocus and a very similar autofocus range (Riva Mini: 60 cm to infinity / Leica: 65 cm to infinity). As with sisters, one is slightly larger (Riva Mini: 118 x 63 x 36.5 mm vs. Leica Mini II: 118 x 65 x 38.5 mm), but they have almost the same weight (Riva Mini 165 g without battery vs. Leica Mini II 160 g). Both come in two versions: with or without a quartz-controlled data back, and both are powered by a 3V lithium battery (CR 123A).

Current Pricing of the Minolta Riva Mini / Freedom Escort / Pico and Leica Mini II

There is a noticeable difference in price of both cameras - even today on the second-hand market. It depends on the seller and the condition of the camera, but the Minolta Riva Mini costs around 170 to 190 euros, while the Leica Mini II starts at 230 to 499 euros. Both cameras are currently not that often sold by private sellers, but I have seen very reasonable prices such as 35 euros for the Minolta Pico version, around 100 euros for the Panasonic C-625 AF, 135 euros for the Minolta Riva Mini and 150 to 300 euros for the Leica Mini II in 2024.

Going back in time with the Minolta Riva Mini

While researching the Minolta Riva Mini online, I came across an advertisement for the camera from 1991. The camera was being promoted as an ultra-compact and lightweight model that you could take everywhere you go, whether it was on holiday, a business trip or a party and it could also be used for taking photos around the house. They used two slogans, 'Performance in the palm of your hand' and 'The perfect size for fun', to promote the camera's automatic features such as precise autofocus, advanced auto exposure, versatile flash modes and fully automatic film transport.

The reason I chose this camera over many others for my trip to Budapest was that this model is really light and small. It was also very easy to load the film - it takes less than 30 seconds and you are ready to go. The camera feels good in the hand, and the small grip on the body helps to keep it steady. Compared to my other analogue Leica point-and-shoots, the Riva Mini is not the fastest camera: There is a delay between pressing the shutter and when the actual picture is taken, so people were still walking in the shot because of the delay. I also found the frame around the edges of the viewfinder window a little confusing. I wasn't sure how far the actual photograph would reach, but in the end the photos turned out great and I'm happy with the results.

Back to the notebook quote: Analogue cameras, handwriting and letters may be a relic of the past, but a very special, personal and joyful one that I will always cherish and enjoy.

Budapest on Film | Sample Pictures of the Minolta Riva Mini

Taken with my Minolta Riva Mini, Kodak Gold 200 in October 2024
Developed at Cyberlab

Have you already seen my “analogue story” and which analogue cameras I bought in 2023 and 2024?

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