The Minolta Hi-matic 9 (Rangefinder)

Posted by: Tim Lewis aka Paps June 19, 2025

The Minolta Hi-matic 9 (Rangefinder)

I have not been a huge fan of rangefinder cameras in the past. I've owned a couple of them but I've always found the viewfinders to be small, the focusing prisms difficult to see (on aging cameras), and the fixed lens too limiting. The Minolta Hi-matic 9 has changed that to some degree but there are a few things about this camera that I still don't like, which I'll touch on later.

I bought this camera from eBay although there are not many of them easily found. At least not in the large numbers that the model 7s can be found. It appears that there were fewer models of the Hi-Matic 9 made, and they are more difficult to come by today. Surprisingly, for a camera with all of the features that this one has, it is amazingly affordable on the used market, however.

The Hi-Matic 9 is built like the SLRs that would follow it in the 1970's and like most other rangefinders made in the 1960's. It is made of metal. It is heavy, and if you can find one, I highly recommend buying the leather case made for it. It will make carrying this beast a little more comfortable as well as protect it from the rigors of life. Being a camera that was made in the 1960's, it has its quirks and that is why I am writing this. In the hopes that it will assist someone who is looking to purchase one.

This model was groundbreaking, in 1966, and it sits in a very unique position in film camera history. Aside from the (always incredible) Minolta glass mounted on it, this camera can be operated in either automatic exposure mode or manual mode. This was the era when camera companies were trying to make the leap to automation. Eventually, they would get there, but to do so they would plague future users with aging electronics in our vintage cameras that can suddenly turn our favorite box into a paperweight. This camera is the exception.

The Model 9 can be used with or without a battery but to use it in automatic exposure mode it must have the battery to power the onboard meter. It uses the same CLC system that Minolta began using the same year (1966) on its SR-T 101 SLR. It is an early TTL meter with two cells that measure light above and below the horizon to compute an average reading. A system that is still effective today. Without a battery, the camera functions fully in manual mode.

The camera's light meter is one of those quirks I promised to mention. The meter is an EV-meter, as opposed to a standard 'over and under' exposure needle that was used on their SLRs. This meter also used batteries that are no longer made which, on its surface appears to be problematic, but as you'll see really isn't.

If you're not familiar with the concept, EV was a measurement devised in the 1950's and 1960's to "simplify" the concept of exposure settings. Rather than express settings in the form of the exposure triangle, which requires the use of three numbers (ISO, shutter speed, and aperture), they would create a scale that would simply measure the amount of light hitting the film and leave the rest up to you.

For example, the meter in this camera will point to EV-14, and now you have to set the shutter speed and aperture to whatever setting forces that EV value to display on the outside of the lens barrel. Also, it should be noted that the needle on the meter does not change as you make these adjustments. Unlike 'over and under' exposure meters that are linked to the camera settings, it simply stays on its EV reading and relies on you to do the rest.

Don't become too discouraged though, because the meter is not totally useless. According to the Hi-matic 9 manual, as long as the needle is somewhere above or below the red warning areas, the image is properly exposed. But again, at least on my copy, this needle does not adjust itself with the settings on the camera. It only responds to the light entering the lens. So a needle showing proper exposure, in manual mode, does not necessarily mean your settings are correct.

As if this isn't enough, the camera originally used mercury batteries which are no longer made. These were a slightly different voltage from the 'coin' batteries we widely use today but this difference is not a big deal. My meter fired right up after I inserted a 625A battery in it. Although in theory, this voltage difference can lead the image to be slightly under-exposed, in reality, it's nothing that cannot be adjusted for. Exposure adjustments are easy on any computer. If that doesn't work for you, you can set the ISO setting on the camera one stop lower than the film really is, to offset the difference.

When you place the camera in "auto-exposure" mode, which is done by simply turning the aperture and shutter speed dials to the "A" position, the camera will use the meter to make these two adjustments for you. For me, this is where the quirkiness began. Since the camera only has a top shutter speed of 1/500th, very common in cameras of that era, you need to use caution when opening up the aperture on a brightly lit day. The EV needle on the meter will simply fall to the bottom of the red warning area, but not tell you how much overexposed you really are. Nor will it move to a 'proper' position once you make any adjustments.

If you wish to create bokeh on a sunny day, by shooting wide open, you will need an ND filter (55mm) in order to reduce the amount of light coming into the lens and the meter. Fortunately, the meter itself is covered by any filters that you use and it should take them into account when displaying the EV value. Another option is to use a lower ISO film, though these are more expensive and difficult to find these days. I've found that ISO 200 (or even 100) is a happy medium for these slower shutter cameras.

As stated, as you near the limit of the shutter speed due to large amounts of light, this meter will simply fall to the bottom of the scale at the lower 'warning area'. This can be an issue in automatic exposure mode because you simply cannot tell from the meter how over-exposed you might be. Nor do you know what settings the camera may be using in order to deal with this meter reading.

As a test, I shot two, similar images without a tripod. Using ISO 200 film, I used automatic exposure (ignoring the camera meter) for the first image and then took the second image using manual mode and an external light meter. Surprisingly, the automatic exposure images were slightly under-exposed, not over-exposed as I would have guessed. This, despite the meter needle being in the lower red zone on the EV scale.

All of the images were easily correctable in post software, just by adjusting exposure. My guess is they were perhaps one half-stop underexposed from the external meter. I discovered that I actually preferred some of the camera's adjustments over my own and have included them, uncorrected as they came out of the camera, for comparison. They have more contrast and have a 'moodier' feel to them. In every one of these images, the EV meter was 'bottomed out'.

I have not tried it and there is no mention of it in the manual but some folks suggest that the camera will also operate in semi-auto exposure. By setting one dial to A, you can then use the other dial to choose whatever setting you wish. Kind of an early "priority" mode. I know Minolta would later have a hidden feature like that on their XD line of SLRs (hidden because they were afraid such automation would frighten off professionals).

One last "quirk" I will mention is the lens. While it is everything you could ask for in any lens, the 45mm lens on the Hi-matic 9 has a huge distance to overcome before reaching infinity focus. Everything from 20 feet in, must be focused manually. This could be problematic for street shooters, though everything else on this camera is perfect for the genre. Many of the wide-angle lenses on my Minolta SLRs, by comparison, reach infinity in 6 feet or less. I suppose you would adjust to this eventually but it might take some getting used to.

The results of the images speak for themselves. They are sharp, contrasty, and compete with any lens out there on a similar camera. In closing, I am shocked that this camera is currently selling anywhere from 30-40 US dollars, though you can spend more if you look. The market seems to be very soft for these as opposed to the more commonly recognized brands. Many suggest it as a "starter" camera for those looking into film but honestly, that be-littles the usefulness of this camera. I would not hesitate to take it on any project, given the incredible images it creates.

The Snap

You could buy the Hi-matic 9 and, set on automatic, be reasonably certain that the images will all be exposed correctly. You could also rely on this meter to use the camera manually, as long as you keep in mind the EV system and make sure that the proper EV is showing on the lens barrel. Focusing will always be manual on this lens but it will deliver sharp and contrasty results, as most Minolta lenses are known for. Any slight deviations from the battery-voltage-difference can easily be adjusted in post. The only caveat is that if you are buying this camera for its auto-exposure, be certain that the meter is operable.

Since this camera uses a 'needle-trap' system for a meter, you can also 'lock in exposure' by pressing the shutter down until the needle locks in place. Then recompose and press the shutter the rest of the way down. Much like we used to do in the early days of digital, for tricky lighting situations. Not all rangefinders can do this but the Hi-matic 9 does.

I hope this information has been helpful and look forward to any comments or experiences you have with this camera. My intention is to use this camera in as many different ways as I can and I'm excited to see what images I can get from it. I was fortunate that I didn't have to do any repairs on my copy but on these little rangefinders, the most common problem is a sticky shutter which is not difficult to repair at home.