The Minolta Vectis S-series comprises two APS system models of film

SLR camera A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin le ...

s made by

Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It made the first integrated autofocu ...

, the flagship model Vectis S-1 and the Vectis S-100. The cameras feature a compact design, owing to the use of mirrors instead of

prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...

s in the

viewfinder In photography, a viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose, and, in many cases, to focus the picture. Most viewfinders are separate, and suffer parallax, while the single-lens reflex camera lets the viewfinder use the main ...

. Only one early

DSLR camera A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor. The reflex design scheme is the primary difference between a ...

body, the

Minolta Dimâge RD 3000 List of products manufactured by electronics company Minolta. Cameras 16 mm film cameras * Minolta 16 series 110 film cameras * Minolta 110 Zoom SLR * Minolta Autopak pocket camera * Minolta Weathermatic A (bright yellow waterproof case) 126 ...

, also used the V-lens mount. The Vectis brand was also shared with a number of small APS

rangefinder camera A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder, typically a split-image rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus. Most var ...

s with fixed lenses, including the waterproof Vectis Weathermatic and Vectis GX series. The model numbers of these cameras don't include the S prefix used for the SLR series.

Vectis V mount

The Vectis V mount lenses used by the above models are not compatible with any other lens mount, including Minolta's 35mm A-mount and

SR-mount The Minolta SR-mount was the bayonet mounting system used in all 35 mm SLR cameras made by Minolta with interchangeable manual focusing lenses. Several iterations of the mounting were produced over the decades, and as a result, the mount itself wa ...

systems. Aperture and focus are controlled electronically by the camera; the image circle of the lenses only illuminates the APS formats, and the

flange focal distance For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance (FFD) (also known as the flange-to-film distance, flange focal depth, flange back distance (FBD), flange focal length (FFL), back focus or register, depending on the usage and sourc ...

of V mount is only 36.00 mm. There are thus only limited options to adapt V mount lenses to other cameras. A small hand-production run of an adapter was made for Vectis-to-Sony NEX. As of 2020, the Chinese-made "MonsterAdapter LA-VE1" allows using V mount lenses on Sony E mount cameras, offering aperture control, focal length detection for both EXIF and IBIS, and manual-only focus. It is sold sporadically on online marketplaces, priced at US$199. A new version, the "MonsterAdapter LA-VE2", appeared as a crowd funded item on Indiegogo and offers the benefits of the LA-VE1 plus the added bonus of auto-focus. This new adaptor was offered in September of 2022. It is fully compatible with newer E mount Sony cameras and offers limited compatibility with older E mount cameras.

Lenses

List of V-mount interchangeable lenses: *Prime lenses **V 17 mm 3.5 RD (#2764) **V 50 mm 3.5 Macro (1:2) (#2305) **V 400 mm 8 Reflex (#2307) *Zooms **V 22–80 mm 4-5.6 (#2301) **V 25–150 mm 4.5-6.3 (#2309) **V 28–56 mm 4-5.6 (#2303) **V 56–170 mm 4.5-5.6 (#2304) **V 80–240 mm 4.5-5.6 Apo (#2302) The 17 mm lens is specified to work with the RD 3000 only, but can be used on the S-1 and S-100 as well. The 400 mm reflex lens as well as the 25–150 mm and 56–170 mm zooms may not perform to their full potential on the RD 3000, however. At least the 400 mm lens illuminates the full frame format, albeit with soft vignette typical for refractive designs.

References

Information about the Vectis S-1 and S-100

Vectis S series {{photography-stub