The body number is inscribed on a small metal strip above the nameplate. The nameplate is made of translucent plastic, with the name minolta miniflex written in gold letters in the typical 1960s Minolta font. It also has a logo at the front, showing the letter M in silver on a deep red background.

It contains a square magnifying lens hinged to the top but no sportsfinder. The viewing hood has a peculiar three-fold, specially designed to avoid the side plates going deep into the body and to prevent the entry of dust. This construction allowed to reduce the cost of the viewfinder part. The viewfinder is integrated into the body casting, unlike most other TLR cameras. The minimum focusing distance is either 1m or 3.3ft. The distance scale is engraved either in metres or in feet, depending on the intended market. This wheel contains a film reminder, and there is an additional plate with depth-of-field indications. There is a big focusing wheel on the photographer's left, turning 120 degrees and driving a heart-shaped cam moving the front standard back and forth.

The tripod thread is integrated in the body casting and is not part of the back. The back is hinged to the top for film loading, and locked by a small rectangular key at the bottom. This button is hidden in a slot and can be pressed with a fingernail or a coin it has this shape to avoid accidental action. Then the exposure counter is reset to '1' by pressing a button near the advance knob. The position of the first exposure is set via a red window on the right of the back, protected by a large spring-loaded rotating disc, marked CHIYODA KOGAKU OSAKA JAPAN. There is a round window on the advance side for an exposure counter. The film advance automatically stops at each exposure and is unlocked when the shutter release is pressed. This method reduces film distortion compared with the reverse travel direction. The film runs from the upper chamber to the lower chamber.

The film is advanced by a knob on the photographer's right, at the bottom, engraved with an arrow and the word WIND to indicate the turning direction. The Minolta Miniflex can take twelve exposures in 4×4cm square format. This camera is in pristine condition - probably because a), it looks like it didn't get that much use, and b), it's was sitting at the top of the wardrove since the 1970's! This is a much newer camera than the other two, made in 1959, however I find it the most fascinating cameras of the three, because of the twin lens reflex system, much like a hasselblad. The third vintage camera I was given was the Minolta Miniflex.

1970 minolta camera