The Minolta CLE is a compact 35mm rangefinder that takes Leica M lenses. It has through-the-lens metering, aperture priority and frame lines for 28, 40 and 90mm.
Minolta CLE
35mm film rangefinder, from 1980
Updated
Quick facts
- Brand
- Minolta
- Type
- 35mm film rangefinder
- Made
- from 1980
Production
Minolta introduced the CLE in 1980. It looks a lot like the Leica CL, which Leica and Minolta developed together in the early 1970s, but it’s a new body. The CL has no 28mm frame lines.
Minolta also made three M-Rokkor lenses for it: a 28mm f/2.8, a 40mm f/2 and a 90mm f/4.
Models
- Minolta CLE
- Black body.
- Minolta CLE gold
- Special edition of 300.
Specs
- Lens mount
- Leica M
- Exposure modes
- Aperture priority and manual
- Shutter
- Electronic focal plane, up to 1/1000 s
- Metering
- TTL, read off a pattern on the shutter curtain
- Frame lines
- 28mm, 40mm, 90mm
- Batteries
- Two A76 cells
- Dimensions
- 124.5 × 77.5 × 32 mm (4.9 × 3.1 × 1.3 in)
- Weight
- 380 g (13.4 oz)
- Hot shoe
- Hot shoe with TTL flash contacts
- Flash compatibility
- TTL flash metering off the film with Minolta’s Auto Electroflash CLE. Standard flashes work in manual or their own auto mode.
- Dimensions and weight: Minolta CLE on Wikipedia
Lenses for it
- Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE · 35mm f/1.4 lens for Leica M, 2010–2022