Street Photography with the Minolta CLE 35mm Film Camera by Alec Pain

Written by Alec Pain (Alastair Place)

My previous article for Shoot It With Film was on taking street photography with a Holga. I thought I’d follow it up with one on the beautiful 35mm rangefinder film camera, the Minolta CLE.

Find the Minolta CLE at KEH Camera or on eBay.

An Overview of the Minolta CLE

First of all, a little potted history. The Minolta CLE was brought out in 1980. The product of a collaboration between Minolta and Leica, or rather a continuation of the Leica CL which Minolta had manufactured for Leica; and which Minolta produced after their association had finished.

I bought mine about five years ago on eBay, with a M-Rokkor 40mm f2 lens for around £700. It has an M mount which means it takes Leica M mount lenses. Naturally, I bought the two other lenses that Minolta made specially for the camera: the M-Rokkor 28mm f2.8 and the M-Rokkor 90mm f4. I also have a flash and a couple release cables which Minolta made at the time.

I have never been able to afford a Leica lens but I did buy a digital Leica M240 second-hand (by selling some of my vinyl record collection) and my Minolta lenses fit it perfectly. But I take the Minolta out with me far much more than the Leica!

The body is for sale around £600-800. The 28mm £250-300. The 40mm seems higher at around £400-500. The 90mm can be found for £150-200. Still not cheap. But not exactly Leica prices.

Metering and Focusing with the Minolta CLE

So, what’s the difference shooting with a Minolta CLE as opposed to a Holga – apart from the obvious?

I do worry (I needn’t) that I’ll miss shots. I don’t zone focus – it’s something that I’ve always struggled with (you can read more about zone focusing here), and unless I’m shooting at night or using a tripod, I don’t take my camera off Aperture priority. It helps me stay focused. Or in my case, ready to focus.

The camera can be placed in Manual focus mode, but in it, the TTL metering won’t work! So, you can measure the scene in A mode and then go back to Manual Mode. It seems counter-intuitive to do this, but there are times when you would need to do this if trying to get a balanced exposure.

The focusing is achieved in the same way you do with a Leica, by lining up a small square in your viewfinder.

Using the Minolta CLE for Street Photography

Here are some shots I’ve taken with the Minolta CLE in the West Country: an unofficial name for the South West of England – which includes Gloucestershire, Somerset, Avon, Wiltshire, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall.

Bath

Taken from inside a clothes shop through glass whilst my wife was trying something on. This chap was perfectly placed in the afternoon sunlight:

A couple of minutes later, outside the shop, this man passed me, so I took his picture as he walked off:

And picking out the green in this lady’s coat interested me enough to take the picture:

Other shots were taken in a similar vein to my Holga shots – looking for light and reflection in the previous day’s rain:

Puddle shots of the cathedral:

And you can’t avoid the seagulls:

Weston-Super-Mare

Weston-Super-Mare is a seaside town just over an hour from Bath. I happened upon it on a glorious afternoon in November, capturing the beauty of the muddy beaches and faded glory of the pier.

I returned the following morning and caught a “contentment” of swimmers, dog walkers, and people enjoying the sunshine:

Clevedon

Clevedon is just under 12 miles from Weston-Super-Mare, further up the Bristol Channel.

Here’s some from a couple of hours there:

Glastonbury

Glastonbury is now mostly famous for its annual festival, but it’s a lovely town, about 22 miles from Weston-Super-Mare.

Here’s some on top of the Tor and down in the village below:

Burnham-on-Sea

Finally, Burnham-on-Sea is just over 11 miles from Weston-Super-Mare.

Here’s some pictures of its lighthouse and extremely short pier!

Conclusion

You can see a familiar theme emerging from these pictures. Sunshine and puddles! Typical British weather!

If you are looking for a Leica without the price tag, then this camera is definitely worth considering: it’s light (just under 600g as opposed to my digital Leica M240 of 1kg), will fit into a coat pocket and is incredibly easy to use.

Thank you so much, Alec! Alec is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and be sure to check out his other articles, like Street Photography with the Holga and The Holga Close-Up Lens: Photographing Flowers.

You can also check out more of his work on Instagram.

Leave your questions about the Minolta CLE 35mm film camera below in the comments, and you can pick up for yourself at KEH Camera or on eBay.

Related Posts:

Alec Pain

Alec Pain (AKA Alastair Place) is a pinhole and experimental photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find his other articles here, such as How to Shoot Holgaramas and Finding Photography Inspiration Where You Live.

• Instagram