MINOLTA CLE

Review and Photo example of the MINOLTA CLE.

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The photo example was taken with a Fuji Film Tiara 28mm F3.5 lens and a Fuji 100C film.

1．Overview

The Minolta CLE was released in February 1981 as the world’s first Leica M-mount rangefinder camera with TTL direct metering automatic exposure control and an electronically controlled shutter. It was jointly developed by Minolta and Leica and is the successor to the Leitz Minolta CL.

The viewfinder frames are 28mm, 40mm, and 90mm, and as will be described later, the tab that extends the frame is different from that of the Leica M, so even if a 28mm lens other than the M ROKKOR is attached, the 28mm frame will not appear.

The shutter is bulb to 1/1000.

It uses two button-type SR44 batteries or two LR44 batteries.

2．Usage

I have bought the Minolta CLE twice, the first time for about three months in 2007, and the second time on the first day of 2024. The machine I bought in 2007 was well maintained and in good condition. Some parts had been changed to gold color, and the leather upholstery had been changed to lizard leather (lizard specification).

The main reason I got rid of it after three months was that the display of the viewfinder frame was different from that of Leica for general use, and since I mainly used 35mm lenses, it was disappointing that there was no 35mm viewfinder frame.

Since the viewfinder frame is approximate anyway, if that was all I had, I would have been able to use it by being conscious of shooting a little within the 40mm frame, but at the time I was also using the Konica Hexar RF at the same time, which had an automatic winding mechanism and was more convenient as a camera, and the CLE was used less frequently.

The reason I bought it at that time was that it had a rare exterior and was being sold at a very low price. I impulsively bought it and took three rolls of Kodachrome (KR64) and one roll of monochrome film, and I remember that I sold them for a reasonable price when I got rid of them.

In 2024, I bought a junk camera and lens as a set, and although the lens was in reasonable condition, the camera was quite damaged, with a lot of dust in the viewfinder, a faint double image, and a broken top cover, so it was in a junk condition.

After running a roll of film through it, I was able to check the mechanical parts and confirm that there were no exposure leaks, so I asked the old man at the used camera shop how much this CLE would be worth if I were to exchange it for a Hexar RF, and after looking at the condition, he said, “That particular item is worthless to us, so if you leave it on consignment, you might be able to sell it eventually.” Since the condition was not good, I took a photo of the exterior and put it up for auction on a junk item at a fixed price, and it sold in just a few minutes and left my house. I’m sure there are people looking for an inexpensive CLE for parts.

3．Add Info.

The CLE’s viewfinder frame display is automatically displayed according to the length of the tabs on the lens, and the photographer cannot manually adjust the viewfinder frame as with some Leica M cameras.
The automatic viewfinder frame display settings are as shown in the table below. The CEL assigns the 28mm viewfinder frame display to the 35/135mm viewfinder frame display setting that the CLE does not use to separate the 28mm and 90mm displays.

Finder frame	Tooth length	MINOLTA CLE	LEICA M / HEXAR RF
28/90	long	90	28/90
50/75	middle	40/50	50/75
35/135	short	28	35/135

As stated on the M Rokkor 28mm page, the M mount claw position for displaying the 28mm frame of the CLE is the lens claw position for displaying the 35/135mm frame on an M-type Leica camera, so when the second or later generation Elmarit M 28mm is attached to the CLE, the 28mm frame is not displayed and the 90mm frame is displayed.

What’s interesting is that the original Elmarit M 28mm also has a claw length of 35/135, so when attached to a Leica M-type camera that can display the 28mm viewfinder frame, the 28mm viewfinder frame is not displayed. I love the original Elmarit, so when I use the original Elmarit, I use an external viewfinder.

The CLE displays the 28mm viewfinder frame with the original Elmarit 28mm, but because the rear lens encroaches significantly inside the original Elmarit lens, the CLE’s auto exposure may not work properly.

The viewfinder frame of the CLE can be considered to be almost 28mm as far as the outside of the viewfinder is concerned, so if you don’t care about the frame display, it may not be a problem.
However, if you use an M Rokkor 28mm with a Leica M-type camera, a 35mm frame will be displayed, so I think it is better to use an external viewfinder.

Specification

Camera name	LEITZ MINOLTA CL	MINOLTA CLE	HEXAR RF
Finder	Real image rangefinder/reverse Galileo perspective finder	←	←
Finder inside	Frequent use of half mirrors	Frequent use ofprisms	←
finder magnification	0.6	0.58	0.6
finder frame	40/50、40/90	28、40、90	28/90、35/135、50/75
Baseline length (mm)	31.5	49.5	69.2
Effective baseline length (mm)	18.9	28.8	41.5
Minimum shooting distance	0.8m	0.8m	0.7m
Shutter	Vertical travel/cloth curtain focal plane shutter	Electronically controlled, horizontal travel, cloth curtain focal plane shutter	Electronically controlled, vertical travel, metal focal plane shutter
Shutter speed	1/1000-1/2sec・B	1/1000-1sec・B	1/4000〜16sec（オート） 1/4000〜1sec（マニュアル）
Shooting method	Manual	Aperture priority automatic exposure Manual (no light meter response)	Aperture priority automatic exposure Manual (with exposure meter response)
Photometry method	Arm type, center weighted, TTL direct metering	Shutter curtain, center-focused average, TTL direct metering	Shutter curtain/average/TTL direct metering
PHOTO-DETECTOR	CdS	SPD (silicon photodiode)	←
Battery	MR-9	SR44(G13) x2 LR44(A76) x2	CR2-3V 2本
ISO/ASA	25〜1600	25〜1600	6〜6400・DX
Size(mm) W x H x D	121 x 76 32	124.5 x 77.5 x 32	139.5 × 80 × 35
Weight(g)	440	375	560
Release date	1973	1998.2	Normal(1999.1) Limited(2001)