Minolta's late SR-1 revision — mechanical, no built-in meter, MD mount, 1967.
The Minolta SR-1s was a later revision of the SR-1, produced from around 1967 as the entry model of the SR line while the SRT series became the flagship. It carried the SR bayonet mount and mechanical construction of the earlier SR bodies to the end of the range.
It is a fully mechanical 35mm SLR on the Minolta SR/MC/MD bayonet, here labelled Minolta MD. The horizontal cloth focal-plane shutter is mechanically timed and fires without a battery. The SR-1s had no built-in TTL meter and was used with an accessory clip-on meter or a handheld meter, with exposure set manually. The pentaprism reflex finder shows the scene through the taking lens.
The SR-1s suits students, collectors and users who prefer a simple mechanical body free of electronics and are content metering externally. It is straightforward and durable, though the absence of a built-in meter makes it slower to use than the metered SRT bodies of the same era.
On the used market, test the cloth shutter for pinholes, even travel and working slow speeds. Foam light seals and mirror-damper foam commonly perish and usually need renewal. Check the prism for desilvering or foam haze, feel the film advance and rewind for smoothness, and note there is no built-in meter to verify. Being fully mechanical, the SR-1s operates normally with no battery fitted.