The point-and-shoot camera among the classic compacts: AE only, fixed speed-aperture combinations (the faster the speed, the smaller the aperture) without influence by the photographer. But: first class lens, first class exposure meter and good mechanical quality.
The lens is slower than the best, but faster than most of what you can buy today. And: really first-class image quality and colour rendition. There was also a special model with the f1.8/38mm lens of the S3, but it's very rare. Of course there's always the S3...
Program shutter. The shutter is combined with the aperture, consists of two (!) blades and widens the aperture as the exposure time becomes longer. The shutter speeds reach from 1/30 to 1/650, the apertures from 1/2.8 to 1/14. As primitive as it sounds - the camera simply makes good images (also slides) because its automatics function reliably.
Smart, bright viewfinder with clear rangefinder spot.
Flash synchronisation and guide number (GN) automatics are activated by a switch hidden in the flash shoe: when you slide in a flash, a flash symbol is shown in the viewfinder and the aperture is coupled to the distance setting. If you remove the flash, the normal program automatics become active again. The distance setting outside of the flash range is blocked. So: don't think, shoot!
AE-Lock: press the release half way and the current exposure is locked. So you can still have some influence on the exposure...
Super compact. A camera that you can fit in even when you don't feel like taking one. Still larger of course than an Olympus XA.
Sadly also less reliable than most. The camera has something delicate and tin-can about it. It didn't stop me, with an eye on the price, from buying this camera, and now I freely take it along for sailing, which contrary to expectation, doesn't bother it at all.
But it's black, for the friends of the "professional look". Not painted brass however, but anodized aluminum.
Disadvantages: no influence on shutter and aperture. No "creativity" (still: in choosing your subjects!). "Snapshots". But good ones. That's a big disadvantage. Other than that I can't think of any.
Model variants: I own a Revue 700 SEL (sounds almost as good as Mercedes 560 SEL, right?), that is built almost identically as the Konica. Only the "automatic flash recognition" is absent and the finish is not as good. Apart from that, everyone seems to have copied or bought this camera and sold it under their own name (see link below). And why not: it's better than you think.
