AAton A-Minima User manual

user’s guide
Basic Instructions

Technical Specifications :
Technical specifications and User's guide are subject to change without notice
- Super16 only, 172,8° * spinning mirror reflex shutter,
- Around 2 kg (4 Lbs) with on-board battery and film.
- l 245mm, h 140mm, w 110 mm (9.7" x 5.5" x 4.4")
- Time recording by XTRprod compatible AatonCode-II matrixes, accurate to a 1/4 of a
frame. The camera can be used as a master-clock too.
- Fiber-optic viewing screen, 1:1.78 (16/9) ratio viewing screen shows markings for
wide-screen HDTV and 4:3 aspect ratios, G = x 5.5.
- Frame Rate - 1 to 32 fps with internal Lithium and 50 fps with external 12V battery TBD
and stop-frame with built-in intervalometer.
- Nikon or PL mount
- Incident lightmeter -dome- showing T-stop and diff. T-stop, HMI frequency and monitor
scan rates on the camera LCD display.
- DistantEye viewfinder “Aaton patent”; the only reflex camera which doesn't fog the film
if the eye is not held against the eyecup.
- Built-in Intervalometer
- Back light display
- 200' quick change magazines, 'B' wound rolls in Aaton's ~flexible~ daylight spools
(standard metallic 200 spools and 400' reels, NO)
"Temporary casting" is engraved on the initial cameras. This housing will be exchanged
when the Video Assist becomes available.
* Initial cameras (from # 006 to 025) have a 180° shutter. This shutter will be retrofitted
in 172,8° when external housing is exchanged.
A-Minima - Loading Guide
2

A-Minima - Loading Guide
3
Lemo 5 & 6
connectors
Magazine lock-knob
Battery holder
on / off switch
Control panel
Magazine release lever

A-Minima - Loading Guide
4
1
loading

The A-Minima spools are supplied by Kodak only : as of July 2000, four
emulsions (S16, one side perf), in A-Minima loads, are available : 7245 (50D),
7246 (Vision 250D), 7274 (Vision 200T) and 7279 (Vision 500T). More codes will
be available later.
The A-Minima spools are "daylight friendly". If you load your magazine in
daylight configuration, you will exposed both film ends as below :
Loading : 1,70 m -> 5,6 feet (average)
Unloading : 0,60 m ->2 feet (average)
If you need to use the complete spool (200 feet, 61 m) load your magazine in a
changing bag or in a dark room.
Warnings :
The spools are made to be used 3 or 4 times as take up spool. If you roll up
yourself, you do it under your own responsability.
Do not forget to notify your processing lab that the A-Minima is running
emulsion-out rolls.
A-Minima - Loading Guide
5

A-Minima - Loading Guide
6
General presentation of the magazine

A-Minima - Loading Guide
7
Loaded spool delivered by Kodak
Empty spool made of two flexible flanges
and one core

A-Minima - Loading Guide
8
1 - Open the core lock lever
2 - Insert the spool into the magazine feed side
3 - Push the spool inside
4 - Press the spool on each side of lock lever
as showed on the picture.
5 - Lock the core lock lever

A-Minima - Loading Guide
9
Attach the film to the core by using the
Kodak sticker which maintains the film into
the spool.
(On spools previous version, the core was
equipped with a slot. This slot has been
removed from the new batch of core by
Kodak)

A-Minima - Loading Guide
10
Put the upper spool back in place
Turn the upper spool to to lock it inside the core

A-Minima - Loading Guide
11
Install the empty spool in fornt of the take
up side of the magazine
Put it on the top of the take up spool

A-Minima - Loading Guide
12
Pick up the empty spool in your hand and make
it turn from 180° as showed on pictures
1
23

A-Minima - Loading Guide
13
Install the empty spool in the take up side of
the magazine.
Push the spool inside. Press the spool on each
side of lock lever as showed on page 6.
Lock the core lock lever
Close the magazine

A-Minima - Loading Guide
14
Close the magazine lock lever
Close the magazine shutter by pushing the
upper pin

A-Minima - Loading Guide
15
Check the loop size. When you pull the loop at
the rear of the mag, it must go to the rear of
the first fixed hinge.
Place the magazine on the camera with locators
in place. Do not engage it.

A-Minima - Loading Guide
16
Install the film on both sprockets. Close both
sprocket-lock rollers.

A-Minima - Loading Guide
17
Place the loop on the gate. Be sure that the
film is well-maintained under the circular
pressure plate / guide barson either side of
the film channel.
Close the pressure plate after positioning
the loop over the top and bottom white
marks (loop = +/- 10 cm)
Close the door

A-Minima - Loading Guide
18
Close the door and push the magazine toward
the front of the camera. This will automatically
engage claw in perf (if the camera is powered).
The camera is ready to shoot.
Warnings :
The spools are made to be used 3 or 4 times as take up spool. If you roll up yourself, you do it under your own responsability.
Do not forget to notify your processing lab that the A-Minima is running emulsion-out rolls.

A-Minima - Loading Guide
19
2
control panel

A-Minima - Control Panel
20
The A-Minima control panel contains six operator
buttons: up & down arrows, yes, no, menu and lightmeter keys.
- Press menu (the blue button) to access to the camera main menu
- Press Yes to enter or to valid
- Press No to cancel or to go back
- Use arrows to adjust the desired parameter (note that when there is no
selected parameters in the menu, the top arrow allows you to run the camera
from one frame - test mode -).
- Press lightmeter button to read the theoritical aperture showed on the display.
Camera switch On
Press any button to switch On the camera
Camera switch Off
Choose fonction "Power" in the camera main menu
The display shows "Power Off ?"
Press Yes button
Camera back light display
Choose"Display " function in the camera main menu
Press Yes button
Ajust the requested brightness by pressing Up or Down arrows
( low 1 = Back light Off - low 2 = 5 sec - Std 1 = back light 10 sec -
Std 2 = back light 20 sec - Sect = back light On)
Press Yes to valid