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Minolta Freedom Zoom 90C / Riva Zoom 90C

The Minolta Freedom Zoom 90C, known as the Riva Zoom 90C in some markets, is a fairly standard 35mm point-and-shoot camera, with a couple unusual innovations. Introduced around 1991, the camera sports a mediocre 38-90mm f/3.5-7.7 zoom lens. The lens is fairly soft at the telephoto end of its zoom range; while sharper, but with pincushion distortion, at the wide angle end. The camera has the usual array of flash modes, including red eye reduction, set off under its own button. Setting the ISO is entirely dependent upon DX coding and the camera has a range of ISO 25-3200.

What makes the Freedom Zoom 90C a bit different, is its inclusion of Minolta's ASZ, or Auto Standby Zoom. This feature would automatically zoom the lens of the camera, finding the right focal length to match the subject in the viewfinder. The Freedom Zoom 90C also incorporated ES (Eye Start) technology, that allowed the camera to perceive when it was put up to the photographer's face, ready to make an image. Once the camera detects this motion, it automatically engages the ASZ feature to focus the subject.

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Minolta Freedom Zoom 90C

One of our main goals here at Blue Moon Camera, is to celebrate film cameras and film photography. While we generally try to remain positive in our reviews and in the information we share about cameras, we must also be honest and accurate. That being said, we feel pretty comfortable revealing that 35mm, auto-focus, zoom-lensed, point-and-shoot cameras are not necessarily our favorite genre of film camera. Nonetheless, there are definitely gems in this corner of the market... The Minolta Freedom Zoom 90C is not one of those gems.

At first glance, it would seem fairly unremarkable. In fact, it has much in common with other point and shoot cameras: all auto exposure, a few different flash modes, an average focal length range of 38-90mm, and average optical quality to that lens.

The Freedom Zoom 90C throws in one weird innovation. Minolta called it ASZ - Auto Standby Zoom. This feature allows the camera to "intelligently" and automatically zoom the lens for you, based on its recognition of the subject in the viewfinder. Put a person's face in the viewfinder and it would zoom in, turn to a landscape and it would zoom out. If you want to know how handy a feature it is, just think about how many cameras feature this bit of technical wizardry today... the answer is either none or not many. The Freedom Zoom 90C had another trick up its sleeve - its ES, or Eye Start, feature. This is a sensor near the eyepiece that detects when you put the camera to your face. Then, it automatically starts zooming, based on the ASZ feature, as if your camera was suddenly possessed. We have mixed feelings about automation in our camera equipment. At times, it is definitely helpful; at others, it leaves us fighting with our equipment to convince it to do what we want, not what it wants. We are not surprised that ASZ never became a big thing in camera technology and, honestly, fairly thankful.