History

The 70's were a golden age for automated rangefinders with giants like Olympus dishing out the 35 series. The Konica C35 was a very popular consumer camera and its saturation is readily visible today, with used models going for ~$25. Black models are uncommon, and I actually like how they look, which is rare for my tastes. Later derivatives included the extolled Auto S2/S3/FD.

This "Flashmatic" model is a Japanese camera, with exports being labelled "automatic" instead. Now they're just taking the piss.

Handling

This is one adorable camera. Aluminium and leather makes it a pleasing camera to handle. Compact and light, the technical limitations are overcome with the role this subcompact fills. Using it is effortless. Load film, choose ISO, focus, and shoot. More reliable that auto-loading and auto-focus cameras at a smaller form. Just slap on a lens cap to conserve battery life and throw it in a bag. I'd be inclined to use 400 speed film for spontaneous indoor shots, times where you're unlikely to be luging around a full-size SLR. The film advance lever is crisp and the throw is short. The rangefinder is roomy and causes no impedance for glasses. The focus patch is a yellow square patch that's shockingly bright and quick to focus. Overall, just a joy to use.