Best Minolta body

[Attila]

I am looking for best Minolta film SLR body , can you make some suggestion ?

[kuuan]

if non AF Minolta XD-7:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta_XD-7
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/minoltaxd711/
http://www.rokkorfiles.com/XD11.html

successor X-700 and X-500 have TTL-flash support but plastic instead of well build metal body of the XD series

[Attila]

[Arkku]

Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 7 has a unique feature which smoothens the bokeh with any Minolta AF lens by varying the aperture rapidly during exposure (this way the circles of confusion fade out toward the edges since the centres receive exposure at both small and large apertures, but the edges only at large apertures). It is also one of the last Minolta film bodies, and the most technologically advanced with plenty of custom features, dot-matrix LCD on the back, etc.

However, the early flagship 9000 AF and its later replacement Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 9 are the among the most sturdy and professional 35mm SLRs from any manufacturer. Both have their own merits, but chances are that the 9000's found today are more worn than the 9's (and for many features one needs to have a special back). Some also dislike the blocky 80's design on the 9000… Neither of these bodies will support SSM lenses, however, unlike the newer 7 mentioned above, except for a limited number of 9's with updated electronics.



Of course, if you meant MF bodies, the general consensus seems to be the X-700 or the X-500/X-570. The X-700 is technically the higher-end camera but the X-500/X-570 has better viewfinder display.

(Edit: Ah, you did mean MF bodies. Ah, well, skip the long part in the beginning of the post. =)

[Attila]

Arkku, Can use MD lenses on AF body ?

[Arkku]

[Arkku]

[nemesis101]

The best body is also the rarest...

the mighty XK - built as a rival to the Nikon F. It has a removable penta-prism, a vast selection of focusing screens, and a range of add-ons that beggars belief plus a great prime lens range...

Of course the fact that I happen to have mine up for sale with a great lens, the flash adapter and a really nice case is a co-oncidence.. lol

I also have a VERY nice pair of XD-11 - which was the best of the smaller amateur level bodies... PM me anyone who is interested in the XK - especially as I ship anywhere for MFL members in good standing and hey - the Euro is good against the feeble dollar right now!!!

Doug

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/minoltaxk/index.htm

http://www.rokkorfiles.com/XK.html

[Seele]

I use XD cameras and they are good but being electronic, they can go wrong and repair can be a little dicey. While most would recommend SR series mechanical cameras, I found that the late model (Type V) without the TTL meter is phenomenal in mechanical quality.

[cooltouch]

Minolta has produced quite a few great cameras over the years. I will restrict my comments to those that take manual focus lenses.

Nemesis101 mentioned the XK -- a great camera that Minolta introduced to compete against the Nikon F2 and Canon F1. It was marketed as the XM in Europe and the X1 in Japan. But Minolta made a few mistakes with the XK -- first, it is a battery-dependent camera, whereas the F-1 and F2 aren't, and back then, pro's shied away from battery-dependent cameras. Second, it wasn't until three years after its introduction that Minolta came out with a version that accepted a motor drive. It is this later model, the XK Motor, complete with motor drive, that is the really rare model of the two. And when you can find one, you can also expect to pay a premium for the set, even nowadays.

The XD-11 marketed in the US (XD in Japan and XD-7 in Europe) is also a great camera. It doesn't have all the interchangeability or motor drive capability of the XK, but it performs what it does in an elegant fashion. It was the first widely available SLR with more than one auto-exposure mode. Even today, it is an elegant looking camera. To me, Minolta's prettiest.

The SRT series are Minolta's workhorse cameras. There are quite a few different ones. I prefer those that offer match-needle metering and mirror lock-up. Quite a few different SRT cameras were made. I believe they all featured match needle metering, but not all had mirror lock up. The most popular ones would include the SRT-101, 102, 201, 202, 303b, 505, and SRT-Super. Many, if not most, of these camera models had mirror lock up in the earlier periods of their production runs, but it was a feature that seemed to be omitted toward the end of them.

The later X-series cameras are also very good photographic tools. The best known is the X700, which was the first of the series and, interestingly enough, the last to be discontinued. It is a nice-feeling camera with good ergonomics and multiple exposure modes, including program, but it is battery-dependent. Its manual mode is crippled, however -- shutter speeds are not coupled, so it shows the shutter speeds it recommends, not the ones that are selected. The X570, which lacks several features of the X700, has one important feature that the X700 lacks -- its manual mode is NOT crippled. Both aperture and shutter speed readouts in the viewfinder are coupled to the actual settings, and can be matched using a match-diode system to arrive at correct exposure.

So if you're looking for a camera to shoot MF Minolta MC and MD glass with, you actually have a larger selection of good cameras to choose from than most other camera makers.

[nemesis101]

The XK (XM) non motor is quite rare.. they go for 275 -300 dollars here in 'good' condition and a fair bit more for very nice / mint with the matching Rokkor X lens...

[cooltouch]

[nemesis101]

Yes a few come up - and make good money. mine is on offer here first before eBay as I loathe the attitude eBay now has towards its members...

Doug

[Excalibur]

Well I don't know what is the best non AF Minolta, but I'm happy with my X-700 and SRT101b....you can't go wrong as you can pick them up cheap with a bit of luck. I paid £20 for a mint X-700 body with case and £12.50 for the 101b (small dent in prism housing) with f1.4 lens.

[cooltouch]

[scsambrook]

I'd chose the SRT 303 or whatever name it had in in other parts of the world. Simple, well proven, reliable, a great workhorse for hanging those old lenes on! And being mechanical, it should be fixable if ever it breaks down. Well, maybe less unfixable than some of the electronic ones

The XM was indeed as splendid beast, but it commands a premium price and really only makes sense if you're a Minolta enthusiast rather than a photographer who wants to enjoy their lenses.


Only downside to the 303 might be the lightmeter cell - I think it still used the PX 625 mercury, but even that can be got round.

[Excalibur]

***Only downside to the 303 might be the lightmeter cell - I think it still used the PX 625 mercury, but even that can be got round.***

Mines still got a HD 625 in it, they were made in China and were not produced after about 2004, according to one link in google.

[Attila]

Wow ! Many thanks to all of you for valuable advices!

[my_photography]

As already pointed out by Arkku, The most advance Minolta AF camera is the Maxxum/Dynax 7. Some of its advance feature were used in the Minolta DSLR 7D and until today, still use in current Sony DSLRs. In the past, any 7 series Minolta AF camera (I think it should also be the same for MF camera) carries latest technology from Minolta 9 Series Minolta camera on the other hand are the professional level camera.

[dickb]

My personal favourite is a nice black anodized XD7 (XD11 in America, XD in Japan). Some people find the slight shutter lag annoying, but I love the sound of its metal Seiko shutter. If TTL flash metering is important to you, the X500 (X570 in US) is the best option. Paired with the MD1 motordrive it fits my fairly large hands perfectly - better than any camera I've handled before or since. I still like my first camera I ever bought, a sr-T 101, but its dimmer viewfinder and the problem getting batteries for it makes it hard to recommend. I've never used the XE or XM/XK series of cameras.

[Minolfan]

With an adapter for the battery SRT101 - 303 work just fine. I sometimes still use them with pleasure. Reliable and cheap. But my preferred camera is stll a XE-1. As heavy and large as the SRT, but finer made and half automatic if you wish. And SR44 batteries are no problem to get. Really a very nice camera, more stable in your hands then the latter XD-11 etc.

[Helios]

I have a couple of Minolta bodies - Srt-100,101,303, Xg9, Xg1, X500, and Xe-5 : this last is my best Minolta body . Very impressive build quality ...

[peterqd]

Attila, could you give a bit more info what you mean by "best"? What features are important to you? I'm delighted with the XD7 - quite small, full of features and the last of the heavy metal Minoltas. The later X series have the capacitor problems.

BTW, you can't use MC/MD lenses on Minolta AF cameras, at least not without an optical adapter.

[Attila]

[koji]