Hi unohoo,

You've got a great start on a nice kit. Minolta made a lot of nice f=35mm 1:2.8 lenses - they aren't particularly expensive as they are very common. Keep an eye on flea-bay or KEH for a deal. I really like the XD-11/35mm (MD gen II) combo - nice all-round setup.

Mike

I also have an MD 50mm f/1.4 and a 28 f/3.5. Would love to stumble on that 85mm f/1.7 that I traded off a few years ago.

Good morning, Unohuu;

Nice to see you back.

Unfortunately, that Minolta AUTO-ROKKOR 1:1.7 f=85mm may be a bit more expensive now than you remember. The f:2.0 versions come up more often and much more reasonably.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

Not really a purchase, I was given late last year from a friend who was unloading a Minolta X-700 with MD ZOOM 35-70 f/3.5 lens and MD 50mm f/1.7 lens. But I purchased 3 additional lenses in early spring for this camera: MD Rokkor-X 35mm f/2.8, MC Rokkor-SI f28mm f/2.5 and MD Rokkor 20mm f/2.8 lenses all from KEH which I enjoy, though I tend to use mostly the 35mm. Really happy with it.

Woo Hoo!! Minolta body number two has joined the family. I just received a Minolta SRT-102 from KEH. All I need to do is order a battery to get the meter working and break it in. I think I will just use the meter in the X-700 until the battery arrives. Got to love mechanical cameras!!

Hi Silvertooth,

The SRT-102 was my first "real" camera, purchased in the Vietnam era. Splendid choice, and, to me, the very best of the venerable SRT series.

If you are not going to have the camera recalibrated to a modern battery, I would suggest getting the C.R.I.S. MR-9 mercury battery adapter. They are pricey, around 35 bucks or so, but they allow the use of a modern battery, which lasts nearly forever in this camera, just like the mercury batteries used to - plus are available everywhere.

Have fun!

Mike

Good morning;

Nice to see SilverTooth, UpNorthCyclist, and others are still here.

Lots of things happening out here. Number One Son will be coming back to the good ol' U. S. of A. bringing his family with him. The Cessna C-172 still wants some attention at times. Then for No. 1 Son and family, now there is a motor home RV for them to use and live in while here. That was cheaper, faster, and a lot more convenient than trying to put an addition onto the house.

Also the Minolta Family has grown. I was surprised. I did not know know this model existed. Now there is a Minolta X-9, a very late design manually focusing lens SLR camera with the Minolta SR-MC lens mount. The manual does say that you can use the ROKKOR MD lenses on it, but do not lock it on the minimum lens aperture (you set the aperture), so it does know about the latest ROKKOR MD lens series. It has a microprocessor Aperture Priority (AP) shutter speed control system for the cloth focal plane shutter that runs from 1/1000 to 4 seconds, along with a fully manual mode also, and it is operated with two S-76 or similar batteries in the bottom. The lens mount is metal, but the main body casting is a plastic box. It both looks and feels plastic. What has surprised me is that it actually works pretty well. I know that I have been talking about Minolta using plastic in many of their cameras to get the weight down and to reduce the mass to improve the auto focus speed in their AF cameras, but this is a manually focusing camera. For the weight conscious, it tips the scales at 490 grams or 17.3 ounces. I am impressed with how this little camera works. If you come across one, you might consider it as a possible addition to your camera bag.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

Hello Mike, Ralph, and everyone else!

I have not had much time to use the SRT-102 as of yet. It is loaded with a nice roll of Adox CMS 20 and a battery. There are a few observations I have made in the limited time I have used the camera:

1) It has a wonderful sound;
2) The film advance lever is soooo smooth;
3) It is heavy but very comfortable to hold;
4) Compared to the X-700, the viewfinder is very, very dark.

So far so good. I am waiting for some sunshine on a weekend. It has been cloudy and overcast lately on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Shoot, it rained with freezing temperatures one day. We closed the schools and everything else! We don't do Winter very well in this part of the state. I should have used the T-Max 100 for the first roll.

Y'all have a great evening!
Aubrey

An XD-11, an Autocord and a HiMatic 7sii

Good morning, all;

OK, yes, I know that I have been remiss in attending to the duties of a group moderator here on APUG, and I have not been around for a while. There have been a collection of reasons, including both computer problems and misplacing the RF modem that I use for my Internet access, requiring that I purchase another RF modem to get back on the Internet. In this case, in the intervening 18 months since I had bought my old RF modem, of course they had "upgraded" their RF modem, and the new one cost me $200 USD. Several years ago the local telephone people had installed a 216 strand fiber optic cable across the front yard, and I did ask that they run one of those fibers to the house for Internet access. They said that they could do that, as long as I also allowed them to put a television cable-type service on it, and also transfer over to it my twisted copper wire pair telephone system. I told them that I do not have a television, and leave my reliable working twisted pair copper wire telephone system alone. They said they could not provide just Internet service alone over the fiber optic cable; everything had to go onto it. My pointing out that technically there was no actual requirement that all those things must be done, even if their policy said it must be done that way. That was just a ploy to get even more money. I said "No." and hung up. That is why I have the RF or Radio Frequency Modem. OK. Then the next thing to do to get back here was the required computer work which was extra. Anyway, I am "back on the air."

Something that still amazes me is the volume of very good and serviceable older Minolta equipment that has just been sitting out there for several years now. It does seem that the "digital wave" or the "digital revolution" really has affected this older film equipment. It still works, or you can still get service for them if that is required to restore them to full operation. It just seems that many people just do not want to do that now.

One effect of this has been a trend that when people find that I am still using film, sometimes there are some old dusty camera bags that are removed from the closet shelves and I am asked if it is worth anything now, or I am asked if I would like to have them. Some people still feel that cameras should go to a good home where they will be cared for and appreciated.

I guess that what this is coming down to is that there was another original Minolta SR-1 and an SR-T 101, along with some lenses, that have come to live here. Both of them were just handed to me by people who know that I like to use older film cameras. No, they were not really "purchased," but the CLA for each of them will cost something. Does that count?

Yes, I am still having fun with film and the cameras it goes into.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

.
The Minolta SRT-303, And The Minolta XE-5.
Got both for a lucky bid of $15.00 due to the seller describing them as " For Parts, and Repair Only "
I repaired The 303 with a roll of film, and The XE-5 needed two batteries . . . Repairs Completed !
The XE-5 is now my favourite " Car Camera " I combined it with the 58/1.4, and a yellow filter, and assorted rolls of B&W Film.
I like to set the self timer, and hold it out the window while I'm driving around.

~ Ron
.

Last month I decided to get my first minolta. I picked up a SRT 102 and SRT 202 with a few ultra cheap 3rd party zooms-Tokina 35-70 and 35-135, Sigma 35-105, and Vivitar 35-85 2.8. Most of it was purchased in bargain condition from KEH. And found a great deal on a Celtic 28 2.8 on Ebay. I really like my Minolta experience so far. My Nikons are getting a break. The 102 is usable as is but the 202 needs attention so it's going to a shop next week.

I received 2 in the mail today: A Hi-Matic 11 Super Circuit and a 7xi AF. This is in addition to my SRT201, XD-11/Winder D, and X-370. I've also several Pentax's which are great cameras, but my go to is the XD-11.

Over the weekend, I picked up: (2) XG-1, SRT-200, XG-7 and X-370s.