Good morning,Andy;

Welcome to APUG's Minolta Group. Bill has provided a service to all of us by setting up a forum for us to share knowledge and stories about Minolta Cameras. My own association with them goes back to the days of Chiyoda Kogaku K. K.

Congratulations on discovering the true joy of working with a camera to produce a photograph you want. The fact that we are here in this forum is probably the best statement about where our inclinations, preferences, and out-right prejudice lay. As far as the sound level of the SR-T 202 goes, I am not sure. I do agree that the SR-T series is much quieter than the early versions in the SR series. I do not have an X-570, so I cannot compare with it. I can say that I have found my X-700's to be nicely quiet, but for serious seruptitious work, I go to a Minolta Hi-Matic 9 range finder camera with its nice quiet "snick" of the in-the-lens leaf shutter. My champion in announcing that I had just taken a photograph was my original SR-1b that went; "clank, vzsssst, flock" when I turned it loose.

Again, Andy, welcome to the group.

Enjoy; Ralph Javins

steve, and anyone else who has one, id also like to know what is special about the mc 58/1.4. i thought about getting one but am afraid ill be disappointed and that it will only make my camera bag heavier. (a 1/3 stop isnt really a big advantage to me). i already own the 85/2 and 50/1.7, would the 58/1.4 be more useful in any way? (other than being slightly faster) ive read it has great bokeh, but is it that much better than the 50/1.7 or 85/2? what about flare? anyway, just curious.

The 58/1.4 has insanely short depth of field for some reason, and it's closer to 1/2 a stop faster. Also, a faster lens will be sharper stopped down to 2 or 2.8 than the 50/1.7 stopped to 2.8.

i guess that makes me member number 20. My name's wayne, i live in Melbourne, have 4 srt's and 1 X300. i shoot mainly XP2 with a Rokkor 35mm F1.8 and a 135mm F2.8.... and it's comforting to see a minolta presence still on this site, now i don't seem so lonely...grin

oh, season's greetings, here's to a happy and prosperous new year for all,

wayne

I guess there's now 21 in the group. For reasons I don't know, I've always been a Minolta fan. Back in the early 80s, when everybody was buying Cannon AE1s, I bought an X700. I loved that camera. From there I went to a Minolta 7000 autofocus that I never really cared for except that it could focus better than me. I drifted in and out of photography as time and circumstance allowed. I've now retired and am rediscovering the joy of photography I've enjoyed since I was in high school. Along with the 4X5, I drug out the X700. That heavy metal body still felt good after all that time. I still can't tell you why, but I love that camera and it's still a better camera than I am a photographer.

Good morning;

For John Irvine and Wayne Naughton, welcome to the group. Wayne, there are many people who share your interest in Minolta cameras; you are not alone. John, many people like holding a camera that they can feel in their hands. There is also the point that there seems to be an optimum weight for each person that helps in holding the camera steady. Too little weight and you wiggle around more; too much weight and you get tired and your muscles may tremble. There is a balance.

I do admit that Steve's 58 mm f 1.4 comment got my attention. Why do I like the 58 mm f 1.4? I have found that for my eyes, it gives me the same perspective. When I look through the view finder port of the camera I note where things are in the image shown. When I raise my head and look at the scene with my eyes, nothing moves. Everything stays in the same place. If I use a 50 mm lens, when I look up, the things on the sides seem to shift a little further out than they seemed to be when looking through the camera. Try it if you have both focal lengths and see what you get. No, it is not as much of a shift as when using a 35 mm lens, but it is there.

Then there is the point of the f 1.4 instead of f 1.7, f 1.8, or f 2.0. I do find that the viewfinder is brighter, especially in lower light levels, so focusing is easier. Then there is also the shorter depth of field. For me, the difference in the depth of field makes it easier to tell when I have the lens in correct focus.

That is my main collection of reasons why I like the Minolta Auto Rokkor-PF 58 mm f 1.4 and the later incarnations in MC and MD mount variations, and I also admit to having a Nikkkor-S Auto 5.8 cm f 1.4. I have always wondered why both Nikon and Minolta (or Chiyoda Kogaku) chose the focal length of 58 mm when they came out with their first f 1.4 lenses for their SLR cameras.

Finally, yes, I do have two working samples of the Minolta 58 mm f 1.2 lens also. I agree that this lens is noticeably heavier. There is a third sample I keep to show people why you should not store photographic lenses in a garage or basement; the fungus growth in that lens is spectacular. I didn't do it. It was given to me when I offered to buy it as a display piece.

Enjoy; Ralph Javins

hey gang...I know I already know some of you. Great idea for this group. I know Wayne for sure. I shoot with 2 XG-1s; 2 X-700s; an XE-7; and an XD-11.

I also shoot with the 58 f/1.4. It is fast; it is sharp and it is close to my "normal" perspective. I often use it more than the 50 f/1.7.

Hi All, It turns out a Garry's Camera shop converts the srts to Silver oxides as part of it's servicing for 53 bucks that and the light seals are checked and changed and shutter and meter are checked etc...... and that 53 includes return shipping you have to send the battery of your choice with the camera! Has anyone used them?
Terry

Terry, where is Garry's Camera Shop? Their website address? Smiff

I have used Garry's. Just got an X-700 back that had the capacitor failure. His shop is in Des Plaines, IL
http://www.garryscamera.com/

Thanx, unohuu.

I think that I am 23. I need to confess that I don't shoot MMF much any more, (I mostly shoot LF and MF now, and when I do shoot 35mm is is usually with a rangefinder). I do still own and use some X-700s and an XE-7. I sold most of my sexy Minolta Glass a couple of years ago (58mm f1.2, fisheye, 250mm RF, 85mm f1.7) but still use the minolta Manual focus mostly for macro work. I also used to have an underwater housing for the X-700 and have shot a couple hundred rolls underwater.

And B&Jdude - I have also used Garrys and have been happy with the quality of his work. He has replaced caps on X-700s and did a seal replacement for the XE-7.
Mark.

Good morning;

Wow. You go away for a day or two of ski patrol, and all kinds of things happen here.

Hello, Luke. Nice to see you here too.

Terry, thanks for the additional details about Garry's services.

Mark, welcome to the group. Mark, I am properly envious and jealous. My own lenses stop at 16 mm, so unless we can accept a "full frame fisheye" definition also, I cannot yet claim to have a "fisheye." The 85 mm f 1.7 is really nice for full head or head and shoulders portraits. While the perspective is right there with it, I have wondered about the Rokkor 85 mm f 2.8 VARISOFT and what it would do. An underwater housing for an X-700. Please excuse me while I drool . . .

Well, I must admit that the little Weathermatic Dual 35 has actually done quite nicely with snorkel and fins. I usually managed to get one shot per breath. I just wish I had something like it when I was getting started back in the 1950's. Some of the places where I swam have now been filled in and are supporting businesses or a park.

Enjoy; Ralph Javins

hiya Lukey...been a bit off the planet with new comp, new camera, new lights, new software....drowning under a sea of pixels (shhh!...grin). it's just nice to talk about real cameras and forget about the other stuff for a 'bit' (erk, sorry about that). I think i saw jeff's moniker here too. thanks for the welcome Ralph....if this group turns out like other minolta groups on the web, it's bound to be pretty friendly.... and pretty yappy too. i just got hold of a MD 58mm 1.4 with a busted filter ring.... the glass is clean and after the wrap you guys have given it, i just might go and get it fixed.

wayne

Morning all, Wayne, Jeff, in particular. I am an official Minolta AF/MF shooter again. There was a price drop on the M7 so I snatched it up. Looking forward to learning some stuff here. I am also posting my favorite XG-1 image.

I find the 58mm/1.4 to be extremely sharp from edge to edge even when wide open. It makes focusing in low light easier. I have not had flare issues with it. I have an MD 50mm/1.7 that is a nice lens but it does not compare to the 58mm. Perhaps I used it for so many year I have a bias. The blades in my original lens froze up but I managed to find a replacement in 2005 for $49 and was happy to pay it.

Steve O.

I added a couple of MMF images to the gallery and this page. "The Six Acre Field" was shot with the 58mm1.4 and the Veterans Day 2005 image was with an MD Rokkor-X 28mmF2.8. The day I shot the Veterans Day image was when I discovered the blades on my original 58mm had frozen up. Only the 28mm images were usable on that film. Too bad as I thought I had some nice shots that were so overexposed.

Hello,

Just a quick introduction. My father bought me a XGM when I passed my Baccalaureat. Unfortunately, it was stollen. After that I switch to Nikon which are also great cameras. I recently bought in a charity in UK a X-300. What a great camera so simple and efficient. I also own a MC 28 mm (I like these heavy objective). I just bought a SRT101 I have not received yet.
Cheers
Romary

soon you'll have a drawer full of lenses to go with your cameras...then it gets worse....grin

wayne

accessories, flashes,bellows, lights, filters,manuals, cables, meters tripods....enlargers, developing tanks, trays...bits of junk....i can see your future now Romary cabinets loaded with old minolta stuff...i use to be like you once, young, dewy eyed and innocent....and look at me now old and gnarled living in a house full of cats and minolta cameras. it's a rim future my friend if you persist in this collecting mania......grin

cheers,

wayne

....errr, grim future rather than rim future, sorry that typo sounded a bit disgusting...vbg

w

I have an available light taken on New Years Eve with my X-700 that I like. I have it scanned as a tif file but haven't the foggiest idea how to get it added to the pictures. Problem is forum illiteracy and an ancient dial up on one of Alexander Graham Bell's original copper lines.

@ Wayne,

Too late I am afraid. My lab is already full of material and I also colelct old book .

Hey Luke,

That's awesome about the Maxxum 7. Going to be getting (probably) a 9 when I get back to the states. Interested in hearing your thoughts on the 7 once you get it going. I know it's a newer camera with more options - kind of like the F100 to the F5?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Was that XG-1 shot yours from the original "around-the-world" project?