MINOLTA 35MM CAMERA'S

[BradS]

I've had a bunch of Minolta 35mm gear over the years. I used to carry an X-370 with 45mm f/2 with me everywhere.
I treated it as a kinda high end, "I-don't-give-a-crap-if-it-gets-lost-or-broken" point-n-shoot.

The only Minolta I have anymore is an SRT-102 with a 55mm f/1.7 MC Rokkor-PF.
It has been reliable and performs admirably.

 

[Les Sarile]

Minolta glass is on par with Canon or Nikon glass of the same era.

Of that era, Minolta is only one of two camera companies in Japan that made their own optical glass. I wonder who the other was?

 

[Paul Howell]

Konica Minolta still makes lens, primarily for Sony, wonder if they still makes their own glass.

 

[Craig75]

I was recently given a Maxxum 7000 with 50 and 80-210 zoom that I really enjoy for it's historical aspect. However, I'll never embark on building a system around it. My favorite Minoltas are the 16mm subminiatures, specifically the 16 II.

16ii is a great design but the kiev update adding focusing lens takes it to next level

 

[E. von Hoegh]

16ii is a great design but the kiev update adding focusing lens takes it to next level

I have the supplementary lenses for the 16II, but I'd like one of the Kievs. The FSU stuff is far better - as long as you get an unmolested specimen - than the internet would lead one to believe.

 

[GarageBoy]

I love my maxxum 7, shame about the melting rubber. I got bitten 2x by dead xd7s, one being a mint black one that was unrepairable and I ended up giving it to John Titterington

 

[aparat]

I have owned an SRT 101 since 1991, and have used it as my only 35 mm SLR camera over the years, including professional use in the 1990s. I had it refurbished in 2006, and it now functions as good as new. It's all I'd ever want in a camera of this type. In my opinion, it's nearly flawless. The prime lenses are also very good.

 

[Minoltafan2904]

If you end up getting an X-570 or a 700, i highly reccomend the Motor Drive 1 shown in this pic, it doubles the weight of the camera adding stability, it's super ergonomic, it adds a vertical shutter release and 2 FPS and 3.5 FPS film winding.
This is my X-700 with a MD-1 and 280PX flash.

Minolta X-700 Motor Drive 1 Auto 280PX Flash by Balearic Classics, en Flickr

I also have a Metz 45 CT-1 for it, to fry people's eyes basically.

Minolta X-700 with Auto Winder G, Autoelectroflash 280-PX and Metz 45 CT-1 flash. by Balearic Classics, en Flickr

 

[BradS]

Of that era, Minolta is only one of two camera companies in Japan that made their own optical glass. I wonder who the other was?

I think the key here is "...optical glass". Many companies made their own lenses. I think only Minolta and Asahi made optical glass.

 

[Craig75]

I have the supplementary lenses for the 16II, but I'd like one of the Kievs. The FSU stuff is far better - as long as you get an unmolested specimen - than the internet would lead one to believe.

I have them too but i always end up tripping shutter changing them and carrying them around suddenly makes a beautiful tiny camera quite a bit bigger. The 30mm minolta enlarger lens is a killer too.

Out of all 16mms i tried i found edixa 16mb the best. You dont get all the shutter / aperture combos of the minolta but a focusing xenar lens, nearly same size as minolta, wind on rather than pull out, and build quality is lovely.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The light meter on mine works fine, I didn’t realize they can be a problem.

The camera is over fifty years old and there are no replacements for the meters. Enjoy the camera.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Nice to see all the Minolta love, too bad the company abandoned us.

 

[Les Sarile]

The camera is over fifty years old and there are no replacements for the meters. Enjoy the camera.

My 1959 Baldamatic's selenium meter works perfectly.

I haven't begun working on my cameras yet but understand that the more common meter failures maybe due to electrical connections rather than the meter itself. I suppose I will find out sooner or later.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I have them too but i always end up tripping shutter changing them and carrying them around suddenly makes a beautiful tiny camera quite a bit bigger. The 30mm minolta enlarger lens is a killer too.

Out of all 16mms i tried i found edixa 16mb the best. You dont get all the shutter / aperture combos of the minolta but a focusing xenar lens, nearly same size as minolta, wind on rather than pull out, and build quality is lovely.

My 16II came with a leather case, inside there are slits to hold filters or lenses. I used a 32mm micro-Tessar to make the few enlargements I've done so far.

 

[Craig75]

My 16II came with a leather case, inside there are slits to hold filters or lenses. I used a 32mm micro-Tessar to make the few enlargements I've done so far.

ahh thats neat. I prefer QT for focusing lens but muuuuch prefer 16ii for the design, size, and range of aperture and shutter combinations it gives you.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
Here's an interesting tidbit...the first camera with a Program mode...if it's adjusting both shutter speed and/or aperture, then that's a Program mode. Even if Minolta kind of kept that little feature under wraps.
...

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/xd-11-program-mode-question.148128/#post-1939355

Commentez-vous?

 

[Kevin Ekstrom]

Thanks for all the reply's and ideas. I see there are quite a few Minolta fans here and many good suggestions. I will be adding a few Minolta over the year and most liley will update with any new purchases.

 

[cooltouch]

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/xd-11-program-mode-question.148128/#post-1939355

Commentez-vous?

Sounds about right.

 

[guangong]

In 1962 US offices for Minolta were on Union Square in NYC, and the folks there gave me, if I remember correctly, an SR1. Minolta had a very respected reputation in Japan for high quality lenses. I can’t remember what happened to that Minolta and I drifted over to Leica. However, high quality products.

 

[BrianVS]

My first 35mm camera was a Minolta Hi-Matic 9, 45/1.7 lens- The optics are first-class.
These days- I use Minolta lenses on my Leica, also first-rate. I have the 45/2.8, 50/2.8, 50/2, and 85/2.8 in Leica Thread Mount. The 50/2 is the same optical block diagram as the Summitar, but is hard-coated, rigid mount, and uses easy to find 43mm filters. The others are unique block diagrams, very sharp lenses.

 

[Paul Howell]

Nice to see all the Minolta love, too bad the company abandoned us.

Minolta lives on as Sony. The decline started when Minolta lost a 100 million dollar patient infringement suite by Honeywell over Minolta's AF. At the time I read Minolta paid less, but Minolta was cash strapped and started to fall behind in R&D, it was over 10 years from the 9000 which was not updated to the 9. The merger with Konica did not help with the transition to digital. Although the first generation Konica Minolta D5 and 7 were pretty good cameras, they were expensive compared to Canon and Nikon. Sony came alone with an offer Minolta could not refuse. First generation Sony with really second generation D5 and 7, in addition the mount and antishake feature Sony kept the much of same layout, where the power on off button, menu features were kept, it wasn't until the A9 and mirroless that Sony really became Sony. In some ways Sony is very like Minolta in the day, they march to their own drummer.

 

[gary in nj]

I love all of my Minolta cameras for different reasons:

The SRT's are great for their simplicity and reliability. The SRT-201 was my first SLR, so it occupies a very special place in my heart. In the 1970's that mercury battery lasted for years. In current times the hearing aid battery lasts but a few weeks, so it's no longer a camera I can just grab and use. I have to plan ahead.

The XD-11 is a great camera. I have all of the accessories (autowinder and flash) for it and its reliable.

The X-570 is my newest (I bought it last year for $25). I've only used it a few times but I like its light weight and ease of use. I also like that I only paid $25 for it with a Rokker 28mm lens.

I love the fact that all of my Minolta cameras can use all of my MD lenses. I hate the fact that my film camera bag weighs about 25 pounds.

 

[OlyMan]

I have good memories of my Minolta Dynax 5. I bought it in a dual lens kit, 28-80,, and 70-210. They were slow lenses but the results were better than they had a right to be. I have some most excellent telephoto shots with the 70-210 zoom lens, it was so light it could be easily handheld down to 1/125th at 200mm. Kind of grieves me how much money you can spend to get hold of these these lenses now on ebay, on account of the fact they're a direct fit to Sony A-mount. Wish the binary brigade would go find their own toys to play with and leave the lenses and accessories designed for our cameras to those of us who still want to use them on the kit they were made for.

 

[TheRook]

For the past month, I've been using a Minolta Hi-matic G exclusively, which I purchased earlier this year at a flea market. A fun little camera, fits comfortably into my coat pocket. I'm really getting to love this camera!

 

[Steve C]

I’m new to the group and hope someone can help. I recently picked up a Minolta x-700. Owned one years ago and it was always my favorite. I also got a 360PX flash from eBay. The flash will fire with the test button when not attached to the camera. But on-camera it will not. It locks up the shutter until I turn off the camera. It does this in any flash mode. If the flash is in the hot shoe but turned off then the camera works just fine. Any help is greatly appreciated.