Minolta craiglist find?

[Nostromo]

First post on these forums, though I've been lurking for quite awhile. Hi everyone! I'm a 19 year old and I've been shooting with my father's SRT-201 for about two years and have just gotten into MF and B/W developing simultaneously with my Uncle's loaned RB67.

I've never bought a camera in my life (been lucky that way) so I think it's time I expand my 35mm system.

Craigslist yielded a promising listing today but the details are kind of vague. Here's all that was written: Camera SRT 101 and XGM bodies. 400mm 200mm 135mm 55mm 25 mm lenses, bag, tripod, and flashes.

He wants 100 for the whole thing, which could either be about right or a steal. I emailed him asking for more info on the lenses and condition.

I guess I'm wondering if this sounds like something worth pursuing or if these sorts of deals are pretty common. Obviously the condition and make of the lenses is important (here's to them all being MD Rokkors).

 

[srs5694]

Disclaimer: I know little about the Minolta SLR product line. I'm assuming the SRT 101 and XGM bodies aren't particularly exotic or otherwise expensive.

If it were just one body and two or three of the more typical lenses (say, 135mm and 55mm), then $100 would probably be an OK price, or maybe just a tad on the high side. With two bodies and the extreme lenses (the 400mm and 25mm), though, $100 is indeed a very good price -- assuming everything's in decent condition. Lenses wider than about 28mm and longer than about 200mm tend to be fairly expensive, even on the used market.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Good cameras, I had both of them.

Good price.

Be aware that the cameras may require a CLA.

If I were you, I would go for it.

Steve

 

[Arvee]

Check keh.com once you know what is being offered. Then street prices (private parties) will usually be less than KEH's prices and sometimes will be real deals. KEH does offer a no questions asked RETURN if you don't like the gear therefore street price should be less.

-F.

 

[mgb74]

If the camera and lenses are working, it's a good deal.

The SRT-101 is a fine mechanical camera, though at it's age (considerably older than you) it will likely need new light seals (an easy DIY effort) and possibly a CLA. The battery it was designed to use (mercury 1.35v #625) is no longer available, but there are alternatives using an easily found hearing aid battery. You want to make sure the shutter works, the film wind is working and smooth, and the meter works. There's a good chance the seller will not have a working battery so you'll need to bring your own if you want to check the meter. Sellers typically assume that the camera they last used 15-20 years ago is still working fine. Another thing, the SRT101 shows the aperture in the viewfinder. It's controlled by a thin cord that moves with the lensmount. The cord sometimes gets broken so make sure that is working. More things to check if you want, but that's the basics.

The XGM is much newer, but I don't know much about it.

As to the lenses, if they are Minolta Rokkor lenses (in good condition), it's a steal. If third party lenses, still probably a good deal. I'm not aware of any 25mm lens for Minolta, so it's probably a 28mm (even better if it's a 24mm). Check to make sure the focus is smooth, the front of the lens does not "wobble", and that here is no haze or mold inside. A few small scratches on the outside of the lens or dust on the inside should not deter you at that price.

 

[Nostromo]

Ok thanks for your responses everyone. I've emailed the seller twice asking specifically what brand and model of lenses they are and each time he has not answered my question, only saying that he's kept them in excellent condition and that they are "uv lenses". So at this point I have no idea what to do besides just head over there and take a look.

I was hoping I could read about them before I got there, but it seems like that's not going to happen. So now I'm wondering if there are any 3rd party brands I should be aware of? Are there any that are considered high quality or any that should be avoided?

 

[Arvee]

Send another email and ask for his telephone number. If he doesn't respond to that, I would begin to wonder. If he does, call him and ask your questions.

-F.

 

[pschauss]

I have both the SRT101 (purchased new) and the XGM. The meter on the SRT101 works fine with a 1.5 volt alkaline battery. As I understand it the camera uses a bridge circuit instead of relying on the battery voltage as a reference.

The shutter on my XGM works in manual mode but not in aperture priority mode. I have read that this is due to failure of the one or more of the three capacitors which run the shutter. From my experience this failure mode may be hard to detect. Mine works fine in both modes when I test it before loading the film, but after a few shots AE mode stops working.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

I have had them both. DO IT!

 

[mgb74]

Ok thanks for your responses everyone. I've emailed the seller twice asking specifically what brand and model of lenses they are and each time he has not answered my question, only saying that he's kept them in excellent condition and that they are "uv lenses". So at this point I have no idea what to do besides just head over there and take a look.

I was hoping I could read about them before I got there, but it seems like that's not going to happen. So now I'm wondering if there are any 3rd party brands I should be aware of? Are there any that are considered high quality or any that should be avoided?

By "UV", he's probably referring to the filters on the lenses. Sounds like he doesn't have a clue about the equipment and attempts to get more info from him is a waste of time. Unless it's a long distance to see them, it's probably worth a visit.

As to 3rd party lenses, there's lots of brands and many were made by the big manufacturers and private labeled. But this would be my list in best-to-worse order (I've grouped them where I'm not sure there is much difference):
1. Vivitar Series 1 and Tokina AT-X
2. Tamron
3. Tokina (other than AT-X), Sigma, Kiron, Vivitar (other than Series 1)
4. all others

I'm sure others will have a different view (this may spark a lively debate). But, at $100, if the camera bodies are working and the lenses are Minolta brand or at least the top 3 third-party brands (Viv Ser 1, Tok ATX, Tamron) it's a good deal.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Heck, even if they're old Soligor MC/MD mounts it's still worth a peek.