Another vote for XE-7, it is simply the 2nd most luxurious 35mm SLR ever made, right behind the Leica R3 which is the same camera, but with spot metering and an even brighter viewfinder.
XD-11 would be a very close second. imo. They are very nice and are also extremely luxurious as they too were designed for shared Minolta/Leica duty (Leica R4). There is just something magical in the feel of the XE-7 that the XD-11 cannot quite match. My guess is the CLS shutter, which just has to be felt to be believed.
SRTs are also wonderful, and while the batteries are no longer legal, the cameras have work-arounds or can easily be re-calibrated to the voltage of modern silver oxide or alkaline equivalents.
I own a fairly extensive manual focus collection (not to mention digital). My Leica R6 is my go-to camera simply because I like the Leica R glass slightly better than the MC Rokkor glass and the camera is newer can still be serviced by Leica. The R6 is also very small (same chassis as XD-11) and light. For my Minolta gear, my XE-7 is in like-new condition and sees very little use as I don't want any brassing or other wear as it is absolutely pristine. I have a Minolta X-570 for use when I want light weight and don't care about ruining my gear, such as motorcycle touring. When weight isn't a problem I take either my Leica R3 MOT or Minolta SRT200 (meter calibrated to silver oxide).
All of them are very nice, and of the mainstream brands (Leica R cameras are cheap now, but the lenses remain outrageous) Minoltas are by far my favorites. I never liked the XG series or the X-300/500/700 series all that much, but those later X models are extremely cheap and easy to service, not to mention they handle very well. They are a bit plasticky, which is really my only complaint.
Given the choice of XD-11 and SRT101 for a first Minolta, I'd go for the SRT. That SRT200, by the way, was my very first camera back in 1978.
XD-11 would be a very close second. imo. They are very nice and are also extremely luxurious as they too were designed for shared Minolta/Leica duty (Leica R4). There is just something magical in the feel of the XE-7 that the XD-11 cannot quite match. My guess is the CLS shutter, which just has to be felt to be believed.
SRTs are also wonderful, and while the batteries are no longer legal, the cameras have work-arounds or can easily be re-calibrated to the voltage of modern silver oxide or alkaline equivalents.
I own a fairly extensive manual focus collection (not to mention digital). My Leica R6 is my go-to camera simply because I like the Leica R glass slightly better than the MC Rokkor glass and the camera is newer can still be serviced by Leica. The R6 is also very small (same chassis as XD-11) and light. For my Minolta gear, my XE-7 is in like-new condition and sees very little use as I don't want any brassing or other wear as it is absolutely pristine. I have a Minolta X-570 for use when I want light weight and don't care about ruining my gear, such as motorcycle touring. When weight isn't a problem I take either my Leica R3 MOT or Minolta SRT200 (meter calibrated to silver oxide).
All of them are very nice, and of the mainstream brands (Leica R cameras are cheap now, but the lenses remain outrageous) Minoltas are by far my favorites. I never liked the XG series or the X-300/500/700 series all that much, but those later X models are extremely cheap and easy to service, not to mention they handle very well. They are a bit plasticky, which is really my only complaint.
Given the choice of XD-11 and SRT101 for a first Minolta, I'd go for the SRT. That SRT200, by the way, was my very first camera back in 1978.
