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Minolta XE-7. Any reason to buy one?

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Why the SR2 and not the SR7? Not that I really need a SR, but since I have from every generation from SRT to X570 & X600 one of the important models (no XK/XM/X1, but I count the XE7 as "that generation"), the pre-SRT area would still be missing. Even though that might get close to my Praktina (totally different lens mount and still earlier then the SR, without instant return mirror etc, but also very cool). I saw an SR7 not too long ago really cheap, and that one should be the top model from the SR area?
 
ant! said:
Why the SR2 and not the SR7? Not that I really need a SR, but since I have from every generation from SRT to X570 & X600 one of the important models (no XK/XM/X1, but I count the XE7 as "that generation"), the pre-SRT area would still be missing. Even though that might get close to my Praktina (totally different lens mount and still earlier then the SR, without instant return mirror etc, but also very cool). I saw an SR7 not too long ago really cheap, and that one should be the top model from the SR area?
Click to expand...

Like the original AP, it too was Minolta's first slr. Curiously, the SR1 was not.

You can read more about it -> https://cameraquest.com/minsr2.htm
 
Yes, it looks like the SR-7 is the end of the SR line and can be had for not much. I dunno. The SRT101 is probably the lowest in the line I'll go, but I'd get the SR-7 over the SR-2 based on functionality rather than collector value.

I did some more research on the Maxxum 7 and it's just not worth fixing. I'll stick with the X-570 and the 9xi for my modern Minoltas.
 
KerrKid said:
Yes, it looks like the SR-7 is the end of the SR line and can be had for not much. I dunno. The SRT101 is probably the lowest in the line I'll go, but I'd get the SR-7 over the SR-2 based on functionality rather than collector value.

I did some more research on the Maxxum 7 and it's just not worth fixing. I'll stick with the X-570 and the 9xi for my modern Minoltas.
Click to expand...

Since learning more about films latitude, I find shooting meterless during daylight hours a lot of fun. Can't say I've had even one frame of film poorly exposed yet. These are front line cameras not collectibles . . .
 
Les Sarile said:
Since learning more about films latitude, I find shooting meterless during daylight hours a lot of fun. Can't say I've had even one frame of film poorly exposed yet. These are front line cameras not collectibles . . .
Click to expand...

I need to develop (no pun intended) the ability to successfully do meterless shooting. I got the Pentax SV to do that and haven't, yet. It intimidates me a bit. I have a handheld meter and the iPhone app, but would really like the skill to do without them. I suppose a film with a lot of latitude helps.

I didn't mean to imply that the SR's were only collectibles, but they would be to me at the moment since I'm served in those areas by other cameras I have and I haven't learned meterless shooting, yet.


Thanks for putting the SR series on my radar, though. I'd never known anything about them until this thread.
 
KerrKid said:
I need to develop (no pun intended) the ability to successfully do meterless shooting. I got the Pentax SV to do that and haven't, yet. It intimidates me a bit. I have a handheld meter and the iPhone app, but would really like the skill to do without them. I suppose a film with a lot of latitude helps.

I didn't mean to imply that the SR's were only collectibles, but they would be to me at the moment since I'm served in those areas by other cameras I have and I haven't learned meterless shooting, yet.


Thanks for putting the SR series on my radar, though. I'd never known anything about them until this thread.
Click to expand...

The saying goes it's better to overexpose then underexpose. Well now I know by how much.

If you're shooting mostly color negative or b&w film, you will have so much latitude to work with. Below is up to +10 overexposure of Kodak Portra 400 and with a tiny bit of post work I show what you can get from it. I also show Kodak Ektar 100 up to +5 not realizing at that time that even though it's a relatively contrasty film, it also had latitude to spare. Digi files OTOH - even RAW, are completely unusable past +3.

Kodak Portra 400 overexposure by Les DMess, on Flickr
 
Les Sarile said:
The saying goes it's better to overexpose then underexpose. Well now I know by how much.

If you're shooting mostly color negative or b&w film, you will have so much latitude to work with. Below is up to +10 overexposure of Kodak Portra 400 and with a tiny bit of post work I show what you can get from it. I also show Kodak Ektar 100 up to +5 not realizing at that time that even though it's a relatively contrasty film, it also had latitude to spare. Digi files OTOH - even RAW, are completely unusable past +3.

Kodak Portra 400 overexposure by Les DMess, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Good to know. I have been shooting Kodak Gold 200, Fuji C200, Delta 100 and 400, and Kentmere 100 and 400. I imagine these all have plenty of latitude. I need to grab one of my cameras without a light meter or a non-working one and just practice until I get good at nailing exposure. As they say, "Aim small, hit small".
 
KerrKid said:
Yes, it looks like the SR-7 is the end of the SR line and can be had for not much. I dunno. The SRT101 is probably the lowest in the line I'll go, but I'd get the SR-7 over the SR-2 based on functionality rather than collector value.

I did some more research on the Maxxum 7 and it's just not worth fixing. I'll stick with the X-570 and the 9xi for my modern Minoltas.
Click to expand...
The X-570 has all you need!
 
I have many Minoltas but only one XE, an XE-5. It's a pleasant enough camera to use. It has the weight and finder brightness of an SRT but with electronics which are not as fast as those of the x-700. I prefer to use my XE-5 with faster lenses unless I am shooting on a very sunny day. Somewhere I have a bunch of focusing screens for the X-700. Minolta did not fo a good job promoting this feature of the X-700. The screens are annoying to change. I keep one body with a grid screen, one with a plain matte screen and the rest of my X-700 fleet with the standard screen. The grid or plain matte screens are good for working with the Auto Bellows III and the 12.5mm/2 or 25/2.5 micro lenses.
 
My XE-7 is still in Iowa. Rats. I check tracking info every five minutes.) Hopefully I'll get it next week but I'm not sure how the weather will affect delivery.

I'll be putting either a 50mm or 58mm in f1.4 or a 55mm f1.7 of the XE-7. I believe the 58mm is the most common pairing. That's what came with my SRT101 back in the day.

My X-570 has a scratched focus screen, but only on the sides. It doesn't affect anything, but if I ever come across another one I'll replace it.
 
KerrKid said:
I'll be putting either a 50mm or 58mm in f1.4 or a 55mm f1.7 of the XE-7. I believe the 58mm is the most common pairing. That's what came with my SRT101 back in the day.
Click to expand...

The SRT series were designed with the MC Rokkor lenses' "Meter-Coupling", while the XK & XE cameras were sold with the MC-Rokkor-X lenses. That's where the "X" comes from. They had rubberized focusing rings, white numbers on black f-stop rings, and improved multi-coating.
 
xkaes said:
while the XK & XE cameras were sold with the MC-Rokkor-X lenses. That's where the "X" comes from. They had rubberized focusing rings, white numbers on black f-stop rings, and improved multi-coating.
Click to expand...

The X is just a marker for the American market, the same lenses were sold in the rest of the market without the X, same design otherwise. Some as the different camera names, like XE7=XE1=XE.
Different with the Celtic lenses, these existed only in America...
 
ant! said:
The X is just a marker for the American market, the same lenses were sold in the rest of the market without the X, same design otherwise. Some as the different camera names, like XE7=XE1=XE.
Different with the Celtic lenses, these existed only in America...
Click to expand...

Yes, this is what I've always heard. So the XE-7 was probably sold with the "X" lenses and the XE and XE-1 with lenses w/o the "X".

I also thought the rubberized rings came with the MD series and not the MC series, but what do I know?
 
I guess there is a mix-up. The -X is just the name for the American market.
The MCX generation from the lens database https://minolta.eazypix.de/lenses/index.html is the last generation before MD, so before the XD cameras.
There are also MD lenses with the -X, since this has nothing to do with the lens generation.

The MCX generation has the new look, similar to the MD lenses
 
KerrKid said:
Yes, this is what I've always heard. So the XE-7 was probably sold with the "X" lenses and the XE and XE-1 with lenses w/o the "X".
Click to expand...

The MC Rokkor-X lenses (which lacked the "X" outside the US market, first appeared with the XK/XM/X-1 camera. The XE cameras were produced AFTER the XK appeared, so the XE cameras were sold with the X lenses (not marked X outside the US.

Don't blame me!
 
Yeah, this market based naming is nuts and continued later with Maxxum/Dyxum/Alpha. Did other brands ever did something similar?
 
ant! said:
Yeah, this market based naming is nuts and continued later with Maxxum/Dyxum/Alpha. Did other brands ever did something similar?
Click to expand...

Canon has done it before on their EOS DSLR/SLRs
 
Some other companies did it, but I think Minolta holds the record. There are other crazy naming schemes too. Fuji grouped their large format lenses as if they wanted to confuse people -- with different lens series marked W, WS, SW, NW, NWS, SWD, NSWD -- and the lenses were often marked one way on the lens and a different way on the box.
 
The naming differences arose because of the fact that there were different distributors in the different markets. Each distributor was responsible for its own marketing.
 
My Minolta XE-7 arrived today. She's a beaut. Almost looks new, but I think I'll send it to Garry's and make sure everything is working correctly.

Minolta XE-7 Small 2.JPG
 
Paul Howell said:
I'll have to add one to my wish list.
Click to expand...

It's everything the reviews say it is. It's a little bit bigger than my SRT's, but the weight feels about the same. Nice winder and shutter. It's butch.

There's one on the big auction site right now for very little money. Has a shutter issue that could turn out not to be an issue.
 
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