The Minolta XK/X1/XM with AE-S head. Valuation?

Huss · Aug 22, 2021

My Minolta XK has both the common Herman Munster AE head (which I think is fantastic) and also the rarer AE-S head, which has the more reactive SPD cells vs CD cells. Both work perfectly - as does the camera.

I could only find one seller of an XK with the AE-S head on ebay. He is asking $1600.... yah...
And nothing in the sold listings.

Anyway, I'm thinking of selling my XK with both heads and want to be entertained by you lot with your value estimates.
Elli doesn't get to play cuz he thinks he can get a Leica M for $10. (I just sold my Zenit for 5 times as much...)

This is all part of my thinning of the herd, which frankly has been going very well thanks to the lovely people here.

Bearman · Aug 23, 2021

Depending on body condition of course, and not knowing the market for the AE-S head, I'd think btw $350 and $500. Depends on how fast you want to sell it

Paul Howell · Aug 23, 2021

Boy has the price of an clean XK dropped, I guess with both heads maybe $700 to 800.

Huss · Aug 23, 2021

Yeah it is the AE-S head where all the value is.

This is the second generation XK though - the one with the film insert card on the back door. The first gen had some horizontal ISO scale IIRC.

Jon Buffington · Aug 23, 2021

Don't sell the xk...it is the shooter's slr. Kinda like the m5 is the shooter's rangefinder. I know how you feel about the m5 (I love mine as well) and feel just as fondly with the xk in the slr world.

Huss · Aug 24, 2021

Jon Buffington said:
Don't sell the xk...it is the shooter's slr. Kinda like the m5 is the shooter's rangefinder. I know how you feel about the m5 (I love mine as well) and feel just as fondly with the xk in the slr world.

I hear ya. I prefer the XK to my Pentax LX. IMO the LX is the most overrated "professional" SLR.

It's just that I have too much stuff.

Jon Buffington · Aug 24, 2021

Huss said:
It's just that I have too much stuff.

I can relate to this and have a hard time letting stuff go, lol!

Huss · Aug 25, 2021

Jon Buffington said:
I can relate to this and have a hard time letting stuff go, lol!

My problem is that I use gear that would not be my first choice, but just because it was its turn in rotation. I prefer the F3 over the XK, but if it was the XK's turn, then I'd pick that.

I want to stop that and just use the gear I like the most, and unload the rest.

Jon Buffington · Aug 25, 2021

Huss said:
My problem is that I use gear that would not be my first choice, but just because it was its turn in rotation. I prefer the F3 over the XK, but if it was the XK's turn, then I'd pick that.

I want to stop that and just use the gear I like the most, and unload the rest.

I am in the same conundrum. I also find that because the cameras have been in the rotation, I don't pick out the system I REALLY enjoy because it is stored in a camera bag somewhere. I end up using something out of convenience. The XK is loaded with TMY-2 right now, the f2 and f3 as well as my n90x are in regular rotation. I just pulled my fm2n out of a 2 year hiatus in a bag and shot a few rolls. My M5 hasn't been touched in almost a year but I have been shooting the lowly IIIc a bunch because it is out and accessible. My F1 hasn't been touched in quite sometime. And that is just what is handy....almost don't even know what I have. I do know I LOVE the xd-11 but both my silver and black one need CLA's, just need to pack it up and send off. Then when I want to sell stuff, I realize that the prices just keep going up to ridiculous levels and I want to horde them. Uhhhhgggg, decisions. I think I just need to sell off all my entry level and consumer bodies and stick with the pro/semi pro bodies. And all my compact camera crap that I am still sitting on.

Huss · Aug 25, 2021

Jon Buffington said:
. I think I just need to sell off all my entry level and consumer bodies and stick with the pro/semi pro bodies. And all my compact camera crap that I am still sitting on.

That's exactly what I have been doing. Selling off the consumer level stuff before moving on to the next.

CMoore · Aug 25, 2021

Huss said:
My problem is that I use gear that would not be my first choice, but just because it was its turn in rotation. I prefer the F3 over the XK, but if it was the XK's turn, then I'd pick that.

I want to stop that and just use the gear I like the most, and unload the rest.

You should start a "Support Group".
I should have heeded the warning here and from photographers years ago...............do not buy too much stuff.
I have a pair of OM1n and Nikon FM.
They are both fine cameras. I could spend the rest of my life with either model.
But i also have a Canon F1-New and a Nikon F2S.

I need to let go of the FM and OM1n (and its lens) and free myself of the delusion that i will use all of this gear.
I have no idea what they are selling for these days. I guess it is time to find out.

Good Grief, i also have a Minolta XD-11

Huss · Aug 25, 2021

My problem is that I see a great deal on camera and buy it, knowing that I can flip it and make some $$. But, until now, I never sold them on!

Until recently I had two Leica R-Es. They are super cameras indeed. But two? When I already had other Rs? The deal on the 2nd one was just too good...

Les Sarile · Aug 28, 2021

The problem seems to be that the XK is too obscure. I don't encounter it often but I did pick mine up from a local CL listing - fully functional, AE finder + lens. I even picked up the AE-S, Waist Level and High Magnification finders listed on a local CL as "unknown box of photo stuff to be thrown away unless someone wants them". In the posted pics I caught a tiny glimpse of what look like an XK finder box that turned out to be boxes containing these finders. Been a few years since and I don't recall seeing another on CL.

XK Finders B by Les DMess, on Flickr

Huss · Aug 28, 2021

It's funny how the AE-S head is the "better" one, but I much prefer using the regular AE head.

I have the 58 1.2 like yours, and it fits the camera well. It is the appropriate size. When I attach a 50 1.4/1.7/2 they just look too small!

Les Sarile · Aug 29, 2021

The AE-S was better because of the faster silicon metering cel but you loose the CLC (contrast light compensation) of the dual CdS cels in the AE finder.
This was supposedly the reason Minolta did not add a motor to the XK until the AE-S prism became available in 1976.

I would think that since there's not many posted listings of the XK+AE-S - and the fact that it is the only Minolta manual with 1/2000 shutter speed, that it can go for a pretty penny

Huss · Aug 29, 2021

Les Sarile said:
The AE-S was better because of the faster silicon metering cel but you loose the CLC (contrast light compensation) of the dual CdS cels in the AE finder.
This was supposedly the reason Minolta did not add a motor to the XK until the AE-S prism became available in 1976.

I would think that since there's not many posted listings of the XK+AE-S - and the fact that it is the only Minolta manual with 1/2000 shutter speed, that it can go for a pretty penny

The faster response was the only thing better. The regular AE head had a much easier to see readout, you didnt need to flip a switch between hi and lo speeds and it had a really handy exp comp lever.

CMoore · Aug 29, 2021

Was this a "Better" camera than a Nikon F2AS or F2SB.?

Les Sarile · Aug 29, 2021

CMoore said:
Was this a "Better" camera than a Nikon F2AS or F2SB.?

If you have a need for aperture priority AE - which the F2 does not, then it is better in that regard . . .

XKr-24 by Les DMess, on Flickr

Nokton48 · Aug 29, 2021

HugoStudios Tan Morocco XK (2) by Nokton48, on Flickr

I paid about $350 for mine and then sent it to Essex. Katrina was about to hit, but I lucked out and it arrived back here just before touchdown. Took a couple of months to do the full restoration.

I got the covering from HugoStudios and I think it's cool. Mine eats batteries so I keep spares in the little battery box attached to the strap.

I doubt I could recoup my investment but it's possible. I have the AES overhauled as well so I doubt I will sell this camera as I think it is very SRT-like in body style and fits in with my other SRT gear. Mine is still loaded with HP5+ and clicked a few times before I had to change out the 357's.

I'd say $350-$400 for the AES head just a guess

CMoore · Aug 29, 2021

Circa 1975............

Nokton48 said:
HugoStudios Tan Morocco XK (2) by Nokton48, on Flickr

I paid about $350 for mine and then sent it to Essex. Katrina was about to hit, but I lucked out and it arrived back here just before touchdown. Took a couple of months to do the full restoration.

I got the covering from HugoStudios and I think it's cool. Mine eats batteries so I keep spares in the little battery box attached to the strap.

I doubt I could recoup my investment but it's possible. I have the AES overhauled as well so I doubt I will sell this camera as I think it is very SRT-like in body style and fits in with my other SRT gear. Mine is still loaded with HP5+ and clicked a few times before I had to change out the 357's.

I'd say $350-$400 for the AES head just a guess

I like it..............but i have a bright red "Butter-Grip" on my X570.

This guy did a pretty good review of the XK.
I did not read the entire piece, but i did learn some interesting things about the XK and Minolta.
I guess Minolta has always been "On The Cutting Edge"
I did not realize the XK was released in 1973. I thought it was 76 for some reason.
The article implied that the lack of a motor-drive was very off-putting to Pros.....and that was a big reason the XK stalled.
By the time they did get an MD, it was big and heavy.
Interesting it took Nikon and then Canon until 1980 and 1981 to implement AE on their "Pro Bodies".

https://casualphotophile.com/2016/08/14/minolta-xk-camera-review/

Les Sarile · Aug 29, 2021

CMoore said:
The article implied that the lack of a motor-drive was very off-putting to Pros.....and that was a big reason the XK stalled.
By the time they did get an MD, it was big and heavy.
Interesting it took Nikon and then Canon until 1980 and 1981 to implement AE on their "Pro Bodies".
https://casualphotophile.com/2016/08/14/minolta-xk-camera-review/

Good read although I disagree that the prize, size and weight of the XK Motor or XM was the reason it was not taken up by the pros. A motorized Nikon F2 is not small nor lightweight and of course still doesn't have aperture priority AE. IMO it was because the pros were already entrenched in their respective systems and Canon and Nikon probably promised AE in their third generation to keep existing clients to stay put.

BTW, even though the XK preceeded the other pro body AE models by amost a decade, it still has the fastest sync speed of the lot . . .

AE's Pro by Les DMess, on Flickr

Huss · Aug 30, 2021

CMoore said:
Was this a "Better" camera than a Nikon F2AS or F2SB.?

I also have the F2AS and the Minolta is a much better camera if you want AE exposure. It really is as simple as that.
If I'm only using it as a manual exposure camera, then I prefer the Nikon as it is simpler to use. No separate switch to the left of the VF to turn on the meter if you decide not to use the front pressure pad etc.

Jon Buffington · Sep 1, 2021

I agree, the XK being better than the f2 if you want AE. I also have both (and the f3). What gets me, with the ae head, is the variable exposure comp lever. So friggin' easy! I shoot Aperture priority often and to get something in between 0-2 stops by just sliding to the side the lever, either in the positive or negative direction, is fantastic. It just works. Granted, it is a big, heavy beast making the f2 or 3 feel like a consumer camera in comparison (which is why I like the nikons) but the XK is just such a joy to go shooting with. I mount the big old heavy 35-70/3.5 rokkor and it feels right on this body. Off for a walk and am always pleased with the results I get.

Huss · Sep 11, 2021

Well I just sold the AE-S head for $400. I guess that is what one - in perfect shape - is worth.

I so much prefer the Herman Munster head that this works out well for me!

Paul Howell · Sep 11, 2021

What I always found odd was that the XK came without or without the motor drive integrated into the body, at the time most wanted a detachable motor drive. Then came Konica FS and Canon T90 with build in motor drives but when Minolta released the A9000 with manual advance and add on motor drive or auto winder.

The Minolta XK/X1/XM with AE-S head. Valuation?

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