X-300 and X-370 issues... anyone using these camera bodies?

[davidrborquez]

hello everyone!

I have 2 very similar minoltas, a X-370s and a X300s. I have 'better' 35mm cameras (nikon fm, canon ae1...) but I just love my X-3xx minoltas.
they just work great (focusing screen is really good, metering works very accurately), f priority suits me very well, they are cute and light and have proven to be very sturdy, and MD mount is less complicated than other systems...

BUT... I have had some problems with the electronics, both have suffered of what I call 'narcolepsy' haha, that is, they suddenly die and then come to life (being clean and with new batteries).
I solved this taking them to a repair shop but I'm not satisfied because they didn't explain what was wrong.
I guess some part in the electronic circuit board is aging and I would like to know what this part is and its specifications...

any help? please!

[ and cheers to everyone in this group! I'm a huge MD minoltas fan :joyful: ]

 

[Minolta man]

Hi David,
I am new here, I am reliving my youth, I bought my first Minolta an X300 in 1982 (I think). It was the start of a happy semi professional career in photography that has served me well. I added an X500 and XD7 and used these until I moved to Pentax digital in 2007, at that point I sold my Minolta gear.
Now I am back into Minolta and loving it.

Re. your problems, David, I am not a technical guy. But I know that the 300/370 will serve you very well once properly set up. Have a look at this site,
http://www.camerarepairworkshop.co.uk/index.html
Dave the owner will talk to you on the phone and I am fairly sure that they are happy to deal with customers in Spain. Dave will give you advice over the phone, however if you have to send your cameras in, you will not be disappointed. I have found prices are very good and their workmanship is superb. In fact I have just sent in an XD7 and find it hard to wait for it`s return.

Good luck with your gear and please post a few photos.

Regards,
Richard.
.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, David;

Your Minolta X-300 / X-370 problem sounds like the dreaded "intermittent" problem occasionally found in the electronics industry. We also call them "dogs," and for reasons you can surmise.

The real problem for the shop is that they may not know what was doing it, and it may not have done it for them while they had it, but in just doing things with the camera, it may have reconnected a marginal path in the wiring or contacts and now it is working. If the thing is not doing what it did to make the problem, it is very hard to find it.

And then there is the point that most of those things are really difficult to repair, if they can be repaired. In many cases, the repair or cure is to replace the specially designed proprietary circuit board with the parts and connectors inside the camera with another one. And that brings up another problem. When Sony bought the Minolta Camera Division, they made the corporate level decision not to support the older manually focusing cameras any more. What this translated to here in the United States is that everything in the warehouses at the old MinoltaUJSA in the way of parts and things for all of the old SR mount cameras was just thrown away. Gone. No more. If there is a problem with an old manually focusing camera that needs a part, sorry about that. Would you like to buy one of our new auto focusing Digital SLR cameras? A full frame sensor equivalent model is only $2,000 to $3,000 USD. Why, allowing for inflation, that is a bargain in comparison to what you paid for your old obsolete film camera. And look at all the new wonderful features you get with the new DSLR models.

Uh, huh.

So, we can still keep the old cameras going mechanically, but if they need electronics parts, it may not be possible, if another organ donor camera body cannot be found. If you have a reasonable investment in Minolta ROKKOR lenses, it is worthwhile to have one of the camera technicians perform a CLA with your camera body to keep that part of it going as long as you can.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington