From: rspeirs@javelin.sim.es.com (Ron Speirs)
Subject: Re: Minolta SLR info wanted 
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 17:10:38 GMT

In article <1992Apr13.231125.16114@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov> garyf@puente.jpl.nasa.gov (Gary Friedman) writes:
>In article <0+xj!j#.ilsa@netcom.com> ilsa@netcom.com (Ilsa VanHook) writes:
>>I have a couple of SRTs, and am shopping for another camera
>>body.  Can anyone point me at a summary of features for minolta
>>SLRs, especially the X-models (XD-, XE-, etc.)?  Opinions and
>>rants about different models would also be appreciated.
>
I have had, at various times, the SRT101, XG-7, XG-M, XD-11 and X-700 models.
They all have advantages and disadvantages; here's my opinions:
>
>SRT 100, 101, 102, 201, 202, etc. 	- Good, basic, mechanical cameras
>					  with match-needle exposure.
Agree.  Built heavy, boxy.  Could have been a contender with the Pentax K-1000
if they were still in production.  My SRT-101 has mirror lockup, depth-of-
field preview.  Has horizontal fabric shutter.

>XD-11					- Smallest SLR Minolta ever
>					  made, and had the world's
>					  smoothest and quietest shutter 
>					  (for an SLR, that is.)  Had shutter-
>					  and aperature-priority
>					  exposure, as well as manual.
>					  There is no OFF switch;
>					  unless you're constantly
>					  aware of the camera's
>					  settings it's very easy to
>					  make a mistake.  This was
>					  the last Minolta to have a
>					  mechanical backup shutter
>					  speed ("B" and "O"), and the
>					  first to start using the
>					  more accurate slilcon
>					  photodiode metering element.

I have two XD-11's now; they are my workhorses.  Wouldn't part with them
for anything.  I *think* that the XD-11 (and slightly scaled down XD-5) are
the only Minolta cameras with automatic, built-in multiple exposure 
capability.  The shutter is segmented metal, vertical moving.  It syncs at
1/125 second.  I use the multiple exposure capability extensively in darkroom
derivation work.  Not having an OFF switch is not a problem to me.  Cheers
for the mechanical shutter backup speed:  It saved me at an important
occasion when my batteries unexpectedly went dead.   All-in-all, a very
versatile camera.
>
>XG-1, XG-7, XG-9, XG-SE, XG-M		- Avoid like the plague.
>					  Minolta was chasing after
>					  the "we-don't-know-anything"
>					  market that Canon's AE-1 had
>					  so successfully captured.
>					  Liberal use of plastic/nylon
>					  in the film transport gear
>					  train.

I wouldn't be so hard on this series.  I had an XG-7 and it functioned quite
well.  I sold it to my sister and my mother has one too.  The reason I sold
it was that it didn't do what I needed it to do.  It had no depth-of-field
preview (the XG-9 and XG-M do), and none of this series will do perfect
multiple exposures.  They have the horizontal cloth shutters.  They are
aperture-priority metering only.  The XG-1, XG-7 and XG-9 don't meter AT ALL
when set to manual speeds; you have to take a meter reading in the auto
mode and then switch to manual.  The XG-M does meter in manual mode.  All are
electronic shutters; if the batteries go dead you don't shoot.
>
>X-700					- A little more respectable
>					  than the XG lineup it
>					  replaced.  This camera was 
>					  designed to compete with Canon's 
>					  successful AE-1 Program.  Still 
>					  mostly plastic.
>
This camera seems like a natural evolution from the XG-M.  They added a
beeper for low shutter speed warning.  They also added TTL (thru-the-lens)
flash metering with the appropriate flash unit.  It still uses the horizontal
cloth shutter (a la XG- series), cannot do perfect multiple exposures, and
still flash-syncs at 1/60 second.

All of the XG- and X-700 series are compatible with the same accessory auto-
winder.  The XD- autowinder is different.

I think that Minolta was on the right track with the XD-series, feature-wise,
and dropping that line was a mistake.  >
>						-Gary Friedman

Ron Speirs, Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah


Newsgroups: rec.photo