Minolta manual focus SLR

[JeremyLangford]

None of the minoltas with LED readouts are any good at all for manual exposure. That is because all of them merely illuminate the shutter speed the camera thinks you should use, with no indication of the one you actually have set, and even then the accuracy is low since it only reads in one stop increments. I like minolta's lenses but their bodies all suck for manual exposure. I like my Olympus OM-4T because it has a graph showing in 1/3 stop increments how far over or under exposed you are and the actual speed set reads out in the finder too. My Nikon F4 is even better. Has a graph similar to the OM-4T but also shows both aperture and shutter speed in the finder!

The XD-11 shows current shutter and aperture in the viewfinder but it's still useless without seeing the shutter that I'm supposed to use.

 

[bmattock]

I have an X9 (not XG9). It has LED readout. I don't know if it has multiple exposure capability, never checked. It's broken, the common problem Minolta x-series cameras have with a leaky capacitor. Replaced it once, it blew out like an hour later.

 

[eef]

X-570 was my first real camera. One lens kit with the 50 1.8, shot hundreds of Kodachrome 64 slides with it. Got rid of it for whatever reason, then got a another one a few years back, which got me thinking more seriously about photography, so I got an M6, then an RD-1, and now an M8! But it is all really the fault of that Minolta.

I know nothing of the XD11 and so on, but I loved the AE and the AE lock on the 570. It is better than the M8 half press I think, having a separate button, which when you pull up becomes the self-timer. I always liked that. Index finger on the shutter, and middle finger falls naturally on the AE lock.

 

[racoll]

I'm awaiting the arrival of a beautiful XD-11 so I'm excited to read the praise heaped on it. I'm a huge fan of the SR-T 102 and the XE-series bodies, so I hope that the XD-11 lives up to the standards these two cameras have set.

 

[dberger]

None of the minoltas with LED readouts are any good at all for manual exposure. That is because all of them merely illuminate the shutter speed the camera thinks you should use, with no indication of the one you actually have set, and even then the accuracy is low since it only reads in one stop increments. I like minolta's lenses but their bodies all suck for manual exposure.

Not true; the Minolta X-570 (X-500 outside the US) shows both metered and selected shutter speeds when in manual mode. The metered speed is shown as a steady LED, while the selected speed blinks. The aperture is shown directly via a prism/periscope view of the aperture dial. Quite easy to use.

I like my Olympus OM-4T because it has a graph showing in 1/3 stop increments how far over or under exposed you are and the actual speed set reads out in the finder too. My Nikon F4 is even better. Has a graph similar to the OM-4T but also shows both aperture and shutter speed in the finder!

The X-570 shows half-stop metered speeds by illuminating 2 LEDs.


See, you can use the Minolta lenses after all.


Cheers,

David

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

David, I'll have to look for one of those when I find some extra money. I've noticed the 570's go for a lot more than X700's do usually. That must be why.

 

[David Murphy]

I myself reject all battery dependent cameras. The SRT-101 is not equaled by any of the electronic shuttered models IMO - you've got the best already. If you need help with exposure, I can recommend any of the VC meters as a very portable companion to any classic camera with an accessory shoe.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I myself reject all battery dependent cameras. The SRT-101 is not equaled by any of the electronic shuttered models IMO - you've got the best already. If you need help with exposure, I can recommend any of the VC meters as a very portable companions to any classic camera with an accessory shoe.

I have an SRT and it is ok. I have trouble focusing it. Thats my eyes though. As far as mechanical vs electronic shutters go, I don't see an real world advantage to me using a mechanical camera when I live in a city of 250,000 people where batteries are cheap and sold everywhere. I don't travel to third-world countries and I rarely photograph more than 50 miles from home. My main 35mm SLR system is a pair of Olympus OM-4T bodies and I wouldn't trade either of them for an OM-1, ever. The metering system in the OM-4T is incredible and the camera overall so much faster and easier for me to focus and operate. I had an OM-1, rarely used it, hated it when I did use it, finally sold it. I am 100% manual with my OM-4t's so I am not depending on autoexposure. It is the metering, the bright 2-series focus screen, and the diopter adjustments on the viewfinder that combine to make a very usable camera for me.

 

[JeremyLangford]

Not true; the Minolta X-570 (X-500 outside the US) shows both metered and selected shutter speeds when in manual mode. The metered speed is shown as a steady LED, while the selected speed blinks. The aperture is shown directly via a prism/periscope view of the aperture dial. Quite easy to use.



The X-570 shows half-stop metered speeds by illuminating 2 LEDs.


See, you can use the Minolta lenses after all.


Cheers,

David

Is the Minolta X-570 the only other body that truly shows the metered exposure and the selected exposure like the match needle exposure guide does in the SRT series?

I will always be in metered manual mode and I need to see how far my selected exposure is from the metered exposure at all times.

 

[Bingley]

FWIW, the X700 does not show BOTH the selected shutter speed and the metered shutter speed in manual mode. The LED readout only shows the metered shutter speed, and you have to remember the speed you selected. Sounds like that would be a deal breaker for you. I happen to like the X700 a lot -- it's got great ttl flash capability, and is compact and light weight -- but then I tend to use it in AE rather than manual mode.

 

[dberger]

Is the Minolta X-570 the only other body that truly shows the metered exposure and the selected exposure like the match needle exposure guide does in the SRT series?

I will always be in metered manual mode and I need to see how far my selected exposure is from the metered exposure at all times.

The XD11 shows metered and selected exposure in manual mode. The metered shutter speed is shown with LEDs, but the selected shutter speed shown mechanically through an illuminated window. The XE1/XE7 is like the higher-end SRTs: a full information viewfinder with a match needle display.


Cheers,

David