SurlaCraque
Member
Huh. My XD-11 has been very reliable and has been hauled around the world on various adventures. I think it's close to perfection for a compact, manual focus SLR. Minolta did not get enough respect for this great camera. A very high quality build with a great meter and well thought out exposure modes. I didn't know this when I bought it, but apparently it was the basis for the Leica R4. And Rokkor primes from the 70s give up nothing to nobody in terms of IQ and build quality.
I think if you bought one online that was tested to work from a reputable seller with a return policy you'd be fine. Worth spending $200+ or whatever rather than trying to get one for $40 that may be junk or at least require a $180 CLA so you're no further ahead in the end. It's possible to get near mint cameras from Japanese sellers - you pay a little more, but in my experience the descriptions are fair and reliable and they all seem to have 30 day return policies.
I also have a X-700 that has been very reliable. It's gotten a little beat up but I drug it around the world for decades with maybe two CLAs to keep it functioning. You can get an X-700 for an absolute steal and if it fails just get another one. But it just doesn't have the high quality feel of the XD-11. For me the addition of TTL flash you get with the X-700 doesn't matter so I reach for the XD-11.
So why don't I just keep shooting away with the XD-11? Well G.A.S. for one thing, but I've also gotten the rangefinder bug. I started with a Leica IIIf and few lenses. The camera is an adorable jewel, but yes it's a little slow as a user, not only the operation of exposing and focusing each frame, but when you want to swap lenses, you've got the screw mount to deal with and external finders etc. Oh and changing rolls don't get me started. I recently got a Konica S 1.6 to experience a combined vf/rf with a meter.
With my minolta SLRs I find most of the time I carry and shoot a few primes: 24 and 50mm with an occasional 135mm. Clearly an M camera could cover this same range and I'd get the rangefinder advantages of less bulk and weight, two eyed snap shooting, quieter shutter etc. However, I do shoot a lot of E6 so metering is important, hence my interest in the M5. I don't think I could sunny 16 rolls of slide film through a Barnack Leica on a vacation trip.