minolta body lens confusion

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stompyq

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I recently got myself a Minolta srt101+Rokkor MC 58mm 1.2 PG lens. I bought the combo mostly for the lens. I have no intentions to adapt it to a different mount but do want to shoot film using it. Now the problem. The SRT finder is dim and dusty. It works but occasionally the mirror does not return back once the shutter is clicked. My main problem is that I find the lens difficult to focus because of the finder.

So I thought I would buy a different body that would be a little less "agricultural" than the SRT and with a better finder. The problem is I'am totally confused with which bodies the lens is compatible with. I have no experience with minolta bodies. Any suggestions for a good body with a decent finder to pair this lens with?
 
Pramodh,
I think it might be beneficial to get camera serviced. Srt101 seems to be a very reliable camera, and getting it cleaned and fixed up will improve the finder visibility. Also, it will probably cost as much as buying another body, that might need service anyway.
 
Any XG body will do. The best is XG1(n), yet with XG9 you will have a button to view your DOF in advance. They all have 2 problems - a bad capacitor ( easy to replace) and the jam of film advance (also easy to fix). SRTs are too heavy.
 
SRTs are old gen finders, darker than modern.
All minolta manual focus slr bodies will handle that lens as the SRT. It's MC as meter coupled.
There will be x700 (i think that's the only one) that will not be able to work full-auto but you don't want that, anyway.
XD, XG, XK (yea good luck finding this one) and X- will be all fine with great finders.
XD-11, XD-9 and X-500 (=X-570)would be my favs.
 
All the above is good advice.
While searching for another body, I would also find out what it would cost to CLA the SRT101. It's built like a tank and (after being cleaned) should serve you well for a few decades .
 
Hi,

The range are unique in that technicians sniff them to see if the condenser has gone. Mine went that way and I was told it was one that didn't have a condenser but it was purely a mechanical problem. Anyway, a couple of days later it was sorted out and I was happy again. Great viewfinders in them imo.

Regards, David
 
I had a SRT 101. In perfect condition. I sold it just because it was way too heavy compared to XG 9 and 1 I own. The most unpleasant problem for me was the recoil of the mirror - I felt the vibrations in my palm. Yet as it was heavy it was easy to shoot 1/15 speed with no problems. The mechanical problems are stiff lever which jams the advance ( the same is triggered by motor drive pin). Some 5 minutes if you know where to look.
 
stompyq said:
I recently got myself a Minolta srt101+Rokkor MC 58mm 1.2 PG lens. I bought the combo mostly for the lens. I have no intentions to adapt it to a different mount but do want to shoot film using it. Now the problem. The SRT finder is dim and dusty. It works but occasionally the mirror does not return back once the shutter is clicked. My main problem is that I find the lens difficult to focus because of the finder.

So I thought I would buy a different body that would be a little less "agricultural" than the SRT and with a better finder. The problem is I'am totally confused with which bodies the lens is compatible with. I have no experience with minolta bodies. Any suggestions for a good body with a decent finder to pair this lens with?
Click to expand...

I'd say XD-11 or XG-7 if you don't like the age of the SRT's.

Check KEH or Ebay:

https://www.keh.com/search/list?m=4&category[]=Bodies&price_min=&price_max=

About $90 + shipping both ways to overhaul an SRT at most US shops.
If the prism and mirror are dirty, it could be made a whole lot brighter to look through.
I personally would recommend Greg Stelz or John Titterton for repairs.
 
MikeDimit said:
Any XG body will do. The best is XG1(n), yet with XG9 you will have a button to view your DOF in advance. They all have 2 problems - a bad capacitor ( easy to replace) and the jam of film advance (also easy to fix). SRTs are too heavy.
Click to expand...

Hi Mike, I got an X-700 with a bad capacitor but I cannot find it on the market.
Do you know ?
 
XG's arethe low-end cameras, for just a few bucks more you can get an X700 or X500. If you want the arguable best Minolta manual focus camera, get an XD-series camera. Though the some prefer the XE-series. SRT's are considered great mechanical cameras, if you're in to mechanical, get another one of those or let yours being CLA'd.

Rokkorfiles is a good resource.
 
For $45, say $65 including round trip shipping and insurance, you can get the camera CLA'd by Garrys Camera (garryscamera.com). He did a good job on two SRT201s of mine a couple of years ago. The SRTs are very nice cameras and a CLA includes cleaning the viewfinder which makes it easier to focus. See his site for what's included.

The MC lens will work on any Minolta SRT, XA, XD, XE, XG, and X-series (e.g., X-700, X370, X570) manual focus body, except it will not work in shutter-priority mode (on the XD-11) or Program mode (on the X-700) but will work in manual or aperature-priorty modes for those cameras.
 
I would be inclined to get the SR-T 101 CLA'd, unless you're looking for something different in a camera body.

I have three SR-Ts (101, 102, and 201) and an X-570. I like all of these cameras, but I lean more towards the rugged SR-Ts. The X-570 is lighter, but that doesn't make much of a difference to me in actual use. The X-570 has an Acute-Matte focusing screen, which is very bright and contrasty. However, even my older eyes have no problem viewing and focusing with the older SR-Ts. In fact, the lower magnification of the finder makes it easier for me to see the entire screen as an eyeglass wearer. If the finder in your SR-T 101 is truly "dim," it would be because it is dirty.

You have a lot of good ideas in this thread, so you have good options.

- Murray
 
Another body to consider is the XE-7 - more advanced than the SRT's and I think much nicer looking. A neighbor gave me an SRT201 and some lenses, but the body had some serious problems and wasn't worth repairing, so I bought the XE-7 for about $100.

Viewfinder is nice and it has some good features. Not the lightest or smallest, but it feels really solid and well-built. It's very similar to the Leica R3, as it was designed as a joint effort with Leica. Much less money, especially for the lenses.

If I was looking for a second MC/MD mount body, I'd consider the XD-11.
 
Thanks for the great ideas guys. I'am debating getting it CLA'd. Thanks to Sam (Crazy Fedya) I've found a excellent local camera tech so I might give it a shot. Is there a Minolta body that goes higher than 1/1000 max shutter speed that can take this lens? Obviously I bought it to shoot it wide open
 
The srT 202 has the brightest finder of the srT line which is an excellent option and has the split image finder unlike the 101.. The XE-7 is another fine camera but beware many have bad mainboards so the auto function is non-working and the manual speeds may be off. The XD-11 is another but with this lens will only work in manual or aperture priority. Shutter priority won't work with the MC lens.. Most of the XG's will work if in working condition..but beware most only meter in auto..

If you can find a good working XK it is heavy but built like a tank.
 
One consideration in choosing a camera body with exposure automation is the inclusion of Auto Exposure Lock/AEL. The X-700, X-570/X-500, and X-370/X-300 all have AEL. I believe that all of the previous Minoltas with exposure automation (XE-7, XD series, and XG series) lacked this feature.

In my own case, exposure automation without AEL is a deal-breaker. Of course, YMMV.

- Murray

EDIT/Addition: I'm not aware of any manual focus Minolta body with a shutter speed higher than 1/1000.
 
Pramodh,
If you are leaning towards CLA, you have to visit Mony soon, because Hugo is going back to Ecuador until April, if he haven't left yet.
 
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