Minolta manual focus SLR

[JeremyLangford]

I've been using a refurbished Minolta SRT-101 and over the past few years, I've purchased and sold lots of Minolta lenses for it. I now have have a 4 lens kit that I love (MC Rokkor-OK 16mm f/2.8, MD 28mm f/2.8, MD W.Rokkor-X 35mm f/2.8, MC Rokkor-PF 50mm f/1.7).

I'm thinking about buying a new Minolta manual focus SLR that will fit my current lenses for 2 main reasons:

1) LED metering would be great because I can't see my meter needles when the setting is a little dark.

2) A multiple exposure function would be great because I love doing double exposures.

Three functions on my SRT-101 that I would have to keep are:

1) Metered Manual

2) Depth of Field preview

3) Self Timer

After looking through 2 comparison charts on the web, I have have narrowed it down to these choices:

1) Any model XD-11

2) Any model XD-7

3) Any model XD

4) An XD-5

5) An XD-s (Model A only)

If I get one of these cameras, the only two things I would lose are Mirror Lock Up which I never really use anyways, and the advantages of having a fully mechanical camera.

Here are my questions:

1) Will all of these choices fit my current lenses?

2) I loved having my SRT-101 refurbished by John Titterington. Could he refurbish any of these cameras? I'm afraid that he couldn't because they aren't fully mechanical like my SRT-101.

3) Would I be able to get any of these cameras in full black? That would be awesome.

4) Which camera would you recommend me?

 

[Kin Lau]

XD-11. I have two of them. Black is rather hard to find tho.

X-570's are really nice too, and they usually come in black.

 

[bean_counter]

I have an X-570, like it a lot. I got it for the metering and AE - I had the same issue with the SRT-102 match needle in low light.

My first Minolta was an XD-5, LOVED IT, but the electronics failed and parts are not available. Working XD series are getting kind of tough to find, most seem to have failed.

 

[JeremyLangford]

I'd rather get an XD series because the X-570 doesn't have a multiple exposure function.

 

[mlaargh]

I have an X-700 (my first camera - had for about 15 yrs now) and I love it. Though its no longer my primary camera by any means, it still sees a few rolls of film annually. Highly recommended.

 

[Kin Lau]

I'd rather get an XD series because the X-570 doesn't have a multiple exposure function.

For the price... get them BOTH 😀

 

[photophorous]

I have not used any of those specific bodies, but I'm pretty sure you will have no lens compatibility issues. All manual Minolta lenses will work on all manual Minolta bodies. The MD lenses have the capability to work with Program mode on some of the newer bodies and the MC lenses do not. That's the only difference. All will work in Aperture Priority mode.

Paul

 

[feenej]

The XD, any XD is fab. No thru-the-lens flash metering though, which may be a big deal if you are gonna do a lot of bounce-flash.

 

[shadowfox]

As Kin said, XD11. A black one in working order is worth the wait.

 

[rogue_designer]

the XD-11 is the first 35mm camera I had when learning. Only 20+ years down the road can I appreciate how good a camera it was. Great rig. Worth the wait to get a good one.

 

[Faintandfuzzy]

I'm going to echo the X700 praise. The camera is small, light, has a great large, bright viewfinder.....but a rather noisy shutter. I picked one up on ebay a few months back with 4 lenses and body for $200. A roll of Astia through the thing convinced me to greatly reduce the use of my Canon 40D!

 

[rover]

the xd 11 is as good as it gets in the minolta line. I have a x570, but would like a xd11 if I wanted another minolta. the only compatibility issue you will have is using an mc lens in P mode. of course it will work fine in M an Av. send john an email and ask if he works on the xd11. I bet he does.
let us know.com

 

[JeremyLangford]

Just sent him an email.

 

[JeremyLangford]

I got an XD-11 in the mail today. I love the size of it compared to my SRT-101 but there is one thing that I'm very disappointed about. One of the main reasons I wanted this camera was for LED metering. Whenever the setting is even a little bit dark, my SRT-101 needles are impossible to see. I tried taking my SRT-101 to a concert once and had no way of knowing how the needles were aligned due to the dark background.

I figured that getting a new camera with "LED metering" would fix this problem but apparently I was wrong. When in metered manual mode the red LED light lights up next to the shutter speed that should be used. I can clearly see the red LED light at all times but if the setting is even a little bit dark or even if the far right side of my viewfinder has something black behind it, I can't tell what shutter speed the red LED light is trying to indicate which just leaves me even more hopeless than with my SRT-101. This really sucks a lot.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The X700 has the LEDs behind the numbers so the number itself glows.

 

[JeremyLangford]

The X700 has the LEDs behind the numbers so the number itself glows.

Is that the only Minolta that has true LED metering that can be used in darker settings with metered manual? I would just get an X-700 but I'd have to give up the XD-11's multiple exposure feature! CRAP! :bang:

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Is that the only Minolta that has true LED metering that can be used in darker settings with metered manual? I would just get an X-700 but I'd have to give up the XD-11's multiple exposure feature! CRAP! :bang:

The x570 might. You might look at the X370 too. It was a budget model and not as well built as the X700 but I think it has illuminated numbers too.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

The xd-7 and xd-11 are the same camera.

 

[JeremyLangford]

The x570 might. You might look at the X370 too. It was a budget model and not as well built as the X700 but I think it has illuminated numbers too.

Neither of those have the multiple exposure feature either. This is a huge disappointment because I love every single thing about the XD-11 except for I can't read the shutter speed unless I'm looking at something bright.

I honestly don't think I'll be able to keep this XD-11 because I'm always in metered-manual mode and the XD-11 makes metered manual nearly impossible.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Neither of those have the multiple exposure feature either. This is a huge disappointment because I love every single thing about the XD-11 except for I can't read the shutter speed unless I'm looking at something bright.

I honestly don't think I'll be able to keep this XD-11 because I'm always in metered-manual mode and the XD-11 makes metered manual nearly impossible.

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!