Minolta XD Series

Uncle Bill

Uncle Bill

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I've been looking around and seen a Minolta SRT thread on here but nothing on the Minolta XD 7 or 11 depending on where you live in the world. I have both a chrome XD (Japanse market) and XD11 (purchased locally) this past year. I love shooting with this camera size wise it's around the same size as Nikon FM/FE and you have access to some brilliant MD and MC Rokkor lenses.

My Minolta XD back from its CLA. by Bill Smith, on Flickr
 
I've re-acquired one, the last one I sold because I thought the shutter or mirror was too clunky, I later realized something must have been amiss with that one as they're normally very smooth and quiet. The "new" one is smooth, but drains batteries in a few hours! They seem a little fragile, the screen, while bright, lacks contrast IMHO, and the leather is terrible, otherwise great cameras. Very well dampened and ergonomic. Not sure if I should look for another one or go SRT or XE.
 
I used to have an XD-7 years ago, took 1000+ transparencies with it then sold it for a digital, which was a mistake. Great camera and some great lenses. I bought an XD-5 a couple of years back, which is almost as good (I miss the aperture-in-veiwfinder display but couldn't find an XD-7 in sensible condition at a sensible price).
 
I purchased a new black XD-11 body in the mid-eighties(?) shortly after it was introduced (still have it). It was the camera I used most while our son was growing up. Had the body covering replaced once, but other than that, and perhaps having the foam seals replaced once, I've had no problems with it. Wonderful camera. I have the auto winder also, which makes the combo very nice to use if a bit heavy. Need to use mine more.
 
When I worked at the Swallens Camera Dept in Columbus, Ohio, I probably sold fifty or so of these XD11's. Some think it is very similar to the Leica R4 ?? Minolta and Leitz were collaborating back then...…..

If you are buying one nowadays, test it carefully beforehand. The capacitors inside can age not so well, I guess this happens with a lot of old electronic cameras. Many people appreciate the design features and smoothness of operation of this camera. Replacement leatherette is available on the internet. I prefer Cameraleather and they support the XD series.

Or buy an SRT series if you prefer mechanical! :)
 
I've relied heavily on a chrome XD-11 for almost 25 years. Small, quiet and very ergonomic.
Mine is starting to show it's age and finding people who are willing to service them because of the scarcity of parts is beginning to become a problem.
Because of this, I grabbed a near-mint black XD-11 at a flea market about a year ago. Both bodies are working well for now but if the chrome one starts to crap out on me the black one should hold me for a good, long time.

My backup for many years was an SRT-202, which is also a great camera that I really enjoy shooting with, but the XD-11 is probably my favorite camera body.
 
I had one for years - beautiful cameras. The black ones are even more beautiful.


e-thesis+011.jpg



Sold it afteri discovered the OM-series which I seem to like better.
 
Your camera has a very good lens judging from those shots.

I think the Leica R3 was based on the earlier Minolta XD 7 (BIG, heavy cameras) and the smaller and lighter R4/5 cameras were based on the Minolta XD 11 cameras. The early R4's had some buggy electronics, and I'm not sure if those were inherent in the Minolta model or only in the Leica cameras.

I had a couple of R3's, and in the end they were just too large and heavy for me to deal with. The R4/5 cameras were quite compact compared to that beast. So a Minolta XD 11 would be a nice SLR.

My R4/5 cameras suffered from shutter lag and a loud mirror return that I believe was common only on the Leica cameras and not on the Minoltas.

http://www.subclub.org/minman/leica.htm
 
Steve M. said:
My R4/5 cameras suffered from shutter lag and a loud mirror return that I believe was common only on the Leica cameras and not on the Minoltas.
Click to expand...

One of the reasons I sold my XD11 was the shutter lag, Minolta called it 'final check'. It was a way for Minolta to solve compatibility issues with older lenses.
 
I have an XD11 and a number of superb Rokker lens. It has been my film SLR for probably twenty years. My back up to this camera is an SRT101 that I bought new in 1974. Wonderful equipment!!
 
Nokton48 said:
…If you are buying one nowadays, test it carefully beforehand. The capacitors inside can age not so well, I guess this happens with a lot of old electronic cameras...
Click to expand...

Took one in for a repair once and the first thing the tech did was sniff it carefully and then explain about the condenser. The next day they rang up and said it wasn't the model with the condenser problems and it was repaired and ready to use...

Regards, David
 
The XD series are great cameras - not withstanding the shutter failure in my XDs :-(

Having said that, I prefer the lowly X300 as an actual working camera for two reasons. Firstly, there is an exposure lock, which makes using the metering more practical, and secondly the viewfinder shows both metered and selected shutter speed when in manual mode. Shutter lag may also be lower on the X300, although that might be because I need to clean the air piston in the XD again...

The only significant thing that the X300 lacks is the fully automatic program mode, but who uses that anyway?
 
:: Mark said:
The XD series are great cameras - not withstanding the shutter failure in my XDs :-(

Having said that, I prefer the lowly X300 as an actual working camera for two reasons. Firstly, there is an exposure lock, which makes using the metering more practical, and secondly the viewfinder shows both metered and selected shutter speed when in manual mode. Shutter lag may also be lower on the X300, although that might be because I need to clean the air piston in the XD again...

The only significant thing that the X300 lacks is the fully automatic program mode, but who uses that anyway?
Click to expand...


How's the noise and mirror slap on the X compared to the XD? As buying XDs seems to be a gamble, I'm thinking about gambling on cheaper bodies and gaining AE lock, or at least as a second body.
 
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