![]() ![]() That low profile that I mentioned earlier means that there is very little travel in the shutter release, which also happens to be quite sensitive, and since a soft press is necessary to operate the meter, on a couple of occasions I have accidentally fired the shutter. The shutter release requires some getting used to. The three position mode selector clicks cleanly into place for each setting. The film advance is smooth and even, the shutter speed dial is easy to grip and has an ideal degree of resistance. The low profile of the Minolta’s shutter speed selector dial and the film speed selector dial also helps the overall look.Īll of the XD’s controls are well located and easy to operate. Canon combined the shutter speed selector dial with the film wind lever but this arrangement, for me, is less successful). ![]() (Pentax did something similar with the ME Super, but without the same benefit since the ME Super was already significantly smaller than most of its peers. In particular, by locating the shutter button within the shutter speed selector dial they simultaneously reduced the clutter on the top plate while creating extra space to make that dial and the mode selector switch bigger and therefore easier to operate. The designers produced what, to my eye, is a very clean, purposeful look. The camera both looks well and works well. The Minolta MD lens, while not having the same reassuring heft of my Nikon 50mm f1.8 AI, still feels like a well made, quality product. That weightiness is a result of the metal body, something that disappeared with the next generation of cameras. ![]() It’s a little smaller than the FM2, but not by much, and a few grams heavier. Size is ideal for me, not too big or heavy like the earlier generations of SLR’s, but not so small it feels awkward or fragile. Since mine is an earlier version of the camera it was suffering from the common problem of shrinking leatherette, so I also had that replaced with the dark blue version shown in the image above. After putting a roll of film through it I sent it off to Garry’s Camera Repair for a CLA. Another $50 got me the Minolta 50mm f1.7 lens. Then, a couple of weeks ago, shortly after having returned a non-functioning FM2, this camera popped up on Used Photo Pro in excellent condition for a little more than $100. In my recent quest for an aperture priority SLR to complement my resolutely old school Nikon FM2n I hadn’t really considered the Minolta since they so rarely came up for sale. The Minolta XD-7 is another of those late 1970’s SLR’s that I was much taken with as a teenager, and another I could never afford. ![]()
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