May 5th 2019

[update 7/16/19]

The Legacy of Minolta

There are few camera manufacturers that only really existed in the film era. Minolta was around for about 75 years before merging with Konica in 2003 and eventually bought out by Sony in 2006. Minolta even had a brief partnership with Leitz; creating the incredible Minolta CL and later on the Minolta XE and XD series. Diverging ideas caused them to move in different directions after that, but that did not stop Minolta from innovating. Minolta was on top of the world for a reasonably long time and for good reason, they knew how to make an amazing camera and their backlog of 75 years is a testament to that.

The Start of an era

Minolta had a solid thirty years of camera creation and relevant experience before jumping into the SLR market in 1958, with the Minolta SR-2. But even in the midst of worlds SLR fever, Minolta produced many different types of cameras throughout their entire history. Minolta produced rangefinders cameras, TLR cameras, 110 cameras, 126 cameras even 16mm still cameras and other photography related equipment like scanners, movie cameras and light meters. They had their money in almost every photography market and produced great cameras while pushing technology forward through innovation and experimentation.

I’m not very knowledgeable about the TLR and smaller format cameras Minolta was producing, but I’ll do a brief rundown. There were a handful of different TLR cameras produced, but the Autocord was Minolta’s somewhat successful grab at the TLR market. Coming out in the late 1930s, the Autocord was pretty interesting in the fact that they had CDS metering in later models. They seem to gather a decent following online, but regardless, a medium format camera with a Minolta lens sounds great in my book. Out the 110 and 126 cameras, there were really only a few interesting models to talk about. One of which was a 110 camera part of the Weathermatic line Minolta produced. The Minolta Weathermatic 110 was a completely waterproof camera and had the ability to be taken completely underwater. But the more interesting camera was the Minolta 110 Zoom SLR. Being some of the only 110 SLR cameras ever made, the two models released command higher prices online today. I’m not much of a 110 person, being that it’s tricky to develop at home and even harder to scan, but the idea of a 110 SLR seems interesting.

In the 1960s Minolta released the first camera in their long running series of Hi-Matic rangefinders. It started with the quintessential and quite chunky Minolta Hi-Matic and lasted into the mid 1980s with the Hi-Matic GF. Consisting of around 15 different models (and some updated ones) you really cannot go wrong with any Hi-Matic in the series. That being said, there are some models that are somewhat better than others. The Hi-Matic 7SII is probably the quintessential choice out of the Hi-Matic lineup. Sporting a fast f/1.7 lens and the option of a full manual mode or shutter priority makes it a solid rangefinder choice for anyone. If you're more into an automatic exposure camera, but you still want manual focusing, the Hi-Matic E or Hi-Matic F is the camera to go with. I personally really like the idea of a manual focusing auto exposure rangefinder, and I take out my Hi-Matic F any chance I get. Even if you want an auto everything camera, you can find an example in the couple of auto focus Hi-Matic cameras that Minolta produced. My personal favorite being the Hi-Matic AF2. The Hi-Matic line is definitely nothing to scoff at, I would highly recommend any Hi-Matic you can get a hold of.

Around the 1970s Minolta branched out into some other ventures other than their camera department. As well as cameras, Minolta produced some other photography related things from their world renowned meters to some interesting binoculars and some very interesting film scanners. The meters are fantastic, and they made quite a few models up into the early 2000s, but they are EXPENSIVE. I luckily found a deal on my Minolta Flash Meter II, but it has a bit of limitation being from the mid 70s. I take it out anytime I’m shooting and it’s a champ. If you're in the market for a light meter, look no further then Minolta. Later on, they started to produce other non photography related things like fax machines and medical equipment.

The Minolta SLR

In my eyes, Minolta is mostly known for their SLR cameras. They had multiple series of cameras and a couple of firsts in the SLR field, but the camera to start it all was the SR-2. The SR series of cameras, introduced in 1958, were underwhelming, to say the least. It was the first to introduce the classic bayonet mount that was used until the auto focus era, but other than that it was par for the course at the time. Throughout the six models introduced, very little happened with innovation. The only thing setting it apart from the competition was ultimately the glass. Lasting up into the early 1970s, the SR line was an alright series of cameras, but nothing to write home about.

Their breakout hit came in 1966 with the introduction of the Minolta SR-T line of cameras. Being built very sturdily, and having TTL matrix metering (in the mid 1960s mind you), made these cameras pull way ahead of the competition with innovation. Appealing mainly to the amateur photographer, they were behind the competition on higher end features but ahead on price point. Adjusted for inflation (and a bit of rounding), the competing Nikon F at the time came in at a whopping 2800 dollars while the Minolta SR-T 101 came in at a cool 2000. Still quite a bit of money for each in the mid sixties, but for about a thousand dollars less you could get a camera that had some incredible glass and great features. The SR-T series lived on for quite a long time. Going into the early 1980s the SR-T line produced 13 models including some updated versions. Around 15 years is a pretty long time for a camera system, but that goes to show how popular and innovative the Minolta SR-T camera was. There really isn’t a version that is significantly better than another, so generally any SR-T camera would be a solid choice today.

After the success that was the SR-T line of cameras, Minolta tried to get their hands into the professional market with the Minolta XK. Very similar to the Nikon F, this camera commands quite a lot of money today. This was Minolta’s first attempt at getting into the pro market and it seemed to not get much support, but this is where the magic started. In the 1970s, while the SLR rage was in full force, Leitz needed a hand at getting into this new market. Throughout the 1970s Letiz and Minolta worked hand in hand to help each other with the cameras they were working on and created some of the best cameras ever made. Leitz came out with the R series and Minolta with the incredible XE and XD series. There was a caveat to this though, this was the beginning of Minolta having electronic shutters. This means there is no way to work the camera without batteries (yes some cameras did have a manual flash sync speed), and every camera after this followed that trend. With this change, it made it possible for higher more accurate shutter speeds and a quieter camera.

The Minolta XE line of cameras was the highest quality yet. Consisting of the XE-5 and XE-7, they were heavily inspired by Leitz and contain a Letiz designed metal focal plane shutter and an aperture priority mode. The XE-7 is the main attraction though, having a viewfinder shutter, double exposure and the aperture/shutter speed displayed in the viewfinder. Along with a fully metered manual mode, the XE-7 is a very well built camera and a must have for any Minolta fan. The Minolta XD line was the last time Leica helped Minolta with the design of a camera. Taking from the previous XE cameras, the XD line was introduced in the late 70s. This new camera line was the more ‘professional’ line of cameras that Minolta had out at the time, but it only included a few models (XD-S, XD-5, and the XD-7). The standout model in the series was the XD-7 or XD-11 as it was known in America. It was the first camera in the WORLD to have aperture and shutter priority. The XD-11 also included a fully metered manual mode, a depth of field preview, and an eyepiece shutter. The XD-11 is an all metal and very solidly built camera, unmistakably top of the line when it debuted in 1977. A quality choice and a very highly recommended camera for anyone able to get their hands on one today.

The XD line was really the last glimpse of the past before Minolta switched to a new logo and mostly plastic in its designs. After the partnership with Leitz was starting to fizzle out, Minolta started focusing more on the amateur market. Plastic and electronics were being incorporated more and more in the industry, and in turn, the cameras were getting lighter and smarter. Minolta was behind the recent competition, but they decided to put more of an emphasis on features and a cheaper price point then that Leica quality Leitz wanted them to become.

The XD line was made up of great cameras, but it didn’t capture the market like the cheaper alternative Minolta marketed. Consisting of aperture priority only cameras, introduced in the late 70s, the Minolta XG line took a different approach to what Minolta was previously doing. The XG line had fewer features than the XD cameras and was made of mostly plastic, but they were still solidly built and great performing cameras. With improved metering, a modern design, and a much cheaper price the XG series really hit hard in the consumer market. Minolta produced countless versions of the XG (too many to count) but with very minimal differences between them. The biggest downside was every camera in the XG series (but one) had the meter turn off in the manual mode, rendering it a true all manual mode. But considering the amateur audience, the XG line was intended for, I’m sure most people didn’t mind. That one model, and frankly the only one you should care about, was the XG-M. Sporting the new Minolta SUNRISE logo, this camera was a decent contender in the lineup of early 80s cameras to choose from. Being light and full of features, the XG-M is a great choice for anyone today.

As technology kept increasing, the competition was getting more fierce. One of the biggest innovations of the early 80s was the introduction of the Canon AE-1 Program, the first fully automated program mode SLR camera. Consumers went nuts and the AE-1 Program was flying off the shelves. Most other camera companies wanted to get into that market with their equivalent, but most did not succeed. The closest thing the AE-1 Program had to a competitor was in the next line of cameras Minolta manufactured, the X series. Consisting of five cameras (X-7, X-300/300s, X-570, X-600, and the X-700), the stand out model was the amazing Minolta X-700. Going toe to toe in features with Canon, the AE-1 Program and X-700 are as close as it gets. There are still many debates online about which of the two is the better camera. In my opinion both are great, but they have some important differences. The X-700 has more modes and options, but the AE-1 Program has a much better build quality. As long as you upkeep the maintenance on the X-700, Minolta edges a bit in front of Canon. But don’t get me wrong I love my AE-1 Program, but having a plethora of Minolta lenses at my disposal sways my opinion more to the Minolta side as well. Both the AE-1 Program and the X-700 are very capable cameras today, and definitely must finds.

The X series was the last hoorah for Minolta before they created a camera that changed everything and put the market into a frenzy. Auto focus was on the horizon and once again Leitz was the first to show off their prototype at Photokina. That was almost a decade before any real auto focus SLR camera even came to market, but not by Leitz, but by none other then Minolta.

The First Auto focus SLR

Throughout the years Minolta was in business, they were innovating on camera after camera but never really had a real first in the industry. This all changed in 1985 when the public received the camera to usher in the age of the auto focus SLR, the Minolta Maxxum 7000. The first thing to note is that this was the first fully integrated auto focus SLR camera to come to market. There were other models to come before that, but they all had motors and such awkwardly tacked on as an afterthought. The Konica C35 came out a couple of years earlier as well, but it was a three step focusing point and shoot. Still an auto focus camera, but not a very impressive one or an SLR.

With Minolta’s new Maxxum line of auto focus cameras, they needed a different type of lens to achieve the auto focus feature they wanted. The mount had new electrical connections along with a motor connection, the motor not being in the lens but housed inside of the camera. The new Minolta A-mount was slightly bigger than the previous MD mount. This creates the biggest downside of the A mount is not being backwards compatible with older lenses. Most other auto focus cameras to come out after the Maxxum 7000 had backwards compatibility, but given the nature of the camera, you most likely bought a Maxxum for the auto focus feature.

The early Minolta Maxxum line of cameras are kind of special, and worth talking about individually. Consisting of three models the Maxxum 5000, 7000, and 9000; they released in a kind of backward order. The first model was the quintessential Maxxum 7000. Being a fully featured SLR camera, you had the ability to put the camera in program mode, aperture priority, shutter priority, and a metered manual mode. There is no winding or rewinding with this camera either, everything is automatic. In turn, you get a decent motor drive that can be put into single or continuous (two frames per second) shooting modes. The auto focus is responsive, but it has a bit of trouble with low light. Aimed at the higher end enthusiast, it is still a very capable camera and a solid choice to use today.

The next model to come out the same year was the incredible Maxxum 9000. Toted as the Professional Maxxum and the worlds first professional auto focus SLR, the Maxxum 9000 is a camera with every setting you could possibly want. They brought back manual winding and rewinding for this Maxxum, along with switches and knobs instead of buttons like the 7000 had. This also allows for an external motor to be attached, coming in at a pretty hefty five frames per second mind you. The features include all that were on the 7000, but with the addition of different metering mode options, an aperture preview, a higher shutter speed up to 1/4000th of a second and an eyepiece shutter. The auto focus was left unchanged it seems, the 7000 and 9000 focus relatively the same in most lighting conditions. An excellent camera and a must have for any Minolta fan. As for the Maxxum 5000, there is really nothing of note to talk about. Introduced a couple of years later for the amateur market, it was a heavily stripped down version of the 7000. It only had the ability to go into a program and a cumbersome manual mode. The buttons are rubberized material, very small and awkward to use. It is still a capable camera though, but I would recommend the 7000 and 9000 a thousand times over before this model.

The ever advancing Minolta SLR

After Minolta got a foothold on the auto focus SLR market, they started to release subsequent cheaper versions in the Maxxum line. Gone was the boxy format of the mid 80s, as they changed to a more comfortable rounded design with the i series in the late 80s. Consisting of the 3000i, 5000i, 7000i and 8000i; the i series was more or less a copy of the original Maxxum 7000 but with better auto focus, a faster motor and a faster shutter speed. The i series also introduced the ill fated expansion card system, a card based system of preset ‘modes’. This was definitely intended for the armature photographer and was not included on most later Maxxum models. If you favor the features of the 7000 but want a newer looking design, then I would go for one of the upper numbered Maxxum’s in the i series.

After the slight upgrade that was the i series, Minolta developed the much more upgraded xi series in the early 90s. Still in the same rounded style that the i series was, the xi cameras were significantly bigger and included a new xi lens system. The xi lenses were more compact and had a two step ring around the barrel for the new electronic zoom function. It was intended to further automate the camera and make focusing faster for the user. The xi cameras have quite a heft in the hand and are solid, but the lenses build quality can definitely vary. Consisting of the SPxi, 2xi, 3xi, 5xi, 7xi, and 9xi… the 7xi the only one you should really worry about. This is because the 9xi does not accept older Maxxum lenses for some reason. Having all the typical modes to choose from, and an impressive max shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second, the 7xi is no slouch. A very capable camera, and a solid choice if you want to blend in with the digital SLR crowd and have an automated film camera suited for almost any possible situation.

Making the lightest possible camera must have been priority for Minolta in the 90s because at this point the newly introduced si series of cameras were 100% plastic. There were a lot of different models of these cameras made and honestly they are all worth a skip. The lenses are passable but the camera body construction is so light and it feels horribly cheap. I would recommend you give a pass on all of the si cameras.

But this was not the end for Minolta, they redeemed themselves in the early 2000s with the Maxxum 3, 4, 5, 7, 50 and 70. Features were abundant on all of these models but the real stars of the show were the Maxxum 70 and the Maxxum 7. Leaving the cheap norm that Minolta was really pushing, the 70 was of higher construction but still not quite as nice as other manufacturers cameras that were out at the time. The Maxxum 7, on the other hand, was a monster. This is the real professional Maxxum camera and it commands that price still. It looks like any DSLR today and might as well be with all those features, it even has weather sealing! If it weren’t for the extremely high price I would definitely have one, but for now, I will believe the hype and look from afar.

The point and shoot and APS craze

There were quite a lot of Minolta point and shoot cameras produced, most likely around one hundred different models. Most of which were plastic 35mm viewfinder cameras that produced reasonable results. There are three specific categories that these point and shoot cameras fall into, fixed focus, auto focus, and zoom types. There were a couple of series of point and shoot cameras varying from the Minolta F, AF, Memo, Riva, and Freedom with a couple more one offs sprinkled in there.

Out of all of these plastic cameras, there are a few that come to the forefront. Besides the beauty and exorbitant price of the Minolta TC-1, the oldest and most well made of these cameras seemed to be within the Freedom series. Starting with the first batch of Freedom cameras to be released in 1987, the Minolta Freedom 101 was a bare bones point and shoot. Including a self timer and flash, this fixed focus camera was an unremarkable start to the point and shoot craze of the late 1980s. Thought the Freedom series they introduced auto focus and other zoom features but no point and shoot Minolta had any type of quality behind it, that was until I stumbled across an amazing camera from the early Freedom line.

Out of all the Minolta point and shoot plastic cameras, there is a relatively obscure hidden gem that not many people know about. The Minolta Freedom III from 1987 is a solid camera, and worthy to be up in the ranks as a cult classic. Still sporting the square design of the 1980s the Freedom III has a great look and not that rounded, ugly, throw away feel of other point and shoot cameras to come after that. The front cover protects not only the lens but the viewfinder and auto focus elements as well. The lens is a sharp and reasonably fast f/2.8 for a point and shoot. You also get a handful of features and settings as well ranging from a date back to a fill flash mode and a continuous shooting mode. The only gripe is that you cannot turn off the flash, but that is easily worked around. The Freedom III is a great point and shoot camera and I cannot highly recommend it enough.

As Minolta was in the middle of releasing their myriad of point and shoot cameras, the APS format started to gain traction. Minolta hopped on with the Vectis series of cameras. Consisting of mostly point and shoots, there were two very impressive SLR cameras made, the Vectis S-1 and S-100. These cameras did not have a prism but used a strange system of mirrors to incorporate the SLR feature along with a new proprietary lens system. In the world of APS, there are under ten SLR cameras ever made and the Vectis S-1 is a top of the line camera. If you're interested in APS film, I would say a Vectis SLR is the way to go.

As the 1990s hit and the first digital cameras started popping up, Minolta abandoned film and went full force into digital cameras. They released only two DSLR cameras, but quite a few digital point and shoot cameras before having financial trouble and eventually being acquired by Sony. Sadly that was the end, and a bit of an anticlimactic one, for such an important and influential company. Historically Sony is the spiritual successor to Minolta, but one can only wonder what it would be like with Minolta around today.

The minolta Advantage

With the 75 years of amazing cameras and glass Minolta made, you have a million options to choose from. Whatever type of photographer you are, there will be a Minolta camera for you. Let's go through some examples for the heck of it, let's say your into rangefinders. With a short throw and fast lens, the Hi-Matic 7SII is the camera for you. But let's say you want a better quality camera than that, let me introduce you and your bank account to a camera known as the Minolta CL. Made in collaboration with Leitz, it’s a top of the line rangefinder. More into medium format? Look no further than the Minolta Autocord lineup. You could be more of an auto focus kind of person too and still find solace in the Maxxum lineup. With the fire and forget Maxxum 5000 to the professional Maxxum 7 and a million models in between, I guarantee you will find one that will click. Dare I say if you're even a digital person, there were a few models to come out before being bought out by Sony. Like I’ve been saying, every type of camera you can think of.

In my mind, no photographer could ever scoff at Minolta, and if they did I would be right there to defend them. In the professional market, they were often looked down on, being that they designed cameras mostly for the amateur market. A handful of famous people decided to use Minolta cameras as well. One of the astronauts, John Glenn, took up an Ansco branded Minolta Hi-Matic into space. Even Ansel Adams, when tooling around with 35mm, was known to be sporting a Minolta. I know a couple of people that have very strong opinions on what a good camera is, but don’t let people tell you any camera is not worth it, give every camera a chance and determine that for yourself. Collect and shoot what you want to, you will find photography much more enjoyable that way.

It’s not all about name brand and hype, it has more to do with performance and results. If you're in the market for a camera, I’d say Minolta competes directly with the other big names. You have plenty of companies and plenty of options to choose from when you're looking to buy a camera, so why Minolta? The price of most heavy hitter cameras, like the Pentax K1000, Nikon F, and the Canon AE-1 Program, tend to fetch upwards of one hundred dollars or more. This is why Minolta is amazing today. The prices for cameras and lenses are significantly less, and deals can still be found when looking around. They are even the same quality as other cameras in that time period or even better. A well qualified and affordable option for any photographer.

The APPRECIATION

I have quite the affinity for Minolta cameras, you couldn’t get me to stop talking about them if you tried. The first real camera I used was my fathers Minolta XG-1, a middle of the road entry on the XG line of cameras, but a solid and fun camera to use. This camera was the only one I used through the photography program in middle school and up into high school. With the XG-1, this is where my understanding of depth of field came from. Being an aperture priority camera, the XG-1 encourages you to focus on the importance of the aperture. That was the beginning of a long love affair with me and Minolta, and my start to film photography.

I have come to own quite a few Minolta cameras, but there is one that will always be my favorite to use. I have used the XG, SR/T, X, and Maxxum series, but nothing compares to the feel of using an XD or XE Minolta. Being part of the time that Minolta was in a partnership with Leitz, the Minolta XE-7 is a masterpiece of engineering. Being still mainly made of metal, the XE-7 is not a light camera but has just the right amount of heft to feel like quality. It was also the first Minolta to have a metal vertical plane shutter. It’s the most solid feeling Minolta out of any era, the XD-11 being a very close second in my book. But I don’t discount the other Minolta’s in the collection. One of my all time favorites to use is the X-7A. Not a pro model by any means, but it’s light, it has the cool shutter switching mechanism, and the all important metered manual mode. With the 50 plus Minolta cameras released, I’m sure you will find one that you will like. Minolta may be the ‘underdog’ camera manufacturer per se, but if you look at their achievements, they were ahead of the game. Take it from a life long fan, the quality is fantastic and the glass has an undeniably unique look to it. There is a Minolta camera for everyone out there, I guarantee it.