The Minolta X700 – an old-school classic
Arguably the best camera that Minolta ever produced.
Why was/is it so good? The X-700 is compatible with all of the manual focus lenses that Minolta produced since 1960.
Can you still buy the Minolta X700?
The short answer is yes, but locating one can be a bit tricky depending on how popular they are.
I say that because, at the time of writing this article, it seems to be immensely popular in the wedding industry. Maybe because it’s a common find in thrift stores, or second hand auctions, who knows. But I’m seeing it appear regularly on photographers kit lists. So, right now as I write, theres not loads of them about.
As always, try Amazon first, heres a link to a second hand one: Minolta X700
Ebay of course is the next best option, if you’re in the UK try the film camera store.
Minolta X700 Specification
- Program and Aperture-Preferred Automation Modes: The X700 has two automation modes that allow the you to concentrate on composing the shot rather than worrying about the exposure settings. Program mode automatically sets both the aperture and shutter speed based on the lighting conditions, while Aperture-Preferred mode allows you to select the aperture while the camera sets the appropriate shutter speed. These features are particularly useful for beginners who are still learning how to adjust the settings manually, but automatic modes still have their place for any level of user, particularly if you’re in a rush and want to be sure of accurate exposure without having to fiddle with all of the settings separately. Sometimes it’s just much easier to let the camera do all the work when getting the shot is all that matters.
- Manual Mode: While the automation modes are useful, the manual mode allows you to have full control over the exposure settings. The suggested shutter speed is displayed in the viewfinder, but to adjust the setting you’ll have to take your eye off the subject as the dial is on top of the camera. This feature is beneficial for photographers who prefer to have complete control over the settings to achieve a particular effect.
- Lightweight Design: The X700 weighs only 17.5oz (520g), making it easy to carry around and use for extended periods. This feature is particularly beneficial for travel work, candid shots at events such as weddings and day to day family use where an otherwise bulky camera becomes a burden and you never ending using it.
- Stainless Steel Lens Mount: The X700’s stainless steel lens mount is a robust feature that ensures the durability and longevity of the camera. It is more durable than a plastic mount, making it an excellent choice for work and leisure as you can kick the hell out of it at work, throw it in the boot of the car and let your kids play with it and it’ll still work absolutely fine.
- Minolta Program System: While the Minolta Program System was revolutionary when the camera was introduced in 1985, it is now a standard feature in most modern cameras. The Program mode allows you to take pictures without worrying about the exposure settings, making it great for those wanting to learn how to use film cameras and process film without having to worry whether or not any images will come out on the negatives. It also makes it a great walk about camera as you can simply put it in auto mode and enjoy taking pictures whilst on holiday and not stress about getting it perfect. particularly handy if you have children as they never want to sit still for long enough anyway.
- Cloth Horizontal Focal Plane Shutter: The X700’s cloth horizontal focal plane shutter is quiet and smooth. This feature is beneficial for photographers who need to take pictures without disrupting the subject which makes it perfect or wedding photographers who want to shoot film and not get stared at every time they take a picture. I remember my old Bronica and Canon EOS3, they sounded like barn doors by comparison.
- Battery Life: The X700 runs on two S76 button cells, which have a long battery life. By modern standards, these last forever. No need to mess about charging batteries over night, or even packing a charger. This is a huge advantage of 35mm photography, get some film, and go shoot! That being said…it is an electronic shutter, so if the battery goes then you can’t use it. BUT, the LEDs in the viewfinder will stop working first, so at least you know it’s on it’s way out.
X700 Real life Performance
First and foremost, it’s plastic.
Whilst there is a stark difference between the modern use of the word ‘plasticky’ and the 1980s equivalent of being ‘plasticky’, it would be remiss of me to not mention it. It’s tough, and can take a beating, I’ve dropped mine before and it still works fine. But if you’re used to beastly cameras like the EOS 3/EOS 1 or the Nikon F, then this will certainly feel cheaper in the hand.
The “MPS” on the front stands for “Minolta Program System”, it basically means the camera has ‘Auto’ mode. This is great for using it as a hobby camera, it’s lightweight and easily portable, so putting it in Auto mode makes taking pictures fun again.
Program mode does have it’s annoyances. Being used to modern SLRs and having all the exposure in the viewfinder means you can get complacent. The X700 doesn’t show you the Aperture it’s set to, so stylistically you have little control here.
That’s not to say that the viewfinder is bad, quite the opposite actually, it’s only in Program Mode that it’s an issue. The rest of the time it’s awesome. I grew up using an Olympus OM-10, so that was always my benchmark for rating cameras. The Minolta’s viewfinder is excellent. Nice and bright, easy to focus and displays all of your exposure settings in the viewfinder.
One downside of the X-700 is the self-timer and the AE lock are on the same switch, so you can’t operate them simultaneously.
Minolta MD and MC lenses are compatible with the X-700, so if you’ve inherited some from a relative or stumbled across a haul t a car boot sale, then you’re good to go.
I’ve seen these cameras become popular in recent years with wedding photographers who want to shoot film and get that ’80’s family photography look’. It works, the images look brilliant. If you’re happy shooting in that style then this is a great camera and affordable too by modern standards. If you’re new to film photography, brace yourself for the cost of getting your film developed…
Where wedding photographers looking to use this will become unstuck is with the Metering Mode.
It’s not centre weighted, in fact it meters from the whole scene. So if you’re tying to create that dreamy fine art look, be carful you don’t massively underexpose your pictures.
Minolta Lenses
A brief history lesson – Founded in 1928 Minolta began producing lenses in the early 1930s, starting with enlarging lenses for darkroom use. In 1958, Minolta introduced their first interchangeable lens system for their new SLR cameras, the SR-2 and SR-1.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Minolta continued to innovate with the development of their Rokkor lenses, which gained a reputation for high quality and sharpness. In 1985, Minolta introduced the Maxxum AF mount, which offered autofocus capabilities and quickly became the industry standard.
In 2003, Minolta merged with Konica to form Konica Minolta, which continued to produce cameras and lenses under the Minolta brand until 2006 when they sold the camera business to Sony. Today, Sony produces cameras and lenses that are compatible with the original Minolta Maxxum AF mount.
That’s a long way of saying you can buy a Lens Mount Adaptor to use you Minolta lenses on a modern Sony body. Nice.
The Lenses they made in their hay day were super sharp, beautiful bits of kit. You can pick up a really good quality 50mm f1.4 lens for cheap on Ebay, if you upgrade in the future to a Sony system you can keep using them.
If you’re looking for your first film camera, to be fair this probably isn’t it. For the same money you can get a camera with Spot metering (like the OM-10, whoop!), if you’re feeling a bit more fancy, go for the EOS 3, it’s packed full of features and more robust.