7 decades of Minolta

[Cope]

David kilpatrick, a UK based photographer and publisher, put together this on his web site. It came from a Minolta 70th Anniversary publication. Interesting, nostalgic, and for former Minolta owners, sad.

http://photoclubalpha.com/useful-and...seven-decades/

[Breezy]

will take a look at this.
Thanks Alan

[TxKent]

I have a 3xi and a 600si... The 3xi is a hunk of user friendly junk... but the 600si was and is still nice.

The reason I moved to Canon is that Minolta really took way too long to come out with the 7D... and I couldn't (Wouldn't) wait for it. They kept pushing it back.

[Cope]

Originally Posted by TxKent

I have a 3xi and a 600si... The 3xi is a hunk of user friendly junk... but the 600si was and is still nice.

The reason I moved to Canon is that Minolta really took way too long to come out with the 7D... and I couldn't (Wouldn't) wait for it. They kept pushing it back.

Kent, the 600Si is a cult camera. it is and was a real sleeper. Designed for amateurs, but with pro features.

[TxKent]

Wow... didn't know that. I really wish I had some better lenses for it. I did have a 500mm Minolta Mirror lens - but sold it about a year ago here on TPF. Was a bit on the slow side at f/8...

[venchka]

The sadder part is that they took Konica down with them. Konica had a history of making things that THEY wanted to make and at a level of quality THEY felt the product deserved.

Today we have the BizHub instead of 50mm 1.2 lenses on motorized AE rangefinder bodies. Bummer. I am thankful that I own 1 Konica camera and 2 Konica lenses. I'm thinking seriously about 1 or 2 more lenses.

EDIT: Minolta built some very good and very unique cameras and lenses also. I didn't mean to downgrade Minolta. Together, they both made some rangefinder lenses that equaled or bested Leica lenses of the time.

[Cope]

Originally Posted by venchka

The sadder part is that they took Konica down with them. Konica had a history of making things that THEY wanted to make and at a level of quality THEY felt the product deserved.

Today we have the BizHub instead of 50mm 1.2 lenses on motorized AE rangefinder bodies. Bummer. I am thankful that I own 1 Konica camera and 2 Konica lenses. I'm thinking seriously about 1 or 2 more lenses.

EDIT: Minolta built some very good and very unique cameras and lenses also. I didn't mean to downgrade Minolta. Together, they both made some rangefinder lenses that equaled or bested Leica lenses of the time.

Minolta made a mistake that caused a lawsuit over AF. Konica came along and bought Minolta. Because of the lawsuit, Minolta had gotten behind the 8 ball with DSLR technology, and they never had the funds to catch up. I don't consider that the drug Konica down, I think maybe Konica made a bad decision regarding Minolta and the camera end of the business. KM is flourishing in the copier business.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by venchka

The sadder part is that they took Konica down with them. Konica had a history of making things that THEY wanted to make and at a level of quality THEY felt the product deserved.

Today we have the BizHub instead of 50mm 1.2 lenses on motorized AE rangefinder bodies. Bummer. I am thankful that I own 1 Konica camera and 2 Konica lenses. I'm thinking seriously about 1 or 2 more lenses.

EDIT: Minolta built some very good and very unique cameras and lenses also. I didn't mean to downgrade Minolta. Together, they both made some rangefinder lenses that equaled or bested Leica lenses of the time.

The Konica Hexar RF is what the M7 should have been and maybe the M9 will be....

If I didn't want to give up batteries, I would be hunting for one rather than considering an M4.

[Murph]

Nice site. I used Minolta X-700's for years.

[Big Dog]

Originally Posted by Cope

the 600Si is a cult camera. it is and was a real sleeper. Designed for amateurs, but with pro features.

Yep! I have the 650si (same camera with a date back)! Love it - as auto-focus goes ... You can get one of these bodies now for under $100.

Also have 6 Minolta manual focus bodies and I-don't-know-how-many lenses. All good stuff.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

The Konica Hexar RF is what the M7 should have been and maybe the M9 will be....

If I didn't want to give up batteries, I would be hunting for one rather than considering an M4.

I'll be right back and set the record straight on that.

[venchka]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Sowerby
I find it interesting how people always feel the need to mention particular cameras' reliance on batteries as if it causes all kinds of problems. Throw an extra one or two in your bag with the film. Problem solved.

Originally Posted by Dante_Stella

I love those people too. Leica's making quite a few battery-dependent cameras lately - as in everything but the MP (and even then, I suspect a lot of people would freeze up if the meter in the camera didn't work).

As I have found taking Hexar RFs around the world, two CR2 batteries occupy about the same space as one roll of film or about 1/2 the space of an M8 battery. Consider that 4 CR2s can go 8,000-10,000 exposures and the M8 battery (on a good day) does 500.

By the way, having had the opportunity to hang with an M7 lately, I think that Konica's implementation (swing back, integral motor, 1/125 synch, and top-mounted EV comp dial) is cleaner and more functional.

And in a lot of ways, the M8 mimics the Hexar RF.

Given the difference in price between a decent Hexar RF and an M4, you could add one or two M-Hexanon lenses. Or a pair of ZM lenses.