Post by nikkortorokkor on Feb 11, 2008 17:41:30 GMT -5
The best camera that I ever owned is undoubtedly my brassy old Nikon F3, foolishly let go in a fit of travel-induced poverty some 9 years ago and still missed. Unfortunately, common sense tells me that even though F3s are going for a relative song these days, I still can't afford the lenses. My quest then, has been to find a camera that gives the same solid feel as the F3, but without the price penalty. Buying new has not proven successful, anything I can afford feels like a toy by comparison.
Enter the Minolta XE-1 (XE-7 in the US, XE in Japan).
Bought in useable condition for NZ$101, including postage, the XE gives me everything the F3 did. Well, nearly.
Here's an initial impression:
plusses
A nice amateur kit of body + 5 primes and 1 zoom has cost me about the same as a well used F3 body would
Rokkor Glass
Copal/Leitz electronic shutter - some say this is the quietest SLR ever, period.
Solid reputation for reliability amongst those who know
Minolta CLC metering
The best aperture preview system in the business - it can be locked on or off, just like the old SRT 101. Moreover, the meter continues to read accurately with the preview locked on: the XE can be used as an AE, non-auto diaphragm camera!
Cheap, mechanical 'backup body': the SRT 101 is readily available.
Full viewfinder information: aperture and speed.
mechanical B and X that can be used if the batteries failed
Minuses
Ergonomics - The XE is good ergonomically, but I think it'll take much longer to become an extension of my eye the way the F3 did. There are just some baffling little things like the on off switch, which is on the back of the top plate, just below the winder. Fair enough, it's in a good spot, except that it switches up for off. Thus, to turn the camera on when it's at your eye, you need to lift your thumb off and pull te lever down. If it worked the other way you could,ve rubbed your thumb up the back of the body, switched the camera on and been ready to wind in one motion, as it is you need to loosen your grip twice to perform this operation.
Top speed of 1/1000 versus the Nikon's (and Minolas own pro-level XK's) 1/2000
No mirror lockup (despite having a viwefinder blackout curtain)
No motor drive and a more limited system than the huge Nikon system. For me, this ain't a problem - I don't use MDs anyway and I can't afford all that lovely Nikon gear, but for the late 70s pro, the XE could've been a bit limited.
No interchangeable prism, or even interchangeable focussing screen.
The finder is slightly dimmer than best of the era (including Minolta's own XK).
In some ways, the XE illustrates to me the marketing savvey amassed by Nikon and the opportunities missed by the innovators at Minolta. The XE had most of the important features of the F3: robust construction, electronic shutter, AE, a (single speed) mechanical shutter that could be used sans batteries, and all launched six years before the F3 (1974 versus 1980). In fact, if all those grumpy retrogrouches who groused about the F3's avant guard electronics in 1980 had bothered to look over at Minolta, they'd have realized that they wern't so avant guard after all, and had already been proven reliable by Minolta/Copal/Leitz.
But the XE wasn't a pro body, it was marketed as something for the enthusiast consumer. A big, heavy, expensive, amateur camera with an electronic shutter, just what the world was screaming for in 1974. Olympus begged to differ, and so did the buying public! Nikon, meanwhile, took the same basic ingredients as the XE, wrapped it in Giorgetto Giugiaro's gorgeous ergonomics, added pro features like motordrive, TTL flash, interchangeable prisms and mirror lockup, integrated it with their already extensive system and wunderba! An iconic camera is born. XE production run, 1974 - 1977. F3 Production run, 1980 - 2001!
Meanwhile, this (very) amateur photographer is very happy with his XE 1 based kit.
Enter the Minolta XE-1 (XE-7 in the US, XE in Japan).
Bought in useable condition for NZ$101, including postage, the XE gives me everything the F3 did. Well, nearly.
Here's an initial impression:
plusses
A nice amateur kit of body + 5 primes and 1 zoom has cost me about the same as a well used F3 body would
Rokkor Glass
Copal/Leitz electronic shutter - some say this is the quietest SLR ever, period.
Solid reputation for reliability amongst those who know
Minolta CLC metering
The best aperture preview system in the business - it can be locked on or off, just like the old SRT 101. Moreover, the meter continues to read accurately with the preview locked on: the XE can be used as an AE, non-auto diaphragm camera!
Cheap, mechanical 'backup body': the SRT 101 is readily available.
Full viewfinder information: aperture and speed.
mechanical B and X that can be used if the batteries failed
Minuses
Ergonomics - The XE is good ergonomically, but I think it'll take much longer to become an extension of my eye the way the F3 did. There are just some baffling little things like the on off switch, which is on the back of the top plate, just below the winder. Fair enough, it's in a good spot, except that it switches up for off. Thus, to turn the camera on when it's at your eye, you need to lift your thumb off and pull te lever down. If it worked the other way you could,ve rubbed your thumb up the back of the body, switched the camera on and been ready to wind in one motion, as it is you need to loosen your grip twice to perform this operation.
Top speed of 1/1000 versus the Nikon's (and Minolas own pro-level XK's) 1/2000
No mirror lockup (despite having a viwefinder blackout curtain)
No motor drive and a more limited system than the huge Nikon system. For me, this ain't a problem - I don't use MDs anyway and I can't afford all that lovely Nikon gear, but for the late 70s pro, the XE could've been a bit limited.
No interchangeable prism, or even interchangeable focussing screen.
The finder is slightly dimmer than best of the era (including Minolta's own XK).
In some ways, the XE illustrates to me the marketing savvey amassed by Nikon and the opportunities missed by the innovators at Minolta. The XE had most of the important features of the F3: robust construction, electronic shutter, AE, a (single speed) mechanical shutter that could be used sans batteries, and all launched six years before the F3 (1974 versus 1980). In fact, if all those grumpy retrogrouches who groused about the F3's avant guard electronics in 1980 had bothered to look over at Minolta, they'd have realized that they wern't so avant guard after all, and had already been proven reliable by Minolta/Copal/Leitz.
But the XE wasn't a pro body, it was marketed as something for the enthusiast consumer. A big, heavy, expensive, amateur camera with an electronic shutter, just what the world was screaming for in 1974. Olympus begged to differ, and so did the buying public! Nikon, meanwhile, took the same basic ingredients as the XE, wrapped it in Giorgetto Giugiaro's gorgeous ergonomics, added pro features like motordrive, TTL flash, interchangeable prisms and mirror lockup, integrated it with their already extensive system and wunderba! An iconic camera is born. XE production run, 1974 - 1977. F3 Production run, 1980 - 2001!
Meanwhile, this (very) amateur photographer is very happy with his XE 1 based kit.