Minolta Cameras – All
By Ryanita
Executive summari about Minolta Camera By Tom Bonner
Here are all the cameras we know about made by Minolta. Models not being manufactured any more are marked “discontinued,” although you may still find recent models in stores, even after Minolta has stopped building them. A review link appears for those cameras we’ve reviewed. If we have current pricing information available on our price-comparison pages, you’ll find a link to take you directly to that camera’s specific price-comparison page. Happy Hunting!
Please note: Because Konica and Minolta merged in 2003, all new camera reviews of “Konica Minolta” cameras will appear in the Konica Minolta Digital Camera section. Cameras made and sold under the old individual names will appear in their respective sections
How To Load Film Into The Minolta SRT Camera
Loading your Minolta SRT camera with a fresh roll of 35mm film is a simple matter. If you open the back while film is outside of the metal cassette, the film will be ruined. If the handle spins freely, there is no film loaded in the Minolta Camera, or the film has been safely rewound inside it’s protective cartridge.
If the handle will not turn, there is loaded film in the Minolta Camera. Return the camera to the upright position, then crank the film clockwise until the handle spins freely.
If there is an exposed cassette in the Minolta camera, pull up on the same rewind knob and lift the cassette out.
Lift up on the rewind knob to allow the cassette to fit into place, then press down on the knob to secure the film cassette.
Although the SRT has a robust film transport, if you do not engage the film onto the take up spool properly, it is possible for the film to slip free. If this happens, the film will not advance. It is easy to check if the film is loaded properly.
Use the same rewind trick described to check for loaded film. After you have closed the back and cranked the wind lever twice, flip up the film crank and carefully try to wind the film counter clockwise. If the film appears to be loaded OK, glance at the rewind knob when you advance the film. If film is moving through the camera, every time you advance the shutter, the rewind knob will turn counter clockwise.
Depress the clutch button, then carefully rewind the film using the rewind knob.
Minolta SRT Film SLRs – Still Clicking After All These Years
For a small, but determined group, the Minolta SRT series cameras are still a viable path to SLR photography. Even though the cameras themselves have been out of production for over twenty years and Minolta exited the camera business in 2006, Minolta SRTs are still a hot commodity on ebay, pawnshops and at used camera dealers.
Minolta no longer makes cameras and digital SLRs are now king of the camera hill. Despite these factors, the SRT camera line is still producing great images. The SRT101 started the series when it was introduced in 1966. Over the next 15 years, Minolta produced the SRT100, SRT102, SRT200, 201 and 202. The SRT series also appeared with other names outside the US. In addition, Minolta produced the SRT-MC to be sold primarily by K-mart. Make no mistake, digital SLRs offer a number of advantages that no film SLR can match. A pure manual camera, the SRT forces the users to learn photography from the ground level. Many users are using a SRT as s stepping stone to learning photography before splurging a full featured digital SLR.
Vivitar, Tamron, Soligor and many others also produced excellent lenses to fit the SRT series. Unlike the autofocus A-Mount Minolta lenses that can be used on both Sony and Minolta dSLRs, the X-mount lenses won’t fit any dSLR without an adapter. Although the SRTs have a reputation for great reliability, always check the camera carefully before buying. Undoubtedly the biggest concern is the lack of a battery for the camera’s internal meter. With today’s wide latitude films, I have used the readily available MS76 1.5v silver oxide cell with excellent results.
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