Minolta X-370..Was it any good??

I have an opportunity to purchase a Minolta X-370 camera with a 35-

75mm 3.5-4.8 lens and a 75-200mm 4.5 lens (really good shape). She

got it years ago from her father and never uses it or plans to. I

have a Nikon D100 and N80 I use most of the time but I was thinking

about picking this up to play with. Anyone know if this camera was

any good and what would be a decent offer to pay? Thanks for any

input.

You certainly don't need it since you already have the Nikon.<br>

But this is an OK camera. The older X-300 is much better build, and the X-500 and X-700

were even better with similar look. I have used the 500 for years and loved it. Now, I gave

it to my brother and he still uses it ! Solid, reliable, great & cheap lenses available...<br>

Lenny<br>

<a href="http://afimage.com">AFimage.com</a>

It's not a bad camera. It's still made. Basic aperture-priority automatic with center-weighted averaging meter, not professional quality construction but not bad either. Readout is by red LED's. It can be used manually, and is battery-dependent for shutter speeds other than 1/60. It uses common silver-oxide button cells. It lacks some features, such as depth-of-field preview, mirror lock, and exposure compensation. It does have AE lock.

 

They're very plentiful and have been made for a very long time. I have one, which I rarely use, but it's a good camera for traveling when you don't want to take the big guns. It works well and it's pretty compact. With a fast normal lens this is small and light enough to make a pretty good street camera. Because older Minolta lenses are easy to find and often quite cheap this can be a useful mount to own.

 

This was never an expensive camera. You could check new and used listings at Adorama, B&H, and KEH to get an idea of what a good one might go for now. The zoom lenses, especially if they're off-brand, may not be worth very much.

They are fine by most standards. Minolta had all these made under contract in China, and the maker also turned out the exact camera sold under different names like Carena, etc. The only service problem I'm aware of centers around the shutter release mechanism. It is electronic, and magnets get sticky, capacitors lose their "oomph" and things quit working. Fortunately not a difficult fix if you're handy. Good luck.

 

Jon

<P>The X-370 is a basic spec but effective camera body. It gives you access to the Minolta MC and MD lenses, many of which are excellent. If that 75-200mm is the Minolta, it's a very good lens. I also would rate the Minolta 35-70 very highly though not everyone does.</P><P>Resale values of manual focus SLR cameras have plunged, so the kit is not worth a lot, and since you are already invested in Nikon gear it may not be worth buying even very cheaply. Still, it's by no means a dud, so don't be afraid to buy it if it's affordable.</P>

I have a X370 with an MD 50mm 1.8 lens,this little camera rocks!It is lightweight,takes nice sharp pix,and if I drop it off a cliff,Im out very little money.I have printed B&W negs from this camera,that are every bit as sharp as from my Nikon lenses.Good cameras,IMHO.

If it was really, really cheap, I might buy it. I mean $25 or less for the whole set.

 

I guess I just don't see the point of using a manual focus SLR with slow zooms, so I'd only

really be willing to pay for the body. The body was Minolta's budget camera. It's plasticky

but doesn't feel bad in the hand.

 

A fault of the body is that it doesn't display the aperture in the viewfinder. At least, that's

what I read on the Internet, because my (given as a gift) X-370 body is dead with the

problem Jon describes--I can't see through the viewfinder. ;-) Personally, I don't think I

could live without that in a camera I'd primarily use in aperture priority mode.

 

No depth of field preview. Also no exposure compensation dial. Of course you can always

adjust the film speed dial to get the same effect, it's just slower.

 

So if it's really cheap, you'd probably like the body--I really enjoy my Minolta manual focus

equipment--but I'd recommend immediately getting some of the cheap, fast, good

Minolta primes to use with the camera.

 

My Minolta 70-210mm f/4.0 is sharp but lacks contrast. All my primes are better.

 

Also, if you have further questions, you might as well ask in the Minolta Forum. ;-)

 

Good luck.

I can't speak for the X-370 but I have two Minolta X-700's and was very happy with it! I replaced my Canon Elan II & Elan IIe with it (like going back in time) and was very happy.

 

Then I went digital.... Canon 10D and haven't used either X-700 since :+(

 

But honestly the X-370 + lenses isn't worth more then $100 (my opinion).

The x-370 is low end and relialbe. I used them a lot on archeaological digs becuse they were disposable. The lenses are good for the price and the bodies are cheap. If you need a camera to litterally kick around these are good because the cost so little. If any of my minoltas got stolen or broken I would sleep easy because its cheap. Get it if you know you are going somehwere rugged and outdoors. If not, save your money

The X-370 was Minoltas entry level body. It's a nice little SLR, but nothing special, and not very expensive new or particularly sought after on the second hand market.

 

The 35-70mm f/3.5-4.8 lens is pretty bad, really - or at least the one I had for a short time was appaling. It's generally considered to be the only real lemon in the Minolta manual focus lens lineup. This lens is not to be confused with several versions of the earlier 35-70mm f/4 lens, all of which have an excellent reputation.

 

IMHO the best part of your set is the 75-200mm f/4.5 lens. It is one of the lenses Minolta also made for Leica. I bought one new in the mid 80s and have used it ever since. Personally, I find it even better than the later 70-210mm f/4, which has an outstanding reputation already. Every time I use the 75-200mm f/4.5 I am amazed by it's outstanding performance - excellent sharpness, great contrast, little to no flare, and a wonderful bokeh. It's great even when used with a quality TC or close up equipment. It's not a very well known lens, and usually available for under $100, but IMHO the set would be well worth picking up for this lens alone.

 

Some sample shots taken with the MD 75-200mm f/4.5:

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/342525&size=lg

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/340602&size=lg

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/701180

A friend has a X-360... great camera, but maybe not so "plasticy" as the X-370 (haven't seen one to compare) It does have a nice feature: the meter readout shows the shutter speeds... much better than the plus(+)minus(-) LED type, and it's actuated by a seperate button (also better than the more common type that uses the shutter button for this) I totally agree about the tele-zoom lens! My friend has this exact lens and I love it... so much better than the cheap variable aperture zooms in this range (if you end up deciding you don't like the camera, I would be glad to buy that zoom from you!)