Why does everyone hate my Minolta X-700

<p>I know I am pushing the limits of this forum perhaps as the X-700 is a bit more automatic than some, but still a manual focus SLR. But I know you all better than some of the other forums and wondered if you would comment. Why do X-700's sell so cheaply? Are they some sort of pariahs of the SLR world? Are they the proverbial red-headed stepchild? I got mine as a graduation gift and it has a nice feel, large viewfinder and solid construction / fit. Is that the minolta line eventually vanished? Just seems that it consistently sells for much less than other comparable cameras of its day. I had a chance to compare it to Canon AE and Olympus OM models and it was certainly close in many regards. Thanks. Interested in your feedback.</p>

<p>Your camera was introduced towards the end of the SLR boom in the 1980s, along with (for example) the Canon FD 'T' series. Vast numbers of these were marketed to snapshooters who had no need for an SLR. When it dawned on the marks that what they really needed was an autofocus P & S, millions of electronic SLRs sat in closets for 25 years, and are now surfacing on ebay and Craigslist. </p>

<p>Nobody hates your camera. There are huge numbers of them and almost no demand, so they sell for practically nothing now, maybe 5% to 20% of their original street prices. For the same reason, you can find a Canon T70, an excellent camera, in near-new condition for under $50. </p>

<p>I don't think it's hated but if you asked people who like the old Minoltas what their favorite Minoltas are I don't think the X-700 would be at the top of very many lists. For many it's overshadowed by the XD and XE series. Then there are people who prefer the SRTs because they're more manual, or just don't like cameras made from plastic, or are wary of buying an X-700 because of the glitchy capacitor problem, or live in fear of running out of batteries. Others prefer the X-570 because it ditches the P mode (which a lot of the sort of people who are still shooting manual focus cameras want nothing to do with) in favor of a more informative finder when in M mode.</p>

<p>I have an X-700 and like it quite a bit myself. My capacitor isn't broken, I don't mind plastic, I prefer A mode most of the time and I really like the acute matte focusing screen. But my XD-11 is my go-to Minolta.</p>

Now that I know everybody hates this model.. I know I can get it cheap..we bottom feeders... hhhmmm! Everybody hated Fiats so back in the day they could be had quite cheaply... I suspect the colleagues have explained that it's historical position left it somewhat lost between the System SLRs and the later P&Ss.

<p>This subject has come up many times. When the X-700 came out in 1981 I was using mostly Konica equipment. I couldn't understand why Minolta seemingly went backward by returning to a cloth horizontal shutter and giving up in the shutter priority option of the XD series. Years later I bought a Minolta Auto Bellows III because I thought the front standard movements were interesting. I adapted it for use on Konicas. I then thought it might be easier so get a Minolta body. My first Minolta 35mm SLRs were a SR-1S, an SRT 100 and an X-370. All of those have since been traded. While I had the X-370 I purposely bought MC Rokkor lenses because they had the depth of field preview tab. Over time I got a lot more Minolta equipment. I have ten Minolta 35mm SLRs: five X-700s, an SR-7, an older SRT 101 (black shutter speed dial), a newer SRT 101 (still has mirror lock-up), an SRT 102 and an SRT 201. One X-700 has a grid screen and it's the one I use most. One has a plain matte screen which I like for very close macro work and three have the standard screen. For macro work aperture priority is more useful. What do I like about the X-700? It has a very bright viewfinder, a sensitive and accurate meter, interchangeable focusing screens, excellent TTL flash units, motor and winder capability, data back capability, good weight - not too heavy or too light, parts availability, depth of field preview, PC socket, standard cable release socket.<br>

The diode problem is an issue but this is an easy repair. Many original Minolta lenses and Minolta mount lenses are available for very little. The X-700 may have been Minolta's longest lived camera. It was not officially discontinued until either 1999 or 2000. That's about a twenty year run. In its final years the X-700 was assembled in China from parts made in Japan. Those models seem just as good as the earlier ones. The X-700 is as capable a picture taker now as it was in 1981. With films like Porta 400 and Ektar 100 and Elite Chrome 100 and TMY2 it may be even more capable. I think that when the X-700 was conceived it wasn't intended to compete with the Nikon FE or Canon A-1. It was meant to tide Minolta over with a reasonably priced and reasonable capable manual focus model until its AF SLR was ready. By the time of the Maxxum 7000 almost all new SLRs were made with vertical metal shutters. The two holdouts were the Minolta X-700 and the Pentax K1000. Good reasons have been given for why X-700s sell for so little. A seller with a very high feedback score and who sells a lot of camera equipment knows enough to put in two MS76 batteries to see if the shutter fires. If someone like this uses phrases like "condition unknown" or "not tested" you can be pretty sure it needs new diodes. Someone with very low feedback because of a small number of transactions or who does not routinely sell camera equipment may also sell an X-700 "as is" and in that case the camera may or may not work. </p>

<p>Great cameras. I have its younger but arguably better sibling (the X-570), but it feels very solid in the hands. Add in a Motor Drive 1, and its handling is superb. For the prices, you are getting a camera that can hang in there rather well with pro level cameras. They did have interchangeable screens, too, so that is another plus. <br>

Pretty much, they are killer bargains:o)</p>

<p> I do not, that my first brand-new SLR 25 year ago. I still have it and like it but don't use it</p>

<p>I tried the X-series of cameras...three different models...and had very poor experiences. Every one of them quit working at critical times, causing me much frustration and the expense of having to reschedule shoots and go back on location later with a different camera (yeah, I know I should have carried a backup, but I stupidly didn't). I went back to the SRT's and never looked back. As long as the X's worked, though, they took great pictures and I was happy with them. I don't hate them...I just no longer trust them.</p>

<p>I don't hate the X-700. I love mine. Not as much as I love my Nikon F3, or course, or my dreadnaught fleet of F's, but I think the X-700 is a very nice camera that peforms most photographic tasks conveniently and reliably. I have especially always been impressed with the metering accuracy of the X series Minoltas.</p>

<p>It's true that there are cameras with more and better features (I wish, for example, that it had a mirror lock), probably with more solid mechanics as well, but I think the X-700 is a fine machine, and a bargain in the current market, in part for the reason stated above, that it was often seen by buyers as an up-market P&S, soon forsaken for something more convenient.</p>

<p>In addition, though I'm not sure how it was everywhere in the world, Minoltas seem to have been more or less the flagship "serious" cameras at many department stores here in the U.S. If you went to a K-Mart or a Caldor or any of a number of now-defunct stores that sold a bit of everything, the choice of quality cameras was pretty limited, but it was pretty likely that you'd see much if not all of the Minolta lineup at very competitive prices. So there are a lot of them out there. All the better for those of us who still like them. </p>

<p>I can't think of a reason anyone would hate the X700. It is a good camera just like all of it's predecessors. I owned a couple of it's older XD brothers and made a lot of pictures with them. When the X700 was introduced it competed well with other early auto program cameras and was produced well into the 1990's. However, the X700 is a 30 year old design and there is simply more supply than demand for widely produced aging film cameras. I would enjoy it for the good pictures that it can still deliver.</p>

<p>I remember selling these at Fox Photo back in the 1980's. At the time I was a Pentax shooter (ME Super). Something about the X700 just looked and felt kind of cheap. The film advance crank, the body finish, etc. The best thing about them is that they could use the Minolta ROKKOR lenses, which just seemed to get better even as the materials got cheaper. I feel the same way about the Nikon EM and FG series. They just didn't feel right and I think Dave Sims hit the nail on the head. But if you enjoy the camera that's all that matters! It's the photos that count. And I'd still take it over any 35mm Autofocus plastic blob-o-matic.</p>

<p>Because it's not a Nikon!<br>

( -;</p>

 

<p>I think it's like a lot of things, not just cameras. some types/makers/etc. are more collectible than others. There's no rhyme or reason to a lot of it. Minoltas, in general, seem to sell far below their contemporaries, and it will likely always be this way. Practically the whole world knows the names 'Nikon' and 'Canon', but maybe not so much 'Minolta'. To be honest, had my Father not purchased an SRT-101 back in the early 70s, I probably wouldn't have known as much of them, either!</p>

<p>Others mentioned the X-570. It's true, that the 570 is often regarded as a better camera than the 700, especially for manual mode photographers. The 700 shows you your set shutter speed only, and not what the meter thinks you should be using. The 570 shows both the set speed, and recommended speed, so you know if you/re on, or how much high or low you're shooting. I suppose, because of it, you also lose the over- and under- exposure dial. The Rokkor Files has a <a href="http://www.rokkorfiles.com/X-570.htm">nice article on the 570 vs 700</a>.</p>

<p>I've shot both the 700 & 570, and my XG-M, and they're all very similar in operation. The 700 was a loaner, and I bought the 570 a few years ago off ebay to replace/supplement my XG-M. I'd be perfectly happy to shoot with any of them.</p>

<p>But, until old Minoltas start getting pricier, I'd just enjoy the low prices, and assemble that massive kit we always promised ourselves. You can do that now for pennies on the dollar!</p>

<p>The X- series are so inexpensive and useful. I have two X-570 bodies, one of which always has a Soligor 135/2 mounted, and the other body 50/1.4 Rokkor-x. Even when a body fails, you can get a fine replacement for $20! </p>

<p>Probably the following are the reasons "everyone" "hates" your X-700<br>

1. Plastic body</p>

<p>2. Cloth horizontal shutter with sync speed only 1/60</p>

<p>3. Doesn't display shutter speed you set in manual mode</p>

<p>4. Doesn't work at all without batteries</p>

<p>5. The famous "stuck shutter" problem</p>

<p>6. The later made in China copies are worse</p>

<p>7. There have been too many of them so the people who likes it already have it and dont want to buy any more X-700</p>

<p>8. Last but not least, I dont like your X-700 because it' yours, not mine. I like my X-700 with its impressive 4fps Motor Drive 1</p>

 

<p>You know..that is why I really like coming here / you all. Even on a bad day, I can always count on a few laughs! Cheers!</p>

<p>I do not know why people hate Minolta X-700. However I have seen quite a bit of them in our local pawn shops and thrift store. Must be some kind of sinister story associated with that camera. Plenty of these cameras I have seen indeed.</p>

<p>I love my Minolta X-700. It is/was my first Minolta SLR. The only cam I have which comes close to it's usefulness is a Konica TC, and of course that one needs peculiar batteries.<br>

So keep on shooting with Minolta and Konica and who cares whatever.</p>

<p>It amazes me that people harp on the horizontal cloth shutter, I find it listed as as negative trait in too many places. Yes, it was a step backward for Minolta, but many other brands had horizontal cloth shutters. My Olympus OM-2s had them. The X-700 was derived from the XG series of cameras, and introduced in '81, when Canon's A series was still around. Does anyone complain about the cloth shutter in the A-1 as a step backward from the older EF which had a vertical-travel metal shutter?</p>

<p>I love both of my x700's . I keep one with B&W film the other with color. i use them all the time , the only camera i would like better would be the x570. Its a slightly better ergonomic design but it only lacks the P mode, which i could love with out. But the x700 is always selling for less, so its defiantly the best bang for your buck to use your Rokkor glass on.</p>

<p>Does anyone know why Minolta decided not to offer on this, their flag ship, the Shutter priority mode?</p>

 

<p>I really like mine, but the shutter doesn't always release, even with fresh batteries. Probably capicitor trouble. Since it was one of the last new cameras from the family camera shop I will probably spring for repairs eventually although I could probably pick another up for less.<br />Strengths: good ergonomics, easy focusing, accurate exposure, compact, TTL flash<br />Weaknesses: totally battery dependent, more plastic than I care for<br>

I don't know about the lack of shutter priority on the X-700. Only the XD series offered that mode. Of course, that series used a completely different shutter (metal Copal-Leitz) and was probably more expensive to produce. Somewhere I probably still have invoices from when we stocked the XD-11 as well as X-700. IIRC, the X-700 costs less. I'm not a camera engineer, but I've always wondered if adding shutter priority would have made the X-700 much more expensive.</p>

<p>In 1999 I purchased my brand-new X-700. The camera was discontinued shortly thereafter, but man, that's twenty odd years of production. Think about it. Minolta sold a LOT of these cameras. That's why there are so many of them for sale, and with so many for sale, price goes down.</p>

<p>I have an SRT-201, an X-570, and a pair of XG cameras (1 and 7), along with two XD-11 bodies. I consider the X-700 better than them all due to its capabilities. TTL flash, the MD-1 motor drive and the awesome Data Back make for a system, not camera, that's hard to beat. The motor drive typically sells for more than the X-700 body.</p>

<p>Yes, I love the X-700. I have two.</p>