Minolta repair

New member here; I'm a casual photographer, have a nice but basic Nikon DSLR and an older but still worthy Sony point-and shoot. I also have a couple of SLR film cameras I haven't used in many, many years. One is a Canon AE-1 Program that my stepdad gave me, it probably(?) works but I haven't put a battery in it to see. I also have an XD-11 Minolta that I used for quite a few years, until it quit working; one day it just didn't do anything. A new battery did nothing for it, and I sent it for repair (ca. 1987). Got it back and it worked well for about 6 months, then quit again.

 

Anyway, I'd like to have it repaired, if there's anyone that can fix that model. None of the places I've emailed can/will repair that model. Does anyone know of someone who can repair it? I feel the problem is in the electronics, rather than anything mechanical.

 

Thanks.

It would assist if we knew where you are located.

And if you're willing to pay for freight and insurance, internationally.

 

WW

Any particular reason to throw (away) money at an old film body?

The world is littered with used SLRs, most of which can be bought for less than the price of a professional CLA.

 

And it's not like the quality of 35mm film can reveal the difference between camera bodies.... or most lenses when it comes down to it.

The Minolta XD-11 was one of the most luxurious-feeling, beautifully thought out cameras of the late '70s: a high water mark for Minolta, perhaps the Lexus of the many compact SLRs introduced in the wake of Olympus OM1. The anti-matter answer to Canon's A-1: totally different philosophy. Once you've used one for awhile, its hard to give it up. Unfortunately, while Minolta external design and user interfaces were at their peak, internal build choices were a mess during this period. So the XD cameras don't stand the test of time very well (neither does the Leica R4 derived from them). Various shutter, electronic and gluey foam issues eventually take their toll, and repair techs really don't like working on them. Not least because their enthusiastic owners might decline to pay once presented with the stark reality of a huge service bill (with no guarantee the camera won't die again within months).

 

The beautiful XD-11 is part of a subgroup of otherwise-nice, non-collectible cameras that typically are not worth the expense of repairing unless you truly have money to burn and don't care how much it (repeatedly) costs. Many electronically-controlled cameras made before the AF era fall into this group: primitive older hard-wired models or later models with AF and durable printed circuits are a safer bet. Middle-era electronic cameras fall down a rabbit hole. If you really must use one of these, its typically way cheaper to discard them when they fail and just buy another functioning body to get you thru the next six months. Or, face facts and choose a model thats more reliable (older or newer). Some of the XG models hold up much better, for example, while others fare about the same as XD.

 

Logic often goes out the window with old cameras/lenses. If you're gonna shoot film for the fun of it, loving the camera is a big part of the package: just be aware the old camera you love might fail at any moment and repair may not be possible/affordable. Mechanical-shutter cameras are usually more repairable, and stay that way after servicing, but there are exceptions (just ask a Hasselblad owner: we spend more on service than we did on the gear). Today's utterly dry sterile uninspiring digital cameras are the definition of "tool": we might as well be secretaries at the Mad Men office using IBM Selectrics. Nikon and Canon DSLRs are duller than dull, the Sony A7 series is an aggressive PITA that fights you every step of the way, Fuji splits the difference, and who knows what Olympus is thinking lately. Digital has many advantages: enjoyment of (or bonding with) the camera isn't one of them unless you have the personality of Sheldon Cooper. So it can be refreshing to go back in time and use a classic camera occasionally, even if its on a death clock countdown and requires film to make an image.

Edited April 3, 2019 by orsetto

If you have emotional attachment to the camera keep it. Buy another used one to use. The XD-11 is a nice camera but isn't all that expensive.

Ask Garry at Garry's Camera Repair - several years ago he fixed an X700 for me. Great job, reasonable cost.

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As general information to respondents and not a topic for discussion: the OP has not logged in since originally posting his request for assistance.