My "new" XE's

[riffeym]

<p>My latest foray into the world of Minolta was the acquisition of the venerable XE-7 and the lesser sibling, the XE-5. Both cameras were won on Ebay as "parts or repair" as the seller stated that the film rewind was jammed on both cameras. I had always wanted to tryout the XE series, so $23.00 later, I was the proud owner of both XEs.</p>

<p>Cosmetically, both cameras are in wonderful shape. Mechanically, they both had locked up shutter releases and of course the film rewinds wouldn't work. I started with the XE-7 first and set the shutter speed selector to "X" and the On/Off selector to On. The shutter fired but the rewind lever had way to much resistance. On dis-assembly, I noticed that the film rewind had been apart and assembled incorrectly. Put things back the way they were supposed to be and, Viola!, nice, smooth rewind function! I loaded in two 1.5 volt batts and the meter reported for duty. A cursory check against my Sony A300 and my Minolta 9xi showed it to be correct. Ran the shutter at all speeds and it seemed pretty kosher.</p>

<p>Here she is wearing a MC Rokkor-X f1.7 50mm<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/7987006600_9b8ae0361a_c.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="535" /></p>

<p>Next up, the XE-5. Removing the bottom plate showed something jammed in the gears at the bottom of the rewind shaft. After putting the shutter speed on "X" and cocking the shutter, the shutter release worked, the mirror went up and…..nothing. After a teardown and removal of the mirror box, I noticed that the shutters had become detached from the mechanism and moved about freely on their own. Afraid to proceed any further, I buttoned up the XE-5 and set it back on the shelf, not sure what to do next.</p>

<p>In about 2 weeks and $19.00, I had another "fixer-upper" XE-5 from Ebay sitting on my bench that was advertised as jammed.. I tore this one down, removed the mirror box and un-jammed the shutter. I put new batteries in and when you released the shutter, the mirror went up…and stayed there. Classic symptom of low/no battery power. I ended up scraping the little metal contacts behind the On/Off selector switch and now I have a working XE-5 to go with my XE-7!</p>

<p>Here's the XE-5 wearing a MC Rokkor PF f1.7 55mm<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8170/7986998697_bf68aa3574_c.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="535" /></p>

<p>So, for an investment of about $42, I have a working XE-7 and XE-5 plus a XE-5 parts camera.</p>

<p>Both cameras have had their light seals replaced and the XE-5 has been loaded with Kodak Gold 400ASA 36 exp and is currently undergoing field trials.</p>

<p>Hope to be able to show you some pictures from the XE-5 soon!</p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>Put things back the way they were supposed to be and, <strong>Viola</strong>!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You got a large violin?</p>

[riffeym]

<p>A small play on words...very small... : D (grin)</p>

[craigd]

<p>Nice work! I've never used an XE-5, but the XE-7 is a wonderful camera. Mine isn't quite as pretty as yours; it's got a little bit of brassing near the top left and right edges in front. But it's perfectly functional, and with those excellent MC Rokkors it does a fine job. The XE-7, like the Nikon FE, is one of those cameras that gives you every feature you really need without any of the distractions that were just about to start infiltrating camera designs when the XE-7 first came out, and is therefore an ideal image-making machine.</p>

[riffeym]

<p>Thanks Craig! I was fortunate that it was in excellent cosmetic condition and was very simple to fix. It is a heavy camera but, I'm used to heavy gear after toting around my 9xi. I do love the rewind and shutter though!</p>

[jeffrypittman]

<p>Congratulations! I sold mine XE-7 and XD a few years ago and immediately regretted doing so! Enjoy it, it is a classic and a real beauty.</p>

[John Seaman]

<p>Brilliant job fixing up those XE's, well done. The black one is very nice. I've got two XE1's (European equivalent of XE7) and their feeling of sheer quality and smoothness is something else amongst classic cameras. As Craig says, they have just enough help for the user without going over the top in terms of unnecessary and distracting bells and whistles.</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>I have an XE-1. Same camera as the XE-7 but wearing an XE-5 disguise. i.e. chrome with black prism cover.</p>

[carbon_dragon]

I bought and used an XE-5 all through college (bought brand new). I replaced a SR-T-101 (wish I still have that thing).

The XE was a great camera and I still have it (though it's been repaired a couple of times over the years). What sold me

on the camera was the remarkably smooth electromagnetic shutter release.

[riffeym]

<p>Thanks Jeff and John! Steve, I've been looking a getting XE/XE-1, I kinda like the chrome/black look. David, I know what you mean! The more I use the XE's, the more I like how the shutter and film wind-on feel. They just feel classy.</p>

 

[theaudiodoc]

<p>Congratulations Michael,<br>

The XE-7 is one of my all time favorite cameras! And I have a large collection! I'm considering using mine for "Oktoberfest" on dyxum! :-) Let us know if you have any questions about the cameras. BTW, I have the service manual if you need a copy!<br>

Regards,<br>

<br />Robert</p>

[riffeym]

<p>Thank you Robert! I appreciate the offer too. They are both wonderful feeling cameras and I hope to be producing some images soon. I found out my C-41 chemicals are expired AFTER I shot a couple of rolls of color film! :<<br>

I'm now getting my B&W chemicals ready to go so I can run some B&W film</p>

<p> </p>

[randyjay]

<p>Great job Michael. I pretty much went the same route as you, but my results were better. Out of 4 cameras, I ended up with 4 great cameras. I now have 2 XE-5s, and an XE-7. I gave another XE-5 to my son and he loves his. My XE-7 had a 3 inch long section of torn film jamming it.<br>

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/diecastdeluxe/cameras3/MINOLTAXE5.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="688" /></p>

[riffeym]

<p>Thanks Randy! You got a better track record than me - 4 for 4, that's great! Don't you just love it when a repair turns out to be something as simple as a piece of film?</p>

 

[randyjay]

<p>You're welcome. I love it when I buy a camera and the owner says it's broken and all it needs is new batteries.</p>

[riffeym]

<p>Yep! It's like "Instant Karma"!</p>

 

[riffeym]

<p>What a marvelous family portrait Les!</p>

 

[riffeym]

<p>I hope every lens found a "home"... ; D (grin)</p>

[riffeym]

<p>Nice shot! Love the color reflection in the lenses. How do you like the XK compared to the XE-7?</p>

 

[theaudiodoc]

<p>Les, I have an XK but my shutter rings just a bit, my XEs are more quite. Well I don't know that it is the shutter ringing but something rings when the shutter releases. </p>

[riffeym]

<p>Les, thanks for your observations on the XK. I've wondered about the XK compared to the XE - although they are entirely different cameras.</p>

[riffeym]

<p>No, I didn't have that brochure. Thanks!</p>

[randyjay]

<p>My XE-7 had that brochure packed with it along with the Hang Tags, 3 Booklets, and the Warranty Cards for the flash, body, and lens.</p>

[riffeym]

<p>It's always an added bonus to get that kind of paperwork with your camera isn't it?</p>

 

[randyjay]

<p>Sure is, but it doesn't happen very often. </p>