User_502260

<p>It doesn't look like a Minolta manual focus mount or Minolta A mount. </p>

<p>Greg is a good friend of mine. He was, unfortunately, injured in an accident several months ago. He is on the mend and making slow progress. I sent him a lens to work on a while ago. This was after his accident but before I knew about the accident. If I am not mistaken, his wife is checking e-mails for him. Try contacting him at gweber@webercamera.com first. If that doesn't work, contact me through the photo.net system. In the interim I will try to get a message through to him. </p>

<p>I have a few of these and I like them. Your photo are a good test. I think the camera you are showing has a Winder G on it and not a Motor Drive 1. I have several 28/2.5 MC Rokkor lenses. These tend to have darkened over time so I gave them the UV treatment. This lightened them nicely but there is still a color cast. The cast is easily filtered out when I use color print film but I would not use them with color slide film unless I put on some kind of color correcting filter. There is a 28/2.8 MD on one of my X-9 bodies now and it has the original hood. I don't know whether I have all of the 28mm Minolta manual focus lenses slower than f/2 but I must have most of them. These include the different Celtic models. I have and like many Minolta cameras but I do not care for the XG series. There are too many plastic parts in the winding mechanism and the electronics are not especially reliable either. If you have one in good condition it is pleasant to use. It just might not stay in working condition. </p>

<p>I have made this comment more than once before but I don't agree that buying another old camera on eBay for X dollars makes more sense than having a different one serviced. Film and processing is no longer inexpensive. It makes more sense to me to have proper service done on an old camera so I can enjoy it and use it with confidence than than to get a series of old cameras which I know nothing about and which may not work properly. Even if the old cameras on eBay were free, film and processing still aren't. </p>

<p>I can recommend John Titterington without hesitation. John has serviced many Minoltas for me and did excellent work on every one. His contact information is 8109 Wenonga Road Leawood, Kansas 66206 - JTCamera@aol.com</p>

<p>Thanks for posting the photos. Howard Zinn was a college professor of mine. I got to see him at the 92nd Street Y in NY shortly before he died. </p>

<p>My Yashica D has the Yashinon lens but is in need of some work before it can be used. The Yashinon on the Yashica Mat 124G I had years ago was very good. I agree that the Yashikor is also capable of good results. I have a Yashica A and a Yashica 635. Both have the Yashikor and if it is closed down a few stops, its performance is very nice. My complaint about the 124G is that its winding mechanism has many plastic parts and these do not hold up very well </p>

<p>My luck with a Nova 1B and with a Domiplan lens was not so good. The 1B must have been the most poorly made SLR I have ever owned. I traded it for something. The Domiplan came with an Exakta VX500. I traded the Domiplan for a 50/2 Pancolar. The lens was good but I did not like the camera so I traded both away. Late last year I got a 50/1.8 Pentacon marked auto and MULTI COATING on the front. I must have used it only once or twice so far. This year it should get some more use and I will see how it compares to my other M42 standard lenses. </p>

<p>Make that self timer.</p>

<p>I prefer the KM to the K1000. The KM has a self time and more importantly it has a depth of field preview button. Find one and then send it to Eric Hendrickson for service. You will then have a camera with a better feature set and which is in good working order. </p>

<p>My first enlarger in 1971 was a Federal. </p>

<p>I'm sorry to hear this news. Greg is a good friend of mine. I left a few messages for him recently but thought he was just busy. </p>

<p>I have only used my example a few times and I like it. Mark Wahster has used it a lot more and you can search for his posts in this forum. </p>

<p>Guy, try to find a copy of The Manual Of Close-Up Photography by Lester Lefkowitz. It isn't a new book but it explains the principles of close-up photography clearly.</p>

<p>I forgot one more Y/C mount lens. It's the second version of the Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5 (37XXX...).</p>

<p>I am intrigued with the RTS cameras but so far have resisted the temptation to get one. My three overhauled Yashica FX-3 bodies allow me to use my Yashica ML, MC and YUS lenses as well as my one Zeiss lens, a 35/2.8 AEJ. My main concern is that an RTS will work for a while, stop working and then not be repairable. I have a working FX-3 Super 2000 but I don't think that model is as well made as the earlier FX-3. I have an FX-7 waiting for an overhaul. When I have that done I will use a nice gray covering material I found. I have what appears to be a working FX-107. What about the FR cameras? I hope the winder is better than the cameras. I find the FR cameras to be very poorly made. If you have one which works I'm sure it could produce good results. My main complaint against these cameras is the weak winding mechanism. I would not rule out getting more of the Zeiss lenses. I have a number of third party lenses which I enjoy using on the Yashicas. These include the 100/3.5 Vivitar Macro, 50/2.8 Sigma Macro (2 of these), 28/2 Kiron, 35/2.8 Super Paragon (made by Tokina?), 28-85/2.8-3.8 Vivitar Auto Variable Focusing, Tamron 24/2.5 01B and 01BB, Tamron SP 90/2.5 Macro 52B and 52BB, Tamron 200/3.5 Adaptall II and 300/5.6 Tamron SP. Earlier this year a gentleman at our monthly camera showed me his 55/2.8 Vivitar Macro. It was on a Contax RTS III. It would be nice to have that lens too. With adapters I can also use M42 lenses which have an A/M switch, Vivitar TX lenses and plain T mount lenses. </p>

<p>If these were shot with a camera which has a horizontal shutter then I would blame the shutter. The 35SP has a leaf shutter. Could it be a light leak? Could the rewind lever have been turned in the wrong direction?</p>

<p>If you don't plan to keep these items, I would be interested in buying them. I'm not sure exactly when I would use the longest tubes but I would like to experiment with them. </p>

<p>If you want to keep your lines straight you can get a Super D or RE Super and put in a #4 (grid) focusing screen. I don't have an RE Topcor 25 but I can fit a 24/2.5 Tamron Adaptall II (1st or 2nd version) to my Topcons with the correct adapter. Finding a Super D or RE Super with a properly working meter might take a while but the shutters are mechanical so they will work.</p>

<p>This lens will work with a Topcon RE Super, Topcon Super D, Topcon Super DM, Topcon RE2 and Topcon D1. The last two cameras have fixed prisms and vertical Copal shutters. The other three cameras (and variations of them) are system cameras which have interchangeable prisms and focusing screens, horizontal shutters and accept winders. These are interesting cameras and I have a modest collection of them. All of these cameras are readily available on eBay. Most are priced reasonably. A Super DM in pristine condition can be costly. Any general camera repair facility should be able to service the lens. </p>

<p>John Titterington<br> 8109 Wenonga Road<br> Leawood, KS 66206-1146<br> e-mail: jtcamera@aol.com<br> Someone online should have DIY repair info on the XG-M. Even if you get the electronics on the XG-M working properly, the winding mechanism may fail at any moment. For me, a mint condition X-700 is one which John Titterington has already serviced. If an X-700 has not been serviced then no matter how pretty it looks, it may stop working (electronics) at any time. I would rather get a non-working X-700 for $20 and get it serviced than get one for more money which may or may not be working properly, even if it looks nice on the outside. <br> <strong> </strong></p>

<p><strong>John Titterington</strong><br> <strong>8109 Wenonga Road</strong><br> <strong>Leawood, KS 66206-1146</strong><br> <strong>e-mail: jtcamera@aol.com</strong></p>

<p>This camera would benefit from a trip to John Titterington in Leawood, Kansas. He will let you know whether the camera can be repaired and what that might cost. The XG series Minolta cameras are pleasant to use when they are working but they are most often found in non-working condition. The first problem is the bad capacitors. The type of capacitors used in these cameras has a limited life. The capacitors themselves are inexpensive but the camera must be opened up so the old ones can be removed and new ones can be soldered in. If you are handy with electronics you might be able to do this yourself. The second problem is that the winding mechanism contains plastic parts which were not very strong even when they were new. Electronic parts other than the capacitors can and do also fail. The XG cameras were made for very light use and were, as they say in England, built to a price.<br> The later XD cameras were somewhat better made but also suffer from electronics problems. While the X-700 also often needs capacitors it is a more sturdy camera than any of the XG models and can work well for a long time after being overhauled. If you like Minolta manual focus electronic cameras, find yourself an X-700, working or not working, send it to John Titterington for service and then enjoy using it. Using XG cameras is just waiting for something to go wrong. </p>

<p>I have started to use two Minolta 600si cameras. There are supposed to be two additional focusing screens for the 600si, a grid type and a crosshatch type with measurement marks. The camera dates back to 1995 so finding either of these screens may not be easy. Are there any other Maxxum models, earlier or later than the 600si, which have interchangeable focusing screens which will fit the 600si? </p>

<p>I have a fleet of working X-700 cameras. Why are they working so well? John Titterington. If he can't fix what's wrong with your X-700, probably no one can. The X-700 is a pleasure to use. Its bright finder makes focusing even slower lenses easy. The meter is fast and accurate. The TTL flash feature is very useful. </p>