Andy Collins

I haven't shot much film at all lately, but I still keep purchasing new-old film cameras. Film has become tedious and expensive to get processed in my area, which is both discouraging and a bit depressing. Plus, I've become somewhat obsessed with my 'new-to-me' Canon 5D3 of late. At any rate, I loaded film into a shiny 'new' Pentax ME Super and hope to get out and get some shots with it. Not sure when I'll get it developed, but when I do, I'll post some pics. Andy

I'd love to see the two merged again!

<p>That's a beautiful camera, Rick! The Autoreflex T is one of my favorite classic SLRs, and that lens is a jewel. As always, your ability to take ordinary scenes and turn them into art is amazing, and this set of photos is just more testament to that gift that you have. Thanks for sharing!</p>

<p>I'm looking forward to that post Rick!</p>

<p>Great post, Rick! I'm excited to see some pictures taken with the 35-70/3.5, and your shots look wonderfully sharp. I had posted a question a short time ago about my 35-70/3.5 (that I acquired for a steal on a black XD11) that wouldn't focus to infinity. Rather than pay to have it repaired I just bought another one that focuses perfectly, and is in even nicer condition, and cost less than it would've cost to repair the first one. Your post has inspired me to take it for a serious test drive. Excellent shots as always!</p>

<p>Ralf! It's good to hear from you! I was about to email you last week to see what you've been up to since we haven't talked for quite some time, but now I see what you've been cooking up in your laboratory. What a cool way to use that lens. I'm interested to see what more you'll do with your new tool.</p>

<p>I checked John; it does the same thing on my XE-1, XD-11, and X-570. I don't have that problem with any other lens on those cameras.</p>

<p>Any recommendations on who to send it to?</p>

<p>I picked up a Minolta XD-11 with a Minolta MD 35-70mm f/3.5 lens (the 2nd version) off of eBay for $34.95! The camera is in decent cosmetic condition and works beautifully, and the lens is in decent cosmetic condition, with no haze or fungus. The only problem is that it won't quite focus to infinity. Is there a way to fix that, or will I have to send it in or pay much more for another copy? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Big Snapper...this old fellow was traveling between ponds and paused for a photo!</p><div></div>

<p>There's an XD-5 on ebay (item number 322107387516) for $13.49. I needed a replacement battery cover for an X-370 a couple of weeks ago and found them on ebay, but they cost as much as a parts body, so I got a parts body (with an MD 50mm f/2) for just under $13.00!</p>

<p>Thanks, Mukul!</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback everyone! <strong>Mike</strong>, thank you for that link. I'd forgotten about that conversation, but after reading it, I remember it now. 2009 seems like it was a long time ago, and I have bought and sold so many lenses and other gear in that time. I am excited about the 35-135 and am really looking forward to using it.</p>

<p>Thank you, Adrian!</p>

<p>I've been a fan of the Minolta MD 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 lens for some time now, and have always gotten superb results from it. I had a chance to acquire a pristine MD 35-135mm and took the plunge (for a good price, to be fair), but I wonder if anyone has any comments on how these two lenses compare. I love the focal range of 35-135, but I know that the 28-85 has an almost legendary reputation among MD fans. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>I realize this snapshot leaves a whole lot of room for much more improvement, but I was just happy to catch our first hummer of the year.</p><div></div>

<p>I bought a couple of Vivitar higher capacity batteries for mine, and they seem to hold a charge longer than the original Sony battery. I've had no issues at all.</p>

<p>Wow! It's really nice to see what these cameras are capable of, and this one delivered nicer pictures than what I would have imagined possible. Very nice, Rick. Thanks for sharing.</p>

<p>I actually like the MD Rokkor 50/1.4 better, but it costs more than the 50/2. One of my favorite Minolta lenses is the MD 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom. It's an amazing performer and is very sharp. The 35-105 is also a great performer. Both of these are great walk-around lenses. The 28-85 was compared on rokkorfiles.com to the Minolta 35mm primes and at its 35mm setting performed surprisingly well compared to the primes! Check out that site for the comparison and all things Minolta. For a longer zoom, I use a Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5 and also get stunning results on the XD11 and the XE-7.</p>

<p>I most highly recommend the XD11. It's a solid and very capable camera with a lot of great features, and it's a joy to use. I have two black ones with a small selection of lenses. Like Andy L said, if you're looking at Nikon you might consider the FE/FE2. Both of these are great cameras, with the FE actually being my favorite to use, even though the FE2 is more capable in terms of shutter speeds and flash sync. Since you have Minolta lenses though, I think that you should stick with a Minolta body for the time being, and the XD11 is certainly a superb choice. Many consider it to be Minolta's finest manual focus SLR. The XE-7 is also a great choice (and a stunningly wonderful camera to operate!) but it doesn't have the same shutter and aperture priority choices that the XD11 has.</p>

<p>Last one...</p><div></div>

<p>and another...</p><div></div>

<p>It's tulip season!</p><div></div>

<p>Spring is definitely here! This is much nicer than the snow we had just a week ago.</p><div></div>

<p>I agree with Stephen...most of the Olympus cameras produce wonderful pictures. In fact, I started my "serious" photography with an Olympus InfinityZoom 230 back in the early '90s and took some of my most favorite shots with it. On my trip to Alaska last summer, along with my digital gear I took an Olympus Infinity SuperZoom 3500 DLX because of its weatherproof construction, its 35-120mm focal range (actual 35mm as compared to 38mm most p&s cameras have), and its 4fps shooting. Not to mention the sharpness of the lens as well. Even 20 years after it was introduced, it's still an impressive camera. It's hard to go wrong with the Oly p&s cameras.</p>