Taking a step back in time part 2: Minolta X-700

As I have said in my last post I have been bitten by the "Film Bug" and am loving the experience of shooting with some of the old film cameras that I have collected. In the last post I talked about the Yashica A TLR camera that I got as a Anniversary present from my Wife. In this post I will discuss my experience with another camera.....my Minolta X700 SLR. As with all my reviews it will be more about the feel and experience than it is about technical aspects of the camera.

The camera was introduced in 1981 but I am sure when mine was made. I don't exactly remember who I got my Minolta X700 from, it came as part of one of the groups of cameras I received a few years ago. The camera has become one of my favourite cameras to shoot with though.

From the shutter sound to the film advance, everything that goes into shooting this camera is very enjoyable. The X700 has a good weight to it, it is mostly metal and has a heft to it that you know it is there, but I don't find it too heavy to shoot with. All and all it is enjoyable experience shooting with this camera. The camera has nice feeling grip on it and is very comfortable to hold and shoot with. 

The camera has a built in meter and seems to work very well considering the age of the camera. The camera has Aperture (depending on the lens), Shutter and Program modes of shooting. I have shot the camera in Aperture and full Manual modes but haven't tried the Program mode yet. The camera doesn't have "autofocus" and is totally manual focus. It is a challenge since I am used to autofocus with my Canon T5 and rarely use manual focus but I really like focusing with the camera and lens combination I have been using.  

I especially enjoy shooting the camera with the lens I have on it. The lens I have been using is a Minolta 28mm MD 1:2 prime lens. I usually shoot it with an aperture between f8-f16 since I have been using it for street photography. The lens is a nice size, not too big, but also not too small, a good sized prime lens. I am pleased so far with the results I have gotten with this body/lens combination. 

I am currently shooting my second roll of film on this camera (maybe a little too soon to do a review but since it about more about the experience than technical..). The first roll which I have gotten developed was Kodak Ultramax 400. I am currently shooting Illford HP5. The day I shot the Ultramax was a overcast day in October so the colours may not be a dynamic as I would have liked but I was happy with the outcome of the camera. 

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(I do admit to a little digital editing of these shots)

We had stopped at a look out and a scarecrow festival (on our way back from dropping off three rolls of film to be developed. I would have liked a nicer, brighter day but all and all I am happy with the shots, the colours and sharpness are nice. 

All and all I love the Minolta X700 and the Minolta 28mm MD lens. I will post more reviews and updates about the camera as shoot more rolls of film on it. 

Taking a step back in time: Yashica A

The only experience I had shooting with film is limited to the old 110mm point and shoot cameras. I never did any 35mm shooting when I was younger, even though my Dad tried to teach me, I thought it looked too hard. The digital cameras hit the market and I was an early adopter. I had a series of cheap digital point and shoots before I moved up to "Bridge" cameras and then eventually DSLR's.

For years though I have been collecting old film cameras, I have about twenty or so in collection. My collection spans everything from Kodak cameras from 1911 to box cameras from the thirties to Polaroids, Rangefinders  and SLR's from the eighties. But I never really wanted to try shooting them......

Until that is when my Wife bought me a Yashica A twin lens reflex (TLR) medium format camera for our anniversary (third year was leather and the camera came with a leather case, which was falling apart but the camera was awesome shape). Handling this camera and researching it on YouTube fired a desire to try shooting it. It sparked a new interest in shooting film and trying out some of the cameras I have collected.

So I decided to pick up some 120mm film and try out this amazing but really basic old camera. It is totally manual, you set shutter speed and aperture and focus and that is it. There is no meter in the camera so you either have to use an external meter (I found a good app for my phone) or use the "Sunny 16 rule" (which I also had to research to learn how it works). It really forces you to slow down and think about your shots and settings. And the fact that you only get twelve 6x6 shots per roll of film really makes you think and plan your shots. You don't want to waste them. The "viewfinder" is on top of the camera which is huge and it also has a pop out magnifier lens to help with focus. It was an interesting experience and since you are mostly shooting from waste or chest lever it really makes you think about composure. And since the top lens is the one you compose to and the lower lens actually exposes the film you need to keep that in mind as well when composing your shots. So this camera really make you take your time and really think about each and every shot. 

I just got my first two rolls of film back from the developer, I shot a roll of Illford HP5+ and a roll of Illford Delta 100. I have a lot of practice and a lot to learn about exposure using this camera but I am happy with my results, especially since they are first two rolls I have shot. Some of the pictures have some kind of haze or something down the left side, but not all have it so I think it was something to do with that roll of film(the lab mixed them all together so I have to check the negatives to see which roll had this issue). But all and all I am happy and I really enjoyed shooting this camera and will be doing a lot more shooting with it. 

Here are some of the shots I got with this camera. They definitely have a "Look" to them that would be be hard to replicate with a digital camera. 

Like I said I really love this camera and it will be getting a lot more use. I want to try colour film in it as well. And it has sparked my interest in shooting more film cameras. I have two 35mm cameras that I have been shooting as well that will each get there own post. I really regret not doing this earlier.