Minolta XG-2

Another car boot sale find, just confirms my impression that there are plenty of great cameras out there that can be had for peanuts. This camera, together with the Sigma 28 f/2.8 and the winder-G cost me only £10. It was a buy-to-sell buy, i thought i would keep the lens and the winder for the Minolta X-700 that has recently landed on my hands and sell the XG-2... But i am not so sure if that's what is gonna happen.

We are back in the distant 1977, the year I was born actually, and Minolta shakes the world once again with the new Minolta XD-11. The camera became an instant hit with professionals but with the production of the XE-series been seized the gap between the SRT-series and the new XD-series meant that there was potential for Minolta to capture the very lucrative part of the market, the casual shooter who would like a camera newer than the SRT but who couldn't afford the XD. The response to that was the XG-series.

See this camera as XD's little sister (or brother if you will). They look pretty much the same and operate pretty much the same too but there are some differences also. First of all the XG-series does not use so much metal in it's construction. This does not mean that the camera is not well made, on the contrary, when i picked up the camera, my initial reaction was "wow, what a nice camera!". The mirror is well dumped and although the shutter is a bit on the loud side, still it does not bother me. When you look through the viewfinder, you notice another difference. The viewfinder is not as bright. Actually it is less bright even than the Fujica's viewfinder which is a shame really. Also you notice that there is no info about what aperture you are using, not a big deal really but i though i would mention it. Do those pose any significant restrictions on the way ta take pictures? Not really, i could live with all these. But here comes the worms: Swich the camera on manual and the light meter is not working. Now, i have no idea what the Minolta boffins were thinking when they did that, i see no reason why would someone want to cripple a camera in this way. All XG-series camera will be supplied with unmetered manual, the only exception being the XG-M which is more a Minolta X-700 than a XG-series. And like this was not enough, a "safety lock" will engage if the overall brightness of the scene is above f/16 at 1/1000 sec and it won't take the picture. God, how i hate safety features like this.....

But it is not all warts you know. The greatest joy comes from actually using the camera. It is small enough and well made and the light meter on aperture priority is quite accurate. The Minolta XG-2 is one of those cameras that grow in you, the more you use them the more you start liking them. They are well made and they keep doing well what they were made to do 35+ years ago. The camera works with two LR44 batteries that are easily available. The XG-2 will accept a wide range of accessories and is fully compatible with the MC and MD mount Rokkors which are stellar lenses. Aki Asahi and Cameraleather provide good quality leather for the XG series that is cheap and looks really nice. This cures the so called "Minolta Disease" of that era, i.e. the shrinking leatherette. Even with the leatherette shrank, the XG-2 is the only camera that my 2 year old daughter wants to cock and trip the shutter. She doesn't want the Leica, she doesn't want the canon or the 9xi, she doesn't want the X-700 either; she wants the XG-2. So it does seem that the XG-2 has some sort of sex appeal. Actually, this camera looks better in person than in pictures.

Conclusion

This is one great camera with one great disadvantage. Within the years 1977 and 1981, Minolta paid close attention to the feedback that was receiving on how to improve this camera.The end product is the Minolta X-700 which I find it to be a more usable camera. It has a brighter and more informative viewfinder, has a programme mode, depth of field preview, an exposure lock button and metered manual and all these at the same cost (if not at times cheaper than) the XG-2. I do think that the XG-2 is a more attractive looking camera and should you change the leatherette it will make many people in the street turn and look. But on the level of value-for-money, i think that the X-700 is a better camera. I am still keeping mine though. I might order a new cover from camera leather and use this camera as a back up or give it to my daughter when she grows up. It is definitely a camera that the more you use it, the more it grows in you.

Lasting Impressions

I have sold this camera since. As I said, i thought that the X-700 was always a better camera. If you find this camera for a few pounds (as it is very often the case) buy it. With this amount of money you could also get a sandwich and finish with it in ten minutes. This Minolta is likely to stay with you for much longer....