Minolta SRT-101

The Classic Minolta SR-T101

 And as it is usually the case, another Minolta - an SR-T101- landed on my lap, wearing a pristine Rokkor MC-II 58 f/1.4. Part of an online bundle deal containing different (not photographic related) stuff, I made an offer for £45 and was accepted.

This post makes very little sense on its own, it is more like a long winded postscript to my previous post about the SR-T303 to which I constantly compare the  SR-T 101 against. Have a read of my SR-T 303 review first (found here).

My SR-T101 belongs to the second version of SR-T101 (sn# 1.964.xxx) and judging by the "1B" code stumped inside, it was made in February 1971. It came with a matching period Rokkor MC-II (sn# 5.731.xxx), very likely to have been matched from the beginning of their lives. The camera had slightly sticky slow speeds below 1/8 but with a bit of exercise speeds appear to be very close to the shutter speeds of the Canon EOS 10D. Also, one if the strap lugs was loose so I opened it up and tighten it a bit.

Comparing it to the SR-T303, the SR-T101 is basically a very similar camera. At first glance, internally they appear to be identical but a closer look reveals a quite few changes (improvements?). Here is a picture with the bottom plate removed, I can spot three differences - how many can you spot? 

There are quite a few differences if you look closely

 Aesthetically, the 101 is a bit more square and the prism hump is more curved compared to the more square-ish look of the 303's prism but I like the "Minolta" logo better on the 101, more delicate writing on the 101, more bold on the 303.

The Rokkor is a great lens, very similar in terms of optical qualities to the Rokkor PF 55f/2 I have (see review of the Minolta SR-1). It came with the usual issue of slow aperture blades but unfortunately it also suffered from haze. Once disassembled, the haze was on the elements of the front and rear group facing the aperture blades from each side and cleaned nicely with a bit of Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA). The aperture mechanism was bathed in Isopropyl Alcohol for 10 mins until all oil and dirt dissolved. Everything works well now. I also wiped any excess oil found laying around inside the lens.

This is an easy lens to repair. Only good quality
metal - no plastic.

** Important: Not all glass surfaces of the 58f/1.4 are hard coated. As a general rule, the back and front are hard coated, the inner surfaces on each side of the aperture have relatively hard coatings (still, be *very* gentle whilst cleaning). Any further disassembling of elements grouped together is an issue - coatings are extremely delicate and easy to damage. Use diluted IPA and be *extremely* gentle. I would advice to breath on the glass and wipe it *gently* with a microfiber lens cloth.***

Even wide open, the lens is outstanding

Interestingly enough, elements on the front group seem to be amber coated, groups on the rear seem to be bluish coated. This is what Minolta termed "double achromatic coating". It was the time that Minolta was experimenting a lot with coatings so your own 58f/1.4 might have coatings that look  different.

When it comes to optical performance it displays low contrast and is quite soft wide open but without being unpleasant, it sharpens up a lot by f/2.8. Use f/1.4 only when the risk of camera shake outweighs the need for critical sharpness. At f/2.0 it is very usable. Not doing great when handling flare - sideway light is managed ok but it struggles with strong light sources just outside or inside the frame. Luckily I had a 55mm lens hood laying around and this has made *a big difference* - definitely get one. Overall a great lens with a lot of character.

This taken at f/2

Reading the brochure for the SR-T 101, Minolta keeps stressing that this is a camera "for the active professional photographers" and it is full "of professional features", actually the MC-II 58f/1.4 *was the standard lens*, not the 55f/1.7 sibling. Minolta didn't get into the modular-system camera professional market until the Minolta XK came along - if you wanted motordrive or 250 frame backs, you bought the SRM variant (but no meter then). Enthusiastic amateurs got the SR-7 (model V).

I also got a Rokkor MD 50f/1.7 for £18 and compared to the older MC-II 58f/1.4 the newer MD is sharper and has more contrast as expected. Past f4 both lenses perform almost the same although the MD has slightly better contrast. I won't be using the MD 50f/1.7 on my SR-T cameras for purely aesthetic reasons - the camera is big and the lens is small-ish and looks awkward. Maybe this is a lens for the SR-1. Anyway, a nice under-appreciated lens that you can have it for basement level, bargain price.

Taken at f/2.8

With three Rokkors available I might put them on test, one against the other and see how they compare. That will be a separate post for the future.

One point of criticism of the SRT 101 compared to the 303 is that I find it difficult to focus via the microprism at low light. The 303 has a clear advantage when it comes to focusing.

Minolta SR-T 101 and SR-T 303 with stuck shutters and advance levels.

A few SR-T cameras can be found with seized the advance level and being unable to press the shutter button. This might be caused by problems with the self-timer or if for whatever reason firing did not complete its cycle.

If yours is stuck due to the self timer being stuck half way through *DO NOT* attempt to force the self timer to complete its cycle. Forcing it would put pressure on the pawl that locks the shutter button and break it. Instead what you need to do:

- remove the bottom plate and locate the break pawl (red dot). With a thin screwdriver try to move it away from the shutter lever (blue dot).

- whilst you keep the break pawl away from the shutter lever, press the shutter button. This should trigger the shutter.

- try gently to push the self timer lever to complete its cycle. If it is not moving, pull the break pawl away from the shutter lever as you did before and whilst you keep it away try to push the self timer lever to complete its cycle. That should work.

- don't use the self timer again. This cures the stuckness but still doesn't cure what caused it. Pay attention if it ever happens again and trace back your steps. In my case it was caused by the self timer. 

 

Conclusion

Great camera, very similar to the SR-T 303. The SR-T303 is more functional but the SR-T101 is more classic. Since i can't decide with one to keep, i might as well keep both.