The viewfinder is excellent for a camera of this era. Additionally, the ability to adjust all of these well-placed controls without removing your eye from the finder shows the thoughtfulness of Minolta’s designers, and marks this camera as one of Minolta’s best machines for people who are serious about photography. Dials, levers, and switches all click into place with satisfying stiffness and a feeling of real durability. Operation of this camera is second-nature, and within minutes of loading my first roll of film I could’ve used it blindfolded. Simple and intuitive, all of the camera’s controls are intelligently placed exactly where you’d expect them to be. Of course two-handed operation is perfectly balanced, with ample space even for those with large mittens. Because of its larger size, the XE-7 lends itself well to these kind of acrobatics due in part to it being so holdable. Operating the controls of a tiny SLR with Western sausage-fingers is no fun. In any case, I find smaller SLRs can be fidgety when shooting one-handed. Vintage, Japanese cameras tend to value compactness, so perhaps what we see in the XE-7 is the German influence. Some will surely take issue with this machine’s weight, but for me, the solid weightiness feels great in the hand not too large and not too small, the XE-7 just feels right. With a body weighing in at 775g, this thing is a tank, and the build quality is of a standard unfound on any other Japanese camera I’ve experienced. When finished admiring its looks, the next thing one will discover when picking up an XE-7 is the sheer heft of the camera. The no-nonsense design puts everything you need exactly where you need it, and discards anything superfluous or unnecessary. There is a pure mechanical quality about it that is very compelling. This cooperation is seemingly evident in all aspects of the camera, the most outwardly noticeable being in the aesthetic design of the machine. This manual focus camera was produced in cooperation with Leica during a period of shared patents, technology, and product development. The XE-7 was produced by Minolta starting in 1974, and featured some of the most advanced camera technology of the era. It took some time, but eventually I was introduced to the XE-7, and the search was over. The more electronic models, such as the X700, were interesting and retro in their own way (think 1980’s), but they didn’t invoke that feeling of mechanicalness that I was looking for. The more modern and automatic XG series was interesting, but once held in the hand it lacked the solidity in build quality that I sought. I began investigating the mechanical SRT line, but these were a bit too archaic, lacking some of the key features I desired, such as exposure compensation. This last trait became the most important for me, as I am just a sucker for anything with a high fit-and-finish. I wanted a manual camera with available auto-exposure, depth-of-field preview, multiple exposure ability, and exceptional build quality. Placing my interest in rangefinders on the back burner, I instead focused on finding a high quality and fully functional vintage SLR. Most are just so old that they lack reliability and features, or so exotic that the price becomes difficult to justify. It became quickly apparent that, while rangefinders have it in the style department, finding a high quality, functional example would be incredibly difficult or incredibly expensive. My familiarity with DSLRs weighed heavily in favor of these machines’ analog predecessors, but the retro appeal and trend in adopting rangefinder cameras had me curious. Brand loyalty firmly embedded, I struck out to discover the very best camera Minolta had to offer.Ĭoming from digital, this brave, old world of photography was totally foreign to me, and my first big decision was whether to choose an SLR, or Rangefinder camera. Minolta was one of the more innovative companies making cameras in Japan, less afraid to take risks compared with the popular outfits of Canon and Nikon. So it follows that years later, when I decided to delve into the now novel world of 35mm film, I would remember Minolta’s long-standing reputation for innovation, remarkably well-built cameras, and exceptional glass. I gave it a shot, bought my first DSLR (a Minolta Maxxum 5D), and fell in love. His recommendation came from the assertion that the brand engaged in an uncommon pursuit of engineering excellence. When I began shooting photos in college, a professor urged me to try a brand I’d never heard of, Minolta. I admire risk-takers in any industry because I feel that visionaries are the ones who urge everyone forward to a better future.
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