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Does anybody have any experience with the Minlta SRT 101? I can pick it up with a 50mm 1.7 for around $60. Complete noob to film, but am curious.
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>>2768864
Also, just found a Pentax k1000 for around the same price with a 50mm f/2, would that be a better buy?
I have experience with the gear thread, which is where you should be posting.
>>2766194
If you're a complete noob to film, any camera will do. If it's got a working meter, it'll help you out. If it doesn't, you'll have a good opportunity to learn about metering with your eyes.
Assuming both cameras you have here are in good shape, you'll probably be better off with the Minolta since it's coming with a faster lens, giving you more room to stop down for sharper pictures.
>>2768901
>a half a stop faster
really dude? the next stop is f/2.8 on both lenses, he won't have more room. if anything, the Pentax will be sharper wide open.
anyway, he's better off with the Pentax because of the larger lens collection available for the K-mount.
I don't have experience with that exact Minolta camera, but I'd go with the Pentax since the Pentax is fully mechanical (except for the light meter, obviously) and I imagine the Minolta has an electric shutter. I had a cheap Minolta camera that one day just stopped working on me, while my K1000 is still going strong.
Shot with one for years. Great camera and lens.
get the pentax and get one of the 50mm 1.8 k mount lenses
Yes it's my go to film SLR for half a year, with the same lens. It's a bit heavy and fully manual so you should check if the light meter still works, otherwise you'll be relying on the sunny 16 to expose correctly mostly. But it's really great if you're new into photography, probably taught me more about exposure than any other camera I shot with. If you have more questions feel free to ask, will post from my PC later
>>2768934
SRT 101 is fully mechanical with a horizontal shutter and a match needle meter system.
That means that you adjust your aperture and shutter till the two needles overlap.
Basic but not auto exposure like the later minolta's.
If you don't want to use the meter you don't even have to put a battery in it.
All speeds will work because it is mechanical.
Lenses are cheap and plentiful.
With many nice examples in the $20-30 range.
The 50mm 1.7 is a good lens too. The Rokkor-x and the plain MD were both very sharp.
Any reason why you don't want a modern film SLR? I bet you can find them cheaper and you get AF and better performance.
You can even get a Nikon or Pentax and use those old manual focus lenses if you want to.
>>2769671
This guy is right.
The old mechanical SLR's are going up in price because "muh hipster tendencies" while you can grab a working N2020/F301 for $10 with a lens.
>>2769671
The one thing to watch out for is the battery availability. Most of them don't go through batteries quickly, so it's not a super big deal, but, it can be annoying if you can't get a replacement.
But hell, I bought an Elan 7ne so I could have a film body to play with without having to buy different lenses. I love it. Damn good condition for $50 (could have gotten one for cheaper if I had patience, but I had something I really wanted to do with film so I pulled a buy it now trigger).
>>2768864
Minolta are very similar to Konicas, and sometimes you can find the Konicas cheaper. I personally love the Autoreflex T2 and the TC.
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>>2769471
>All speeds will work because it is mechanical.
Blatantly false.
The faster speeds will fail first. Usually by not exposing the entire frame.
>>2769717
This picture was shot with the Konica 50mm 1.7 on a Sony A7. Which is one of Konicas sharpest lens.
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>>2769695
I payed around 15$ for my SRT 101
Was a bit dusty but still worked
>>2769722
Settle down there Aspie.
I only meant all speeds "work" with out need for a battery.
It is still a used 40-50yr old camera.
So buyer beware and YMMV and all that nonsense.
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>>2770098
>I only meant all speeds "work" with out need for a battery.
Why is this a selling point for some people? I don't understand. Like... is it that hard to put a battery in your camera? They come in packs of like 20, it's not like you're ever going to have to spend a month shooting without having a battery... the battery in my X370 lasts like six years.
>>2770100
>Doesn't know what battery is in an SRT101
>Doesn't know what battery availability is like in OP's country.
>Doesn't know if the electronics in a 50yr old camera still work or not.
>Doesn't understand why a camera that's basic functions work with out power might be of value to some people.
>>2770100
All my film bodies use batteries but here are some reasons:
* Some cameras use old batteries that aren't in production anymore. The last thing you want is to have to buy expensive batteries and adapters or having to have the camera circuits modified to use newer batteries.
* The batteries last for ages, so that means you forget they exist. You'll forget spare batteries, you'll forget to turn the camera off, and you'll forget to remove the batteries before putting the camera away. And that will inevitably happen when you're in the middle of nowhere in Iceland at the golden hour.
* Batteries stop working at low and high temperatures. Zinc air batteries stop working if there's no air. You'll forget that, and your camera will be nothing more than a heavy brick.
* Electronics are harder to replace than mechanical parts. Mechanical parts break and you can glue them together, or use them as a reference to make replacements. This is much harder to do with electronic components.
* You get to be a hipster that refers to his cameras as precision instruments crafted to the highest standards of mechanical perfection.
>>2768864
OP, Minolta fanatic here. Go with the Pentax. Pros and cons for both>
Pentax Pro:
- Takes NORMAL BATTERIES
- Lenses will be compatible with new cameras should you upgrade.
- Pretty much bulletproof
Con:
- Lenses will be more expensive because of this wide compatibility(any lens works on any camera in the K mount so they are more in demand)
Minolta:
- Pretty much bullet proof
- Lenses are less expensive than K mount(not as in demand)
- Minolta lenses and higher end bodies are the bees knees.
Con:
- Lenses not native compatible with anything new, though works on mirrorless bodies.
- MERCURY BATERY FUCK THAT SHIT. weincell batteries can supposedly be used as a replacement. Though, I have either never come across a working one, or never come across a working meter that required one... I am unsure which. Tested about 4 that I've come across and never had the stupid batteries work. You'll have to spend the 5 bucks on a single battery before you even buy the camera to see if it works. Then if it does work, you'll have to replace the battery every 3 months or so even without using it because of the way this type of battery works. Just go for the Pentax.
To the dude saying the minolta 50 1.7 will not be as sharp as the kmount 50 f/2... the minolta 50mm 1.7 is probably around the same sharpness. If it's a 55mm 1.7 like the one in the photo you posted though it will be soft as shit wide open so watch out for that.
>>2768864
$60 sounds high for just the camera and one lens. I got an srt101 with the same 50 1.7 for $30
>>2770257
> Zinc air batteries stop working if there's no air. You'll forget that, and your camera will be nothing more than a heavy brick.
Happens to me all the time.
>>2770269
>mercury battery
Can't you just screw off the bottom, find the battery wire and solder in a schottky diode?
I used 1N6263 diodes for both my OM-1s and now they meter accurately with regular SR44 batteries. It's pretty easy (a 5 minute job if you've done it before) and non-destructive. Just remove the diode and solder back, you can't damage anything.
My first analog camera, once I went head-long into the hobby, was Minolta's 101. It's a great camera to learn on because it does nothing for you, so it's a baptism by fire thing. A lot of Minolta's lenses are cheap (even the 300mm f/4.5 was $140) and at their best they challenged Leica in quality.
You'll do great with that body, just hope the meter works.
Ihave a minolta x700 that i keep around solely for the minota trinity lenses. I've always thought about getting the 500 version because it gives more control supposedly but whatever.
Minolta SRT series are a great first time camera. The needle metering system is incredibly intuitive.
The lenses are surprisingly high quality for how cheap you can find them.
For $60 it should be in +8 condition. Everything should operate on it flawlessly.
Their lenses are still popular in the right camera shops.
Pic Related
from SRT 100
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>>2768864
An avid Minolta shooter here. I use the X-700 though. If you want a sharp lens on a budget, get the pic related, 45mm f/2 Rokkor pancake, surprisingly sharp even wide open. The f/1.7 50mm standard nifty fifty is pretty good, just needs to be stopped down for sharpness. Wide open it gives you the optical swirl effect similar to the famous Helios 44, which can be a fun bokeh gimmick sometimes.
Frankly though, I wouldn't pick up an old body like that for $60 unless it came with a real nice lens. I have a similar camera (Praktica MTL 5B) with the same match needle system designed to be used with the obsolete mercury battery, it functions with a modern LR44 alkaline but the reading is not accurate due to the voltage difference. I still like to use it because it's a better platform for my Helios 44 than a Zenit, but thing is I paid $15 for it. I wouldn't shell out $60 for a body like this.
Minolta is a great system, both lenses and bodies are affordable, well built and come in good variety. But in your case the Pentax is obviously the better choice. If you want a Minolta, get an XD series or X-700 for the body, you'll probably want to move away from the SRT due to its metering limitations before long anyway.
Also, before buying make sure to check EVERYTHING for defects.
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>>2779962
true, the bokeh is really nice
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>>2779969
Used to hate it for the effect for whatever reason.
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