That view finder blind is actually more for controlling the amount of light that the meter sees when shooting on a tripod without your eye to the view finder blocking light. Closing the blind will give better exposure metering.
@@grainificent great video, was looking for something to share with a new user of this camera, I have recommended this camera to many who have fallen into the hype over the X-700. This blind is a valuable tool when using automatic metering, you can often see a difference in exposure settings, these days few people look at their negatives, and scans from the lab will always compensate to give usable images. It might not make a noticeable difference to many people, especially those who foolishly opt not to get their negatives back and settle for jpegs. ( don't ask me where people get these silly ideas, but there are lots who think their low res digital scans are good enough and have ZERO understanding of the value of their negatives ). All that said, that blind does make a metering difference and it's primarily why it is there, it might be subtle with many film and setting scenarios like you said, but if you shoot slide film or hight resolution films you may see the difference in density of your negatives and shadow detail.
Yes, the labs do a bad work many times and the photos can have a different look depending on the lab you take it to. That is why i do my own developing and scanning :) im not such a pro to know the difference on negatives if i used the blind or not ;p but my daily carry rangefinder doesnt need such things luckily :)
@@grainificentthat is a fair point about your range finders LOL. I think most labs are pretty good, at least the ones that keep there chemistry good, the difficulty in really monitoring exposures is with so many people who only review their scans, the lab is always going to try to get what they can from the negatives you shoot, this was always the case back in the days of film when the lab would make adjustments for prints. If you are developing at home it might be an interesting experiment to try shooting some Ektar 100 stopped down to f8 or 11 and let the meter chose shutter speed and shoot a few frames with the blind open and a few with it closed, if you are shooting a landscape with lots of deep shadow detail it might be interesting to look at your negatives and see if you can discern a difference in density of shadow details. If you are developing yourself you are likely much more in tune with your negatives than most. I appreciate your responces here!
i wish i was more in tune with my negatives ;P i shoot with so many different cameras that i don't concentrate much on the tiny differences in negatives :) but one day i will learn as well :)
the minolta SRT 101 is amazing if you want a SLR camera or (my favorite) the Leica/Leitz Minolta/Minolta CL (all of them were made by minolta but different branding) if you would want a rangefinder camera :)
Do you find that you are able see the entire viewfinder well while wearing your glasses? I'm thinking of getting an XD, and I've read that the XD-s is preferred for glasses wearers due to it's diopter adjustment option, but it's also much harder to find and more expensive than the XD7/11.
yes, the XD-s was only available in Japan so it makes them more rare and hard to get. but it isn't any different then the regular XD other than the diopter but i never use them in cameras personally. i never complained when using it with glasses :) but i did change to contacts to get a better view in most of them especially rangefinders :) but many people use them in glasses and never have any problem.
I have one and it's my favourite film camera, that all metal Seiko Focal plane shutter is a work of art. I have Fuji X-E3 and X-T10 digital bodies which are ergonomically configured to imitate Film era operation.
The XD's are the best Minolta manual focus cameras. The later X series that replaced XD have more electronics but uses less expensive and slower cloth shutter to reduce the production cost.
@@grainificent I worked at a company called Photopia in Newcastle Staffs from 1978 to 1983, they were the UK and European import distributor / main service agent for Minolta then later Ricoh cameras, as well as Soligor lenses and Cokin filters at the time of the Minolta/ Leica collaboration. I worked on the consumer electronics side but have strong electro mechanical service background, having worked on Military Gyroscope attitude reference, GM Compass systems and Inertial platforms. My XD cost me £23 with a Rokkor 135mm f1:3.5, in great cosmetic condition, but with a shutter release fault causing the shutter to jam and the mirror locked in the up position. There were a number of contributing issues, but after 25 hours and about a hundred parts removed, cleaned, lubricated and adjusted, only to overexpose my first test roll of HP5. I suspected one of the fragile wires on the Exp Comp/ ISO potentiometer, but found I'd re-connected the wiper to the wrong location. Now I have a beautiful camera.
i just found from my grandpa the minolta srt101 and xd7. Which one would you recommend to start? Im completely new to analog film photography :). Thanks
They are both great cameras! 😃 the xd7 will sound the best thanks to its leica shutter and offers some good automatic programs to help a beginner. Thats what i would go with.
yes, in theory is has a little program mode. when set to shutter priority, when faced with an extreme where the camera can't open or close the lens enough for proper exposure, it will change to a different shutter speed. i have heard about this always but i never checked if my camera does that ;P i need to look into that and try it out :)
@@grainificent oh indeed, that is the compensated programming but it does it only as an AE program. But, it's not the program mode, it's just a little push that they added for convinience. For the program mode, you gotta go green, all green x)
@@georgeabitbol4180 yes i read about that but my xd11 doesnt have grean 1/125s shutter so i wonder if it works. i will do some tests and might make a video about that if i find it works reliably :)
@@grainificent yes i've heard that not all of them have the green 125, and yes that a good question, i never came across one that didn't had the green 1/125, so yeah i'm not sure
You mean on the shutter „B” setting? It stands for Bulb Mode. That means, the shutter stays open as long as you wold the shutter release button pressed in. It is usefull for long exposures with a release cable connected to the shutter button. You can play around with it by opening the back door and releasing and holding the shutter button on B mode and seeing how the shutter opens and closes when you let go. Have fun 😃
@@grainificent OWHH i see thank you so much!!! Was not really expecting a reply so fast but glad I did get a reply back!! ◡̈ currently overseas in HK with this canera so hopefully can take as many great shots as possible!!☺️
@@joshahtan6675 have fun! 😃 you can always share with me if you would like me to show your work on my channel :) im thinking about starting a series like that where once in a while i show some great photos of my viewers 😃
Got mine today. Was listed as used but working.. It doesnt work. Manual mode wont work. O - Mode works. Lightmeter doesnt work. Batterys are fresh and even tried the working ones from my pentax me. I think its the capacitor thats faulty? Man that fucking sucks. I hope its easy fixable.
yes it does seem like an electrical issue... i would try returning it first as it is not working and there can be so many things wrong with electronics... repairs can go over the value of a working one. it can be simple, but you never know.
My dad gave me two of his old Minolta XD cameras and I've been completely clueless, this was really helpful. Thank you.
Im always happy to hear i helped 😃
i love this camera. it's probably my favorite
Yes, its one of my favorites as well! 😃
Nice. Just loaded HP5 in my XD for a photo walk later this week!
Thats great! Hp5 is one of my top favorite films :) even pushed to 6400 iso everything looks great!
Thanks for this great video! Very informative.
i'm glad you like it! 😃
Thanks for this. Just learnign how to use mine.
Im glad you like it and i wish you luck on this amazing journey! 😃
Nice one, I'm thinking of buying this camera too
Go for it!
Great video, very informative (especially in-finder part)
Thank you 😃 i try my best to make it as informative and short as possible :) im happy you like it :)
Thanks for this useful video
I am happy that you like it :) do you have one yourself? :)
So uselful, thank you!!
You're so welcome! and thank you as well! :D
That view finder blind is actually more for controlling the amount of light that the meter sees when shooting on a tripod without your eye to the view finder blocking light. Closing the blind will give better exposure metering.
Yes that is also correct :) but i never seen any difference with it open or closed :) but im sure it can depend on how the sun falls on it :)
@@grainificent great video, was looking for something to share with a new user of this camera, I have recommended this camera to many who have fallen into the hype over the X-700.
This blind is a valuable tool when using automatic metering, you can often see a difference in exposure settings, these days few people look at their negatives, and scans from the lab will always compensate to give usable images. It might not make a noticeable difference to many people, especially those who foolishly opt not to get their negatives back and settle for jpegs. ( don't ask me where people get these silly ideas, but there are lots who think their low res digital scans are good enough and have ZERO understanding of the value of their negatives ).
All that said, that blind does make a metering difference and it's primarily why it is there, it might be subtle with many film and setting scenarios like you said, but if you shoot slide film or hight resolution films you may see the difference in density of your negatives and shadow detail.
Yes, the labs do a bad work many times and the photos can have a different look depending on the lab you take it to. That is why i do my own developing and scanning :) im not such a pro to know the difference on negatives if i used the blind or not ;p but my daily carry rangefinder doesnt need such things luckily :)
@@grainificentthat is a fair point about your range finders LOL.
I think most labs are pretty good, at least the ones that keep there chemistry good, the difficulty in really monitoring exposures is with so many people who only review their scans, the lab is always going to try to get what they can from the negatives you shoot, this was always the case back in the days of film when the lab would make adjustments for prints.
If you are developing at home it might be an interesting experiment to try shooting some Ektar 100 stopped down to f8 or 11 and let the meter chose shutter speed and shoot a few frames with the blind open and a few with it closed, if you are shooting a landscape with lots of deep shadow detail it might be interesting to look at your negatives and see if you can discern a difference in density of shadow details.
If you are developing yourself you are likely much more in tune with your negatives than most.
I appreciate your responces here!
i wish i was more in tune with my negatives ;P i shoot with so many different cameras that i don't concentrate much on the tiny differences in negatives :) but one day i will learn as well :)
Nice video! What Minolta camera would you recommend that is completely mechanical, where you only need batteries for the light meter?
the minolta SRT 101 is amazing if you want a SLR camera or (my favorite) the Leica/Leitz Minolta/Minolta CL (all of them were made by minolta but different branding) if you would want a rangefinder camera :)
@@grainificent SRT series are fantastic, I have a Super and a 102. Built like a Tank! 👍
yes they are :)
Do you find that you are able see the entire viewfinder well while wearing your glasses? I'm thinking of getting an XD, and I've read that the XD-s is preferred for glasses wearers due to it's diopter adjustment option, but it's also much harder to find and more expensive than the XD7/11.
yes, the XD-s was only available in Japan so it makes them more rare and hard to get. but it isn't any different then the regular XD other than the diopter but i never use them in cameras personally. i never complained when using it with glasses :) but i did change to contacts to get a better view in most of them especially rangefinders :) but many people use them in glasses and never have any problem.
Great!
Thank you! 😃
I have one and it's my favourite film camera, that all metal Seiko Focal plane shutter is a work of art.
I have Fuji X-E3 and X-T10 digital bodies which are ergonomically configured to imitate Film era operation.
Yes fuji makes amazing cameras as well 😃 i think about buying some old and small fuji camera with film presets for some quick travel shots 😃
The XD's are the best Minolta manual focus cameras. The later X series that replaced XD have more electronics but uses less expensive and slower cloth shutter to reduce the production cost.
Yes, its a child of the leica cooperation so it was built well! 😃
@@grainificent I worked at a company called Photopia in Newcastle Staffs from 1978 to 1983, they were the UK and European import distributor / main service agent for Minolta then later Ricoh cameras, as well as Soligor lenses and Cokin filters at the time of the Minolta/ Leica collaboration. I worked on the consumer electronics side but have strong electro mechanical service background, having worked on Military Gyroscope attitude reference, GM Compass systems and Inertial platforms. My XD cost me £23 with a Rokkor 135mm f1:3.5, in great cosmetic condition, but with a shutter release fault causing the shutter to jam and the mirror locked in the up position. There were a number of contributing issues, but after 25 hours and about a hundred parts removed, cleaned, lubricated and adjusted, only to overexpose my first test roll of HP5. I suspected one of the fragile wires on the Exp Comp/ ISO potentiometer, but found I'd re-connected the wiper to the wrong location. Now I have a beautiful camera.
that was such a journey and an experience! i don't know why i didn't see this reply to your comment earlier! i'm so sorry for answering so late...
i just found from my grandpa the minolta srt101 and xd7. Which one would you recommend to start? Im completely new to analog film photography :). Thanks
They are both great cameras! 😃 the xd7 will sound the best thanks to its leica shutter and offers some good automatic programs to help a beginner. Thats what i would go with.
Also, it is said that the xd had a program mode... it's a legend tho... or is it ?
yes, in theory is has a little program mode. when set to shutter priority, when faced with an extreme where the camera can't open or close the lens enough for proper exposure, it will change to a different shutter speed. i have heard about this always but i never checked if my camera does that ;P i need to look into that and try it out :)
@@grainificent oh indeed, that is the compensated programming but it does it only as an AE program.
But, it's not the program mode, it's just a little push that they added for convinience.
For the program mode, you gotta go green, all green x)
@@georgeabitbol4180 yes i read about that but my xd11 doesnt have grean 1/125s shutter so i wonder if it works. i will do some tests and might make a video about that if i find it works reliably :)
@@grainificent yes i've heard that not all of them have the green 125, and yes that a good question, i never came across one that didn't had the green 1/125, so yeah i'm not sure
@@georgeabitbol4180 i'm waiting for film to arrive and will do some tests if it exposes correctly at the "all green" settings :)
Hi sorry but what does the B stand for exactly? Like what does it do on the camera!
You mean on the shutter „B” setting? It stands for Bulb Mode. That means, the shutter stays open as long as you wold the shutter release button pressed in. It is usefull for long exposures with a release cable connected to the shutter button. You can play around with it by opening the back door and releasing and holding the shutter button on B mode and seeing how the shutter opens and closes when you let go. Have fun 😃
@@grainificent OWHH i see thank you so much!!! Was not really expecting a reply so fast but glad I did get a reply back!! ◡̈ currently overseas in HK with this canera so hopefully can take as many great shots as possible!!☺️
@@joshahtan6675 have fun! 😃 you can always share with me if you would like me to show your work on my channel :) im thinking about starting a series like that where once in a while i show some great photos of my viewers 😃
Got mine today. Was listed as used but working.. It doesnt work. Manual mode wont work. O - Mode works. Lightmeter doesnt work. Batterys are fresh and even tried the working ones from my pentax me.
I think its the capacitor thats faulty? Man that fucking sucks. I hope its easy fixable.
yes it does seem like an electrical issue... i would try returning it first as it is not working and there can be so many things wrong with electronics... repairs can go over the value of a working one. it can be simple, but you never know.