# Minolta XG-M



## tevo (Oct 17, 2011)

Stopped by my grandparents to say hello, ended up with my mom's old Minolta XG-M with a flash and a f/2.8 nifty fifty.


My arsenal:

Minolta XG-M
Nikon FM
Nikon FG-20


and some antique cameras.. but these are the SLR's (;



I haven't yet spent a lot of time with it, but it appears to have a DOF preview, and a light meter. Which I like. Anybody own this camera ?


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## Cruzingoose (Oct 18, 2011)

The XG-M is a decent camera. I'm not really fond of Minoltas, but if working, it is one to hold on to and enjoy. The goofy shutter button is my personal beef. It is a touch sensitive/moisture sensitive activation and then more mechanical, but really electronic as you push the button to take the picture.


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## tevo (Oct 19, 2011)

Cruzingoose said:


> The XG-M is a decent camera. I'm not really fond of Minoltas, but if working, it is one to hold on to and enjoy. The goofy shutter button is my personal beef. It is a touch sensitive/moisture sensitive activation and then more mechanical, but really electronic as you push the button to take the picture.



I know \: When I picked up the camera I thought it was broken, because either the film advance was stuck or the shutter wasn't firing. I then read that it was a fully electronic shutter, so I took the batteries out of my FM just to test it and it worked fine.  What I do like about it is the preview button, but I can do without that. The FG-20 is all around more usable imo, just because it has a light meter (and i have all nikon stuff, otherwise i would just say the minolta is the most usable). My favorite is still the FM though


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## cutepolkadot (Mar 11, 2013)

When I first got my XG-m ten years ago, I panicked the first time that the batteries had run flat because I thought I had broken it too!


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## timor (Mar 11, 2013)

cutepolkadot said:


> When I first got my XG-m ten years ago, I panicked the first time that the batteries had run flat because I thought I had broken it too!


Are you still shooting with it ?


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## cutepolkadot (Mar 15, 2013)

Yep. Bought a batch of very old coloured film just a few days ago so that I can experiment with some lomography like effects.


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## cgw (Mar 15, 2013)

They're an OK camera. Minolta optics are underrated. Many Minolta electronic MF cameras had a lethal, baked-in problem with failure-prone capacitors. I've been through two used X-700 bodies that both died inside of a year(X-5xx and X-3xx cameras seem also to be affected). The capacitors can be replaced but with Minolta bodies so cheap...

Never any trouble with Nikons from the same period.


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## timor (Mar 18, 2013)

Minolta never meant for the cameras to last 40 years. One of my X700 just developed light meter problem, but is firing the shutter fine in manual mode (for the time being).


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## cgw (Mar 18, 2013)

timor said:


> Minolta never meant for the cameras to last 40 years. One of my X700 just developed light meter problem, but is firing the shutter fine in manual mode (for the time being).



These started failing long ago. Some croaked and others survived. Nice camera but after two died, I called it quits!

My Nikon FE and F3 bodies made in the early 80s are still going strong.


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## timor (Mar 18, 2013)

cgw said:


> timor said:
> 
> 
> > Minolta never meant for the cameras to last 40 years. One of my X700 just developed light meter problem, but is firing the shutter fine in manual mode (for the time being).
> ...


Thise Nikons are more mechanical, Minoltas srT are also going strong.


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## cgw (Mar 19, 2013)

timor said:


> cgw said:
> 
> 
> > timor said:
> ...



Not really. Just better made. Minolta QC was fading toward the end of the X700 production. Have an SRT 101. Still running.


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