Minolta XD11

March 21, 2016

Minolta XD11 with Minolta 35-70mm f3.5 Macro

I have always heard the praise of the Minolta XD11. Many say it was Minolta's finest manual focus camera body because of it's advanced features and being the last of the Minolta camera bodies to be made out of metal. I wasn't particularly looking for an XD11 when I came across this black version, however it is such a pretty camera that it would be hard to walk away from. To think that the store I got it from had a silver XD11 with a Rokkor lens (this camera had a Tokina 28-85mm) that I was going to buy first but the lens had issues, so hence why I got the black XD11. Much to my surprise when I returned and did more research on the XD11 that I found out that the black model is actually rarer and more sought after than it's silver counterpart! Of course deep down in my soul I knew that the beautiful black model that used a coating technique from Leica (the finish is absolutely gorgeous) was more valuable, but I digress. The simple fact is that the XD11 was Minolta's top model when it arrived in 1977, only bested (less expensive than) by the XK with motor drive, which was produced in minuscule numbers. This feels like a camera which is not a run of the mill Japanese camera. Everything about it is absolutely beautiful and smooth.

To start with, the first noticeable aspect of this camera is the quality of the whole thing. Now I know I said that the X-700 is a quality camera, and I still believe it is. However, this XD11 is on a different level. I could understand the disappointment that Minolta shooters would have have had after using the XD11 and then picking up a plastic bodied X-700. The two are literally night and day when it comes to almost everything. Where the X-700 is plastic, almost everything on the XD11 is metal and beautifully machined. Now I have heard the stories of the Minolta XE cameras having the smoothest film advance of all time, and I have tried them, but the XD11 has to be a close second. Everything in the camera is done in sequence before a picture is taken and it is noticeable in pure smoothness. This camera is buttery smooth in all of its operations. I enjoy the simplicity of the layout on top. I also enjoy the bright viewfinder, a common feature in most of the Minolta's I have picked up. In the viewfinder, it shows shutter speed and the selected aperture. In manual mode, the camera tells you what shutter speed you should be at for the selected aperture. In aperture priority, the LED's light up what shutter speed is being used. Since this was the first ever camera to have shutter priority, I had to use this mode even though I normally don't bother. As long as you have an MD lens, you can turn the aperture to the highest number, flip the small tab so it shows green, then flip the switch to the green S and then select your preferred shutter speed. The meter in my camera works well, doing an excellent job even in tough situations. For a 40 year old electronic camera, I am extremely impressed.

Many people get misty eyed when they talk about the XD11 and how it was the basis of the Leica R4 and how it was built to Leica standards, blah blah blah. I don't care about any of that. Well, except for the black finish that Minolta borrowed from the Germans, that I do care about because it still looks great. But the fact is that Minolta made a stunningly high quality camera that a lot of people really liked it and still do. Camera's like this are my favorites because while they do almost completely rely on electronics and two common SR44 batteries (thank you Minolta for knowing that mercury cells would be banned someday!), the camera itself is so simple to use that you don't think about it being an electronic camera. This is a luxury camera, a Lexus camera as Thomas Friedman described it. And that couldn't be closer to the truth. A Nikon F2 makes you want to burn through rolls with it's quick film advance and it's authoritative shutter sound. The XD11 makes you calm down, relax, and simply enjoy yourself. It's strange to say, but the camera is like therapy to use. They should hand these out to air traffic controllers on their breaks to relieve the pressure. I know, I'm brilliant. I should be appointed to a very important government office immediately.

The following pictures were all taken with a Minolta Celtic 28mm f2.8 lens. Yes, a Celtic, which was Minolta's lower line of lenses. As you you can see, the quality is absolutely horrendous and no one should even think about picking one of these up for the ridiculously low prices they can be had for (please pick up on the sarcasm). Film was my preferred Kodak T Max 100. I didn't have a filter for my 35-70mm which it is pictured with so I am waiting for some color film to come back from lab before I post those on a separate article I am going to have on Minolta's lenses.

Minolta XD11 w/ Minolta Celtic 28mm f2.8

Minolta XD11 w/ Minolta Celtic f2.8

Minolta is my go to system at the moment for manual focus cameras and I couldn't be happier from the results I have been getting, but more importantly is that they are so fluid for me to use that I can enjoy what my actual passion is for, and that is making good pictures. Remember folks, you can have all of the fanciest gear in town, but it's absolutely worthless unless you take it out and have fun using it. Enjoyment is the most important thing to remember when you are involved in this hobby. Go out and have fun.