Minolta XG 9
This is the camera that started it all. My first SLR. Though this isn't the one I originally owned. This one I bought long after I had sold my first XG 9.
Minolta introduced this camera in 1979. It's a fine camera, though no comparance to the rocksolid XM or XE-1. With the XG 9 it's plastic all over. It makes the body a lot lighter, but doesn't give the everlasting feeling of earlier Minoltas. Practical usability is good. It's got automatic exposure with aperture priority and full manual exposure, though in the latter case the light meter doesn't work and you'll have to guess. One thing the more professional XM and XE-1 didn't have and the XG 9 has, was the possibility to attach a winder. With the winder G it's possible to advance film with 2 frames per second (winder G is visible on the pictures). One of the big advantages over earlier XG models is the 'acute matte' focusing screen Minolta put into the XG 9. This gives the XG 9 a delightful bright viewfinder.
This camera is in my collection because it was my first SLR. It doesn't fit into the '7-range' or 'top-range' definition for my collection.
If you'd ask me if this camera is worth considering today, I'd say there are better options out there, like the XE-1, the XD 7 or the X700. Though XG 9's sell for almost nothing, the others sell for almost nothing and a bit.
The manual is here: http://www.cameramanuals.org/minolta_pdf/minolta_xg-9.pdf
Minolta introduced this camera in 1979. It's a fine camera, though no comparance to the rocksolid XM or XE-1. With the XG 9 it's plastic all over. It makes the body a lot lighter, but doesn't give the everlasting feeling of earlier Minoltas. Practical usability is good. It's got automatic exposure with aperture priority and full manual exposure, though in the latter case the light meter doesn't work and you'll have to guess. One thing the more professional XM and XE-1 didn't have and the XG 9 has, was the possibility to attach a winder. With the winder G it's possible to advance film with 2 frames per second (winder G is visible on the pictures). One of the big advantages over earlier XG models is the 'acute matte' focusing screen Minolta put into the XG 9. This gives the XG 9 a delightful bright viewfinder.
This camera is in my collection because it was my first SLR. It doesn't fit into the '7-range' or 'top-range' definition for my collection.
If you'd ask me if this camera is worth considering today, I'd say there are better options out there, like the XE-1, the XD 7 or the X700. Though XG 9's sell for almost nothing, the others sell for almost nothing and a bit.
The manual is here: http://www.cameramanuals.org/minolta_pdf/minolta_xg-9.pdf