Starting in 2019, I began compiling information about Minolta gear for my use. Soon, keeping track of where to find reviews and gear suggestions proved to be tiresome, so I wrote them down, and those notes became “Buying and Collecting Minolta: A Guide for Newbies.” At one point, I needed a camera repair, so I started searching for shops that repair and service Minolta gear, and that list became “Minolta Camera and Lens Repair Services.” The Vintage Minolta Love Project began as my quest to shoot every (major) Minolta SLR, and once I decided to share my experiences as blog posts, I sought Minolta-specific books as a source of background information. Since most Minolta books are out of print, it has taken time to track them down. My small library is shared on the “Minolta Cameras, Lenses, and Gear: Books, Guides, References, Magazines, and Links” page.
Approaching Earth, Sun, Film’s third year, these three resource pages have grown far beyond what I originally envisioned. The buying guide (updated monthly) has links to hundreds of reviews for Minolta cameras and lenses. As my interest in Minolta gear has grown, I have added additional categories beyond the initial focus on SLRs. The page now includes rangefinder, TLR, and DSLR information, along with Minolta/Leica collaboration references. Soon, due to my interest in folding cameras and battery packs/control grips, I will also add links for those items.
The Minolta Camera and Lens Repair Services page has been well-received and is probably the most visited on Earth, Sun, Film. Engaging shop owners has been an interesting experience. Many have been in business for decades and are seeing a significant increase in business. Finding shops is time-consuming because many shops that provide Minolta repairs do not explicitly state this on their websites. As a result, Google searches miss many places. The most fruitful approach has been to search for camera shops city-by-city, then call promising leads to see if they service Minolta gear. Happily, there are over 40 shops on the list scattered around the country. This page is updated monthly as well.
The last page added, my library page, until now has contained mainly listings for books and print magazines. Going forward, I will be adding links for Minolta-specific websites and social media groups.
Remember that these resource pages reflect my interests and information needs. I have listed only those resources that I consider interesting or useful.
Please Note!!! The repair shops have not been vetted. The repair shop list is in no way a recommendation of any shop, nor does it imply a superior (or even adequate) quality of service on behalf of the shops listed—use at your own risk.