The XE-5 and XE-7 intrigued me because they were part of the Minolta-Leica collaboration, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. My first XE-5 was a Goodwill buy. It arrived with a good 50mm f2 lens, but the film advance was stuck. Fortunately, a little tinkering resultedContinue Reading
The “Back to Film” wave continues to move along, and as it does, it’s bringing back into use cameras set aside for their digital successors. The last film cameras I remember from the late 1980s and early 1990s were inexpensive, disposable P&S cameras. We used these a lot, taking picturesContinue Reading
Taking only a 135mm lens out for a walk proved to be just as jarring as the 24mm. Taking the 24mm and 135mm out on separate walks has given me a new appreciation for quality zooms. As with the 24mm, I quickly discovered I’m a poor judge ofContinue Reading
I’ve just had a complete eBay buying experience. It began with an effort to buy a Minolta-35 rangefinder—Minolta’s Leica-inspired rangefinder. The Minolta-35 was manufactured from 1947 until 1959 and proved to be a capable Leica competitor during its run. Eight models were produced—models A-F, II, and IIB. While the Minolta-35Continue Reading
The Minolta 700si won the 1994-1995 EISA award and a few others after its release in 1993. Today it has faded into relative obscurity. Looking at sold listings on eBay, one finds that only a few are sold in any given period. There are YouTube videos, though, so that’s good. At theContinue Reading
The Stars, as I call them, are a group of lenses I longed to try but never thought I’d own—the 24mm f2.8, 85mm f1.7, 58mm f1.2, 100mm f2.5, and the 35mm f1.8. The Stars are expensive but readily available— unlike those I call the Legends (20mm 2.8, 21mm 2.8, 24mmContinue Reading
The X-570 is not flashy. It is best described as a gracious, reliable, helpful companion. It doesn’t chew with its mouth open, expect you to laugh at bad puns, or eat the takeout you tried to hide in the back of the fridge. It is simply there when needed andContinue Reading
Manual focus cameras force one to concentrate on the fundamentals of photography. Using a manual focus camera requires a sequence of tasks: compose the image, meter the scene, set the aperture size, set the shutter speed, and shoot. You must be familiar with concepts such as depth of field andContinue Reading
Being in command of an extraordinary machine is an intoxicating experience. I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and the bridge has always held a particular fascination for me. The sense of being in absolute control of an immensely powerful ship–the lights, the screens, the sounds–has never lost its appeal. AlthoughContinue Reading
My first eBay purchase was a Maxxum 7000i with two lenses: a Minolta 35-80mm and a Minolta 75-300mm from the last generations of Minolta’s AF lenses. At 42.00 for the set, which included a flash, I thought I had done quite well. Generally, I was happy with my purchase, andContinue Reading
