The Vintage Minolta Love Project is my plan to shoot every major Minolta SLR along with selected period-appropriate lenses and accessories from the Minolta SR-2 released in 1958 to the Maxxum 5D, introduced in 2004.  

Think of this project as both an homage to a great company and a chance for me to fulfill my dream of shooting the best Minolta SLRs. My first real camera was a Minolta SR-T 101. I bought it and a third-party 50mm lens from a pawn shop while in college. I used to look at photography magazines and imagine what it would be like to own a Rokkor-X lens. Well, with the Vintage Minolta Love Project (VMLP), the time for wishing is past.  

At one time, I did not like shooting with rangefinders and  saw no need for a P&S. But times have changed, and so  a few rangefinders,  folding cameras, and P&S models with join SLRs (and DSLRs).  An Autocord has also joined the group.

VMLP posts will be numbered and appear approximately twice every five to six weeks, life permitting. Each post will consist of the following sections:  

  1. Introduction – the backstory of how I got the camera
  2. Historical Perspective – how the camera fits into Minolta’s product history in terms of innovation, lenses, gear, and the photography marketplace in general
  3. Inpection and Appearance – the design features and cosmetic condition of the camera
  4. Function and Handling – user experience (good and bad) including size, weight, ease of loading, metering, etc.
  5. Shooting – an account of shooting one or more rolls of film including specific shots, lenses used, locales, or situations (e.g., night, rain)
  6. Impression – whether I like the camera and why

Once the project is completed, I intend to thin the herd and keep only my favorite cameras and lenses. So far, I know that two of those keepers are the Maxxum 7 and the Minolta XD11.

I will be writing posts in parallel manual and autofocus tracks. So, each period will have one manual camera post and one autofocus post. Much of the enjoyment of writing a blog is interacting with readers, and I hope to connect with Minolta lovers from everywhere. I’m living a dream; join in and share the experience.  

VMLP Posts