Gear nostalgia part 4 - Minolta SRT 303 and XE
(Continued from part three) I sold off my Konica stuff and bought a black Minolta STR 303b. It had a big, bright viewfinder with a good match-needle open aperture manual metering system. This time I a choose a different lens strategy. The most popular lenses by photo amateurs was a 28, 50 and 135 mm set. But most professionals prefered a 35 as a normal lens, a 24 or 20 (21 if they had a Leica system) and a 85 or 105 for short tele. I got the Minolta Rokkors 24 F 2.8, 35 F 2.8, 85 F 1.7, 135 F 2.8 and for economical reasons the Vivitar 200 F 3.5. The Rokkors was love at first sight. These finely crafted lenses had a wonderful color rendition and great sharpness and contrast. They had a special color signature that made me decide to in the future whenever possible get original lenses instead of “pirates”. My favourites were the 24 F 2.8 and especially the 85 F 1.7.
Minolta XE
A friend of ours travelled to Japan (actually the swedish soccer pro Conny Torstensson who went there with FC Bayern), and I asked him to buy a camera on my behalf - the then brand new Minolta XE. This was to this day one of the finest built cameras I have owned. The professional Nikons I later owned were probably more robust, but the sheer mechanical precision of the camera, like the buttery smooth short-throw manual film wind lever, the shutter release and whispering shutter/mirror action was remarkable. This “sleeper” camera was the basis of the Leica R3, and according to some camera experts on the internet, the best built Minolta of all times.
With the two-body Minolta system and the Rokkor lenses I was happy for years. Most of my assaignments during our two year stay in Munic was shot with the Minolta/Rokkors. I was a litte handicapped by the lack of motor drive in sports shooting, but a sensitive trigger finger and timing/anticipation had to do.
Swedish skistar Ingemar Stenmark in Madonna de Campiglio. Minolta XE, 85 F1.7 Rokkor.
Minolta XE, 24 F2.8 Rokkor. The highlight roll-off looks very gentle and smooth compared to todays digital captures, in my opinion.
(To be continued)
