some stupid minolta questions

Abby Rose · Jan 24, 2011

:er: Sorry.

My uncle has a Minolta XE-7 slr body, an "MD Rokkor-x 1:17 50mm" lens, a "wide-angle Samigon 1:2.8 35mm" lens, a "Vivitar Automatic Tele Converter 2X-5", and a "Soligor 1:3.8 75-205mm" lens that he will sell to me (all of it) for $75 ish. Maybe $90? I said if I decided to buy it I would research and find a fair price. He's lent everything to me so that I can see if I like it. A trial-period.

I more or less understand the 50mm, and the 75-205 is a zoom obviously (and its really heavy!), but I'm confused about the teleconverter and the 35mm. I dont know anything about teleconverters. As for the 35mm "wide angle", 35mm doesnt seem terribly wide. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, and thats just referring the the 35mm film? But its written on the lens. It may also be broken, anyway. The aperture ring is really loose (you can spin it) and nothing seems to happen in the lens when I turn it.

I find film interesting, but if I bought it I see myself using it only sparingly because of the cost. Of course, this would force me to be more careful with compositions and whatnot, so I could only improve. I know that many here disapprove of film (unless the shooter is perhaps very good? Though I'm not in that category.), and that some think that film is far superior to digital. But I'm not looking to get into a film vs digital argument.

I havent been able to find much information on these things. I guess Minolta merged with Sony? But I dont know it these lenses work on current sony dslrs. And I found some lens hacks to make the 50mm fit on an EOS body, but they are irreversible. I couldnt really find anything on the other equipment.

Everything is pretty musty smelling. He hasnt used any of it since he was in college, or sometime around then. I dont know if the mustiness means that something could be wrong with any of the stuff, or if its just plain old "oldness".

SJGordon · Jan 24, 2011

Abby Rose said:
:er: Sorry.

My uncle has a Minolta XE-7 slr body, an "MD Rokkor-x 1:17 50mm" lens, a "wide-angle Samigon 1:2.8 35mm" lens, a "Vivitar Automatic Tele Converter 2X-5", and a "Soligor 1:3.8 75-205mm" lens that he will sell to me (all of it) for $75 ish. Maybe $90? I said if I decided to buy it I would research and find a fair price. He's lent everything to me so that I can see if I like it. A trial-period.

Those bodies with a couple lenses are going for anywhere from $20 to $120 on e-bay right now.

I more or less understand the 50mm, and the 75-205 is a zoom obviously (and its really heavy!), but I'm confused about the teleconverter and the 35mm. I dont know anything about teleconverters. As for the 35mm "wide angle", 35mm doesnt seem terribly wide. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, and thats just referring the the 35mm film? But its written on the lens. It may also be broken, anyway. The aperture ring is really loose (you can spin it) and nothing seems to happen in the lens when I turn it.

The teleconverter sounds like it is a 2X which mean if you mount the 50mm f:1.7 to it it will act like a 100mm f:3.4 lens; the 75-205mm f:3.8 will act like a 150-410mm F;6.8 lens and the 35mm (assuming it works) would be a 70mm f: 5.6.

For the 35mm it is considered a wide angle on 35mm film bodies and the 50mm is "normal". If the aperture ring will turn freely on, it is probably broken somehow. It should feel like it is indented at each aperture setting, if it spins all the way around then I bet it is broken for sure.

I find film interesting, but if I bought it I see myself using it only sparingly because of the cost. Of course, this would force me to be more careful with compositions and whatnot, so I could only improve. I know that many here disapprove of film (unless the shooter is perhaps very good? Though I'm not in that category.), and that some think that film is far superior to digital. But I'm not looking to get into a film vs digital argument.

I shoot both yet, but the number of my film photos are WAY, way less than the digital. The costs of constantly developing film can get expensive quickly.

I havent been able to find much information on these things. I guess Minolta merged with Sony? But I dont know it these lenses work on current sony dslrs. And I found some lens hacks to make the 50mm fit on an EOS body, but they are irreversible. I couldnt really find anything on the other equipment.

Minolta and Konica merged back in 2003, then sold out to Sony in 2006. The EX-7 came out around the end of 1974/beginning of 75. It uses the "SR" bayonet mount and while there are adapters made to fit the old "MD" or "MC" lenses to the newer (1985>present) "A" mount; I haven't found them to be worth adding yet another piece of glass between sensor and lens. Short answer: no the lenses will NOT mount directly to a Sony DSLR body. The XE series are built like tanks and were very nice film bodies. They had some very advanced features for the time (like +/- 2 stops exposure compensation, Aperture priority mode, DOF preview button) all while having a silky smooth film advance and shutter. There are literally hundreds of lenses available that it can use, and they are CHEAP in price. Where the cost comes in, is the film and developing.

Everything is pretty musty smelling. He hasnt used any of it since he was in college, or sometime around then. I dont know if the mustiness means that something could be wrong with any of the stuff, or if its just plain old "oldness".

The smell could be just stale smelling from non-use, or it could mean the camera and lenses have fungus in them. One isn't bad (just smell) and a little airing out will do the trick, the other (fungus) isn't so easy, and can cause troubles.