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I just bought a Minolta X700 for the princely sum of $5 American (1.7 50mm manual focus lens included) and I have absolutely no experience with film SLRs. Any general tips? Specific things I should know about this camera?
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Jul 15, 2012 04:24
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 22:57 |
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It's not a Pentax ME Super.  On a serious note, make sure it's got good batteries, see if there are any apparent light seals missing or nasty looking, make sure the shutter seems to fire like you'd expect it, and then shoot away.
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Jul 15, 2012 05:06
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Haha nevermind, tried it out, replaced the batteries, cleaned everything, and then.... popped the lens off and there's no mirror inside 
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Jul 15, 2012 20:33
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change my name posted:Haha nevermind, tried it out, replaced the batteries, cleaned everything, and then.... popped the lens off and there's no mirror inside Sure it's not just flipped up?
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Jul 15, 2012 20:43
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change my name posted:Haha nevermind, tried it out, replaced the batteries, cleaned everything, and then.... popped the lens off and there's no mirror inside
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Jul 15, 2012 20:46
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This just proves how little I know about film cameras... yep, it's stuck in the up position and won't stay down.
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Jul 15, 2012 20:57
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Yeah, the X700 getting the mirror stuck is not all that uncommon, google it for some info and possible solutions.
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Jul 15, 2012 20:58
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Okay, after sliding the shutter curtain around with my finger the mirror dropped and the film advance handle thing became unstuck. Guess it was a good buy after all!
change my name fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Jul 16, 2012 |
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Jul 16, 2012 02:19
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change my name posted:Okay, after sliding the shutter curtain around with my finger i don't know much about this particular camera and it may be perfectly normal but the thought of this just makes me cringe
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Jul 16, 2012 02:27
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Yeah I know, I know, but it's apparently the only way to get everything re-aligned if this happens, and I did it very gently. Between that or getting new capacitors installed it was the lesser of two evils.
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Jul 16, 2012 02:32
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Interesting side-by-side comparison of sensor sizes http://cameraimagesensor.com/ If laid on top of each other could be more interesting.
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Jul 17, 2012 02:17
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geeves posted:If laid on top of each other could be more interesting. 
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Jul 17, 2012 02:23
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change my name posted:I just bought a Minolta X700 for the princely sum of $5 American (1.7 50mm manual focus lens included) and I have absolutely no experience with film SLRs. Any general tips? Specific things I should know about this camera? Anyway, now that it's (probably) working, do like Mr. Despair said and get some batteries (don't buy local unless you absolutely have to, the price is much, much less through ebay, look for either SR44 or LR44) and some film and fire away. Unlike the much-loved Pentax offerings from about that time, the X-700 absolutely requires battery power to work, because the shutter is held open by electrical current. Thus, long exposures are a good way to drain your batteries, but even messing around with silly 5-minute "oooh-look-at-the-lights-of-the-cars" shots it took me months to drain a pair. One of the really nice things about the Minolta MD system is the lens mount is more-or-less obsolete in the sense that no modern cameras can use it natively, though adaptors exist for a range of modern bodies. This keeps the prices on lenses down, you can pick up something like a 28-80 or 70-210 zoom for like $50. Get thee to the Film Thread http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2864270 and post some shots.
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Jul 19, 2012 02:23
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Actually, update time: Bought new batteries, but I found out the bottom capacitor is burnt out. Other than that it's going to work fine, so I sent it off to be fixed for like 20 bucks. And since my father owns an even older x-370 as his go-to camera, he gave me a bunch of much better lenses (including a 1.4 50 mm mc rokkor-x and some zooms). Should be back by tomorrow, and I'll definitely post pictures when I get it. Also I already knew about the shutter being held open by battery, but that's still a really dumb design.
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Jul 19, 2012 02:41
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I've got a possibly stupid question: what is the purpose of setting the film speed on old manual/film cameras? I can understand if the program modes on slightly newer film cameras take the film speed into account while choosing shutter/aperture settings, but what does it do on say, entirely manual cameras? Is it just a reminder? All I've found while googling is digital stuff about the iso/aperture/shutter triangle, and things of that nature. Also ^^^ I love old Minolta glass. If I had more money I'd just buy a ton of things, rather than just use my 50 and 80-205. Although I guess I'd have to compete with the guys using Sony Alphas and dealing with MF.
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Jul 20, 2012 06:16
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Zenostein posted:I've got a possibly stupid question: what is the purpose of setting the film speed on old manual/film cameras? I can understand if the program modes on slightly newer film cameras take the film speed into account while choosing shutter/aperture settings, but what does it do on say, entirely manual cameras? Is it just a reminder? Even on a full manual camera the meter needs to know the film speed to let you know if you're going to expose right.
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Jul 20, 2012 06:28
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To expand on Mr. Despair's answer (unnecessary detail ahoy!) The meter in a manual camera like the X-700 shows a single recommendation for one of the three variables of the exposure triangle. In the X-700, it recommends a shutter speed, in other cameras of that era (e.g. my Konica FC-1, or Canon AE-1), it recommends an aperture value, instead. The film speed is the third variable, but it's a constant for a given roll of film.* In the X-700, the meter reads the aperture value from the lens and makes a recommendation for shutter speed based on how much light is coming in and what you've told it the film speed is. I shot a roll of 3200 ISO film in my X-700, even though the setting only goes to 1600, by telling the camera it was 1600 speed and deliberately underexposing each shot by 1 stop. I'd show you the results but the roll went through an X-ray machine (I think) at customs when I bought it through ebay from somebody in Sweden, and was totally blank. drat you Canada Customs!   * "Pushing" or "pulling" film means exposing it as if it was film of a different sensitivity (ISO), and developing accordingly. The easiest way to do this is to lie to the camera and tell it your 400 speed film is actually 1600, for example.
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Jul 20, 2012 07:03
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So it's a push/pull thing, but entirely different from more modern film cameras that read the ISO off the reel? I have a perfectly boring XG-1, and it isn't nearly as smart as an X-700, which has all sorts of fancy (read: Tv/Av mode) settings. I assumed that in manual mode the camera just trusted you. For example, the old Zorki/FED/Argus &c. cameras just assumed you'd not gently caress up. Do those cameras somehow compensate for e.g. a completely hosed up s16 exposure, then? And if they do, how; without a photographer, it seems they'd be unable to without some kind of programming. Am I just missing something, or what? (Also, it isn't a derail if there's some point to it, like ExuDork's) That said, I'm not trying to trick the sensor. If I'm going to shoot everything manually, what does the ISO setting/meter do? Does the camera not trust me and it does whatever the hell it wants?
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Jul 20, 2012 07:46
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Zenostein posted:So it's a push/pull thing, but entirely different from more modern film cameras that read the ISO off the reel? Modern film cameras work exactly the same way. DX coding is just a convenience, allowing you to skip setting the ISO manually if you're exposing at box speed. Old camera: If you're shooting ISO 400 film at ISO 400, you load the film and then set the camera to ISO 400. New camera: If you're shooting ISO 400 film at ISO 400, you ioad the film. The camera sets itself to ISO 400. Any camera: If you're shooting ISO 400 film at ISO 800 (push +1), you load the film and set the camera to ISO 800. Zenostein posted:If I'm going to shoot everything manually, what does the ISO setting/meter do? Does the camera not trust me and it does whatever the hell it wants? The ISO setting tells the meter how much light is required for a proper exposure. The meter tells you "Yes, this should be properly exposed at the settings you've chosen" or "No, this will not be properly exposed at the settings you've chosen." If you're in manual mode, you can ignore the meter to your heart's content. The camera will only do what you tell it to. Molten Llama fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Jul 20, 2012 |
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Jul 20, 2012 08:13
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So if I bought an old camera without a meter, it'd not ask me to set a film speed, because it flat-out has no way to tell me to shoot in a given way? I guess I misunderstood/didn't look at old-enough cameras?
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Jul 20, 2012 08:35
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Yes. In the interest of not confusing things, the general answer is yes. With no meter, there would be no film speed to set. There are some older cameras with calculator wheels or reminder wheels, either of which have you "set" a film speed although it doesn't actually matter to the operation of the camera.
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Jul 20, 2012 08:50
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So if I used a higher iso film, like 200, and shot at a lower setting, like 100, would the film be underexposed? Or is it so low already in this example that it wouldn't make a huge difference?
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Jul 20, 2012 13:35
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change my name posted:So if I used a higher iso film, like 200, and shot at a lower setting, like 100, would the film be underexposed? Or is it so low already in this example that it wouldn't make a huge difference?
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Jul 20, 2012 13:40
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So there's a very slight black vignette along the bottom of the frame on my D700 when I use flash at the max sync speed of 1/250. Is it because the flash duration (AB-800 at 1/4 power) is too slow, or the shutter is out of whack? Or perhaps Nikon is lying about the flash sync speed max? 1/200 lights the whole frame.
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Jul 20, 2012 19:04
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Another film question: what happens when you use expired film? Is there any way to actually tell (like if you've bought off of ebay/find some in your fridge and want to be sure) short of actually shooting on it?
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Jul 20, 2012 21:22
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change my name posted:Another film question: what happens when you use expired film? Is there any way to actually tell (like if you've bought off of ebay/find some in your fridge and want to be sure) short of actually shooting on it? Depends on the film, the storage conditions, the age, etc. Some films are more susceptible to color shifts than other, some B&W films can get foggy over time. But generally speaking, if a film has been kept refrigerated or frozen, it can look perfectly fine well past its expiration date. Buying off eBay is kind of a crapshoot though.
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Jul 20, 2012 21:41
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If you want consistent results, don't use expired film. Fresh film isn't that much more expensive and you can be completely confident in the results you're getting across multiple rolls.
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Jul 20, 2012 23:01
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red19fire posted:So there's a very slight black vignette along the bottom of the frame on my D700 when I use flash at the max sync speed of 1/250. Is it because the flash duration (AB-800 at 1/4 power) is too slow, or the shutter is out of whack? Or perhaps Nikon is lying about the flash sync speed max? 1/200 lights the whole frame.
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Jul 21, 2012 23:37
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Somethings I'll get shutter vignette when I'm using off brand radio triggers so I've been inclined to blame those
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Jul 22, 2012 00:12
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Paragon8 posted:Somethings I'll get shutter vignette when I'm using off brand radio triggers so I've been inclined to blame those evil_bunnY posted:Lazy shutter. Flash duration is orders of magnitude shorter than shutter times. Figured as much. After "new lights", my next step is to save up for PocketWizards like I should have from the start.
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Jul 22, 2012 00:15
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red19fire posted:So there's a very slight black vignette along the bottom of the frame on my D700 when I use flash at the max sync speed of 1/250. Is it because the flash duration (AB-800 at 1/4 power) is too slow, or the shutter is out of whack? Or perhaps Nikon is lying about the flash sync speed max? 1/200 lights the whole frame. change my name posted:Another film question: what happens when you use expired film? Is there any way to actually tell (like if you've bought off of ebay/find some in your fridge and want to be sure) short of actually shooting on it?
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Jul 25, 2012 22:36
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I'm trying to find a good camera that doesn't have awful response times when taking a picture and that doesn't horribly blur my children when they're running around outside/at amusement parks/etc. I've never bought a camera that costs more than $125 dollars, and my last one was bought years ago, but I'm willing to spend whatever I need to now. Can someone tell me what features to look for? I'll continue to research cameras on my own, I know that 'what should I buy' questions are annoying. I just need to know what to look for in a camera! 
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Jul 26, 2012 16:32
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Start here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3387357
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Jul 26, 2012 16:37
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Will do - read through it a little previously, got to the part that said that DSLR probably isn't for me based on my needs and stopped. Let me see if they make some recommendations! Thanks!
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Jul 26, 2012 16:48
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Solaron posted:Will do - read through it a little previously, got to the part that said that DSLR probably isn't for me based on my needs and stopped. Let me see if they make some recommendations! If you're not in the market for a DSLR, check out the point and shoot thread for some great cameras that will do great service to your family photo albums. If you want interchangeable lenses, or a little more flexibility, or just a halfway point between P&S and DSLR, look into a micro four-thirds camera, which there is also a thread for. But, in the end, there are a number of consumer-level DSLRs that could serve your needs perfectly just with the included kit lens. Good luck!
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Jul 26, 2012 17:32
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Solaron posted:Will do - read through it a little previously, got to the part that said that DSLR probably isn't for me based on my needs and stopped. Let me see if they make some recommendations! We're here to offer advice on specific options as well, just usually not as up to date on P&Ss as DSLRs.
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Jul 26, 2012 20:40
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I'm looking for something around (preferably less than) $500 - if there are any DSLR options within that range. If not, I think I'll look at mirrored compact, from my reading that seems to be my next best bet. I'll check out dpreview as well, thanks a ton!
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Jul 26, 2012 21:43
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Solaron posted:I'm looking for something around (preferably less than) $500 - if there are any DSLR options within that range. If not, I think I'll look at mirrored compact, from my reading that seems to be my next best bet. I'll check out dpreview as well, thanks a ton! If your price limit is $500, you should look at the Nikon D3100 with the 18-55mm kit lens. It's available for just under $500 at B&H at the moment and it should serve you well. It's an older model, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It has 3D tracking autofocus, which should help you a lot when photographing your kids - you choose your focus point and half-press the shutter button, and the AF system will automatically switch focus points as they move through the frame, keeping them from getting blurry. It does a great job at high ISO too, so you should be able to keep the shutter speed high enough to eliminate motion blur in most situations.
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Jul 27, 2012 05:14
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I am a newbie when it comes SLR cameras and recently got a Canon Rebel T3i. Recently, I bought a brand new Canon 50mm 1.8/f lens and when it arrived I noticed a pretty noticeable flaw inside the lens. It looked like either a scratch or a bubble. I sent it back and exchanged it for another lens and this one has two similar flaws but they are not as noticeable. Is this normal, or should I send the lens back again? The lens was only $100, but it seems strange that there would be flaws in it. I have a Canon EF-s 18-55mm IS II and a Canon EF-S 55-250MM IS II lens and both of these have no flaws from what I can tell. I should mention that this is a import lens, is the quality different on those? edit: I ended up sending the lens back. The retailer (Unique Photo) seemed surprised that I had two lens in a row with defects and they are going to personally check the third lens before they ship it out. Bluecobra fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 28, 2012 00:52
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 22:57 |
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Noticed a weird problem with my Canon AV-1. With the Vivitar 28mm, it meters somewhat correctly and chooses a shutter speed of around 1/125 at f/8 in the afternoon outside (400 ASA). However, when I slap the Canon 50mm f/1.8 on it, it goes crazy and just wants to shoot at 1/1000 on any aperture in the same light. Any clue?
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Jul 28, 2012 17:10
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