My wife is not a photographer, and she ended up with her Minolta XG-M via her mom. The camera had been living in a closet until my wife inherited it, and then, unknown to me, it sat in one of our closets for a few years. It wasnât until lately, when my wife wanted more âus time,â that she decided she would liberate that old film camera from the closet and bring it to life on photo walks we could take together.
I will admit that I did not pay this camera much attention when my wife first started using it. I had it sent to a shop for a CLA (clean, lube, adjust), made sure it worked by firing the shutter a couple of times, then handed it back to her. It wasnât until I started researching this article that I really appreciated the camera and Minolta as a company.
The Best Consumer Level Minolta - In 1982
When the XG-M was released in 1982, it was the best consumer-level camera in Minoltaâs lineup. The XG series was meant to be an easy-to-use and more compact option compared to Minoltaâs more expensive and feature-rich pro-level XD series, which was offered during the same time. Minolta was among peers during the 80s, designing and releasing cameras that challenged Canon, Nikon and Pentax.
If youâve used any film SLR made in the 70s or 80s, then the Minolta XG-M will feel familiar. Its design follows the standard leatherette-wrapped metal and plastic body form factor. Dials are where you expect them to be. The shutter speed adjustment is wrapped around the shutter release button on one side of the camera. The ISO adjustment plus exposure control are on the opposite side. There are no real surprises here.
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The touch switch on the cameraâs shutter release was a unique and impressive innovation. The main camera power is controlled using a power switch located in front of the shutter speed dial. Turning it âonâ essentially places the camera in standby mode. The light meter in the viewfinder is activated by lightly touching the release button. Press the button further down, and the shutter is released. This essentially means that the electronics that operate the light meter are not powered until you touch the button, conserving battery power. This is very important in a camera that relies on battery power to be operational. Minolta even highlighted the necessity of batteries by including a spare battery carrier integrated on the camera strap. I am not sure that the touch switch on my wifeâs camera works. The manual says that finger contact is enough to activate the electronics and that slight pressure on the button also does the same. On my wifeâs XG-M, the button must be slightly depressed before the light meter comes on. If you have one of these cameras, I would love to hear if your touch switch behaves differently. After receiving an email from a reader, I took a closer look at the shutter button to see if there was something obvious to clean, to fix the touch ability. I noticed the shutter speed knob was also quite loose, and that there is a notched ring between the button and the knob. I tightened this ring, which tightened the knob - and now the light meter on the camera turns on at the lightest touch of the shutter button. Thanks Thomas!
Lots to Love
The camera feels great in hand - robust and compact with a small right-hand grip. My wife has small hands, and she has no problem handling this camera.
I usually shoot aperture priority on 35mm cameras these days, making it easy to start using this camera the way I am used to. All the controls are intuitive and easy to adjust. The shutter speed dial has a lock that keeps the dial in place when it is set to âAâ for automatic. There is even an indicator to tell you whether or not there is film in the camera, and it is properly wound up on the take-up spool.
When you look at your scene through the viewfinder, a small window lets you see what aperture the lens is set to. This is a common feature in most cameras of this age. It helps keep you in the flow of taking your photo, reducing how much you fiddle with the camera to compose and adjust for exposure before shooting.
The split-image focusing spot in the camera is surrounded by a band of micro prisms. This combo makes it very easy to see whether the image is in focus or not.
For what you get, the Minolta XG-M is a very affordable film camera. A quick search on eBay will show multiple results, all under $100, including shipping. The available lenses are also affordable and of excellent quality.
The now-defunct Minolta company does have quite a deserved following. They were one of the major camera manufacturers of the time. Through their innovation, Minolta helped move the camera industry forward. For example, they brought the very first true autofocus 35mm SLR camera to the market with the Maxxum 7000. If you watch film photography videos on YouTube, you might have come across a couple of famous YouTubers that love Minolta. The Minolta XG-M was Matt Dayâs very first camera! And Jonathan Paragas (KingJvpes) loves Minolta so much that he founded the #minoltagang hashtag.
There is definitely lots to love about the XG-M and Minolta.
Images From The Minolta XG-M
Many images can be found on Instagram and Flickr if you search for the appropriate tag. Here are some photos taken with the Minolta XG-M, sent in by photographers from around the globe.
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If I Had To Complain...
It was difficult for me to come up with anything that I honestly did not like about this camera. There were a couple of minor things that I figured are worth a mention.
The shutter speed lock button is located to the front right of the dial. For me, moving the shutter speed away from the âAâ setting requires two hands. Not a huge deal, but I found it awkward.
Because the shutter release is electromagnetic, the camera depends on batteries. If the batteries die, the camera becomes a brick. Not a huge deal if you are a casual photographer or if you are very diligent about carrying spare batteries. But if you are out on the road in the middle of nowhere and the battery dies in the only camera you brought with you, you are going to be very sad.
Super minor things, and nothing that I would say should prevent anyone from buying this camera.
A Camera For Any Film Photographer
Overall, the Minolta XG-M is compact, user friendly, and easy for even a beginner to use. It has features that any demanding hobbyist film photographer would want for any situation, outdoors or in a studio. The camera and lenses are easy to find on eBay and are very affordable. It is comparable to other cameras of the time, made by other manufacturers and is a fraction of the price. It is very underhyped and underrated, which make it very desirable in my eyes. The Minolta XG-M is a great camera choice for anyone of any skill level looking to shoot film.
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