Camera Geekery: The Minolta XG-1 aka My Dad Cam
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ค. 2024
- I decided to make a video about a very special camera. My 'dad camera'. This one took loads of takes as I kept on welling up.
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I'm not crying.... you're crying
damned ninjas cutting onions.
@@japancamerahunter Damned ninjas cutting onions, yes, that it!
To hell with all of those fancy expensive Leicas. This is your most valuable camera.
The most valuable camera is the one that got you into photography. Although it isn't my first, i shot my first roll of black and white film in a konica TC autoreflex. If you can forgive the need for a mercury battery and its mostly plastic build, its quite a nice camera. It's all mechanical and the lenses for it aren't too pricy.
How ironic that you mentioned the Nikon F801 as it was my father's camera. It was his last camera: he bought it in 1989 when my parents were allowed to travel out of the former GDR and also sold his beloved Praktica back then. Unfortunately my mom sold the Nikon when he also past away 20 years ago without knowing how obsessed I'd become with photography just like my father...
So after some time of investigation (for I did not know which camera he used exactly) I just bought myself a Nikon F801 this week. And even though it ain't the exactly the camera he had I still feel this connection I cannot express mixed with some kind of gratitude.
So thank you for sharing your story, Bellamy, stay safe!
Ok, you’ve got me convinced to do a video on my “dad cam” the Nikon F2.
Fellow Brit here, currently 7 years here in Japan. “Photographer” too.
Your recent COVID era “presenting” videos have been fascinating. Fully understand the original intention as part of your business.
But this video. Wow, this hit me in the ‘feels’. I’m so glad you introduced us to this camera. Sometimes, things like this, whilst they are wonderful pieces of equipment also offer us a connection to the past and our cherished memories.
No kids of my own, and unlikely... it’s one thing I realised. Will today’s parents be able to pass down their cherished digital cameras to their kids in the future. I suspect not.
Such a great story. My grandfather bought an XG-1 in 1978 or 1979, quite a big purchase for him, with quite a few accessories. He took it around Australia twice, and used it for many years. I found it in his wardrobe after he passed away, and my nan gifted it to me. I use it as my main film camera and always think of him when I use it. I had to replace the light seals, except for that, it’s entirely original and working perfectly. Nice to know that you have that special sentimental attachment to your XG-1, as I do to mine.
@JapanCameraHunter I feel the exact same way about my Dad's X-370... Just something about Dad's old Minolta.
There certainly is. Thanks
My first and only so far 35mm SLR is my dad's Minolta X-700, my dad gave it to me in April 2017 for my birthday, and after a minor CLA because it hadn't been used in about 6 years it's worked flawlessly ever since :)
I just found this same camera in my closet. Smells of my late grandma whom I loved as my mother. I've always wanted a "professional" camera. I'm very much so a newbie to photography. So glad it brings you the joy it brings me! Better video than the "1st time shooting with film" videos. Nothing beats nostalgia. Many blessings to you from Yahuah, the name of Our Creator hidden for years but just now reemerging! HalleluYahuah
The XG-1 is one of the more unsung starter cameras around. Minolta has a good lens lineup which is also reasonably cheap. I'd often see these back then used by photographers in parks and events who'd often photograph you and then later sell their photos of you by the street.
As for my own "dad" cam, it is an Olympus AF-1 Mini. My dad bought it in his trip to Australia for study. It's still with us now, and I've used it to make the photos in my first-ever solo exhibit, which was part of my undergraduate thesis.
Apart from the non-functioning flash, everything in that camera works fine.
I started the process of scanning my family's old negatives during the winter break, and I found the same camera model in my mother's bedroom (my father having passed away 16 years ago). The camera had not been used in 18 years (my dad bought a Nikon D50 at that point). I took it home with me, now it has new batteries in it, a roll of Superia 400 and I'm looking forward to summoning this long-dormant archivist of my family's memories back to its duty.
I’m not crying…
😢
I just bought one at Goodwill. The previous owner took such good care of it. It looks brand one.
Thanks for this.
This was my dad’s camera for the majority of my childhood as well. I remember going to the shop with him to pick it out after his old camera was stolen. I also have many memories of waiting and waiting for him to get the manual focus just right.
I rescued it when the family home was sold a few years ago and now that he’s passed away I’ve been meaning to try and get it working again. Fingers crossed it’s just the battery that needs replacing.
Best pro/con list ever. ❤️
This is super special. Thanks for making it and sharing this one's story, Bellamy.
I love cameras with story
Still using a Minolta X-300. Originally purchased by my Grandfather who has now passed, it has made its way through my Dad, Brother and now me. I've got plenty of other cameras now but still come back to this for an occasional roll. The shutter button on this series are lovely and the light meter/AEL really easy to use and intuitive. Loved the video.
The XG-1 was my first 35mm camera I can't remember the year in the 80s. It just always worked. It was stolen in a house burgery, but still have the 50mm lens. It would be good to find one again.
Great review as ever. It's fantastic that you still have your late fathers camera. Unfortunately my father sold his when he and my mother emigrated about eight years ago. Only this morning the postman handed me a Praktica BX20, identical to the one my father shot our teenage years on. It's amazing how a camera is so often the centerpiece of the family.
My father's birthday gift to me was an old Exacta that I barely remember from my earliest years. Not the first camera I'd grab for much actual use, but it's got a provenance that means it's staying with me. The address of the technician he bought it from was stamped inside the case. I remember that workplace. I've got a prominent scar from running around in the woods behind, and an emotional scar from being put on the spot at a Christmas party there. You ought to hang on to the objects if only because they help you to touch those parts of yourself you might otherwise cover over.
This hits so close to home, thank you for sharing it Bellamy. My dad was our family photographer too. I remember a camera in his hands very often when growing up. Sometimes it was a film camera as a young boy, sometimes a digital as an adult. He passed quite suddenly in 2018, nobody expected it, and his cameras were right on his desk, where he always kept them. I inherited his Fuji X100F and his Olympus Mju II, my brother took his Fuji XT2 system camera and 2 prime lenses and is learning photography with those.
I'll not part with either camera, because they're a piece of him. Like him, they're not the newest hotness from Sony or Leica on the block, but they're legends in their own right, and each is greater than the sum of its parts. I'm quite fortunate to have inherited my grandfather's Yashica 12 TLR when he passed on, and now I have my dad's cameras as well. When I take photos of my two daughters with his X100F, I feel like he's right there with me. It's the camera I used to take on business trips (pre-pandemic), so his work could continue through his son's hands, in a sense.
Your story mirrors mine so much its spooky. My Father passed last month. I have Leica’s and Canons with expensive RF lenses but this will be my cherished piece. Havent used it yet but look forwards to it.
What a beautiful film you made. I really enjoyed it. Have the same camera here in the collection. Not a dad cam, but just a cam. The XG-1 came in three versions and yours / mine is the last, the XG-1(n). It is simple and effective. Just aperture prio and all speeds for the sunny 16 rule present. I can imagine that it will remain, even if it breaks down due to old age.
I do still have my first Minolta, the X-300 I bought in 1987. It is still working, but damaged on the way and in need of serious TLC. The nimble Minoltas are treasures. The lenses are stunning.
I guess my "dad camera" was his 1956 Rolleiflex TLR, which I have not seen in many years, and I have no idea where it might have ended up. But I bought myself a Minolta XG-1 towards the end of summer, 1979, and it was my constant companion from the day I got it until sometime in 1995, shortly after the birth of my first child, at which point the convenience of an auto-everything point-and-shoot beckoned. My first "assignment" with my Minolta XG-1 was covering the Harlem Globetrotters when they came to visit Lake Placid, NY that fall, part of a series of events to inaugurate the newly expanded Olympic Arena prior to the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. (Where else but Lake Placid, during those exciting days, would a 15-year-old boy be allowed to move freely right up next to the basketball court to take pictures of the famous Harlem Globetrotters? I didn't realize until years later just what an amazing experience that was!) A few months later, my XG-1 was with me every day for 2 weeks, taking my own slideshow of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games while working for the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee's audio-visual department. I continued to use my XG-1 regularly, taking pictures for high school yearbook, numerous youth group activities, family events, college, and much more. When my girlfriend's senior portraits came out poorly, it was no problem -- I just dropped a roll of film in my XG-1 and we took our own set. That camera hasn't seen a roll of film in 25 years, but I know exactly where it is. It needs a bit of work. Like your "dad camera", its light meter needs some work - hopefully it's fixable - and its f1.4 50mm Rokkor X normal lens needs some repairs to fix elements that got misaligned due to a fall, but hopefully it won't cost too much to make everything right. Then I can show my daughters how we used to take pictures!
I'm still looking for my dad's Minolta too .He got me into film photography and soon I want to meet him to give him a Yashica mat 124 G i got for him as he told me once , he used to shoot one back when he worked in a Film Lab .
Very nice. Obviously very special. This was my first 'real' camera after many simple ones, which had no meters or effective focusing. I sold it for a Nikon FM and regretted it ever since. The novelty at the time, for me, was the touch sensitive/'electronic' meter button. I paired it with a 50mm F2.8 lens and it was fantastic. There was no real desire for additional lenses, and bokeh hadn't been 'invented' yet.
Sry but FM 4ever :)
It was crazy when you said that you found the camera in a bag under the stairs, because I literally just found a bag in my garage yesterday with a minolta camera just like you, only this was my great grandfathers! Cool vid thumbs up!
My dads camera is a Minolta XE-5 that he bought in the late 70's. I still have it and use it.
My Dad's camera is a Olympus Pen F, but my personal first camera is a compact Olympus AZ-200 Superzoom, then my first SLR is Minolta Dynax 700si
Great video!!! It happen the same for me, as my father passed away 12 years ago, I found his Minolta X-370n on his closed. I picked up, used a coupe of times about 10 years ago. Then put it away, this last weekend I took her for a photowalk. It yes, it is amazing how gear this old and simple just keeps going. TL:DR I will always treasure his camera, now mine.
Very touching story. Glad to see a bit of the history behind JCH.
Really enjoying these videos.
Keep it up :)
Glad you like them!
The best cameras you can have are ones you cherish from your late family members. I just inherited a Canon AE-1 Program from my late grandmother in law who is getting close to passing away from a terminal illness. I will never sell it and cherish it forever. It actually almost got thrown away in the trash by accident before my step dad actually opened the camera bag to see what’s inside.
My “(step) dad cam” is my step father’s Canon EOS Rebel S II, my first 35mm SLR. My “mom cam” is my mom’s old Minolta Vectis 2000 APS Camera.
So touching. I especially liked the summary of pros and cons. ultimately we need to put emphasis first and foremost on the heart.
Love this video and that clean camera! Earlier this year I bought a Minolta X-70 (the Japanese version of XG-M) as my first film SLR. Never thought that many photographers started with the Minolta XG cameras, and it feels sad that I hadn't born yet back when Minolta was very popular. Gotta put mine into more adventure later!
I got mine in '82, and sadly like your dad, I had put it away for storage. My daughter picked it up and has been using it off and on for about a decade now. Hopefully she'll pass it on to her kids someday too. Thank you for the video.
i really enjoy your channel growing and your original approach to cameras 🙏
Glad you enjoy it!
Well done
My dad passed suddenly in 2020 and i recently found his Minolta XG1. I have so many memories of him using it growing up and i can't wait to teach my 12 year old photography with it.
I came for a review and i got a moving short film. Greetings from Chile.
Recently my dad's das Fujica St605 died as the film leaver broke. Was devastated so just bought this one with a nice 50mm lens
The camera I inherited from my Dad was the Minolta SRT 102 from 1975. I tested it recently. The meter is working perfectly.
thanks for the video, i have just gotten my own "Dad Cam" my father passed last month and i was lucky to get his old camera!
Very nice story! I’ve had one since it was new in the 70’s. And many good photos from it. Used to take one or two rolls of film on a vacation and come back with them as good souvenirs. Nowadays I shoot 48 digital pics in a matter of minutes. Minolta developed a leak at some point, and so was put aside. Maybe I should have it repaired and try some analog again.
Damn, what a story. I hope that you cherish that camera forever. Luckily for me, my father is still around, but I own his Canon A-1 that he used when I was young. It's also funny that I basically buy all of his camera equipment now. He's a big Sony guy.
Oh I will never let it go. That is for sure.
i loved this one. i havr been enjoying each of these, but this was amazing. Thank you for sharing it..
Thank you!
Cool! I sold lots of these when they were new...one of Minolta's better efforts at that time. My own "Dad Cam" is a 1970 Yashica TL-Electro X SLR that my father bought in Zurich in 1970, during a family trip to Europe. He spent the princely sum of US$350 on it. I learned photography on it in high school and college, and 50 years on, it still functions just fine. Keep posting these great videos, Bellamy!
Very cool! Thanks for sharing.
My dad was photographer earlier in his life just about the time I was born. However he was constantly getting his gear in and and out of hawk. Then he sold after I was born I thought photography was ? In my life until I hit my mid 30’s and started shooting. Full time now, just landed my newest camera the F4S from Nikon. Although most of my work is digital. I love being able to shoot film sometimes. Wish my dad could see me photos but he chooses a small life on the farm.
Man beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing. I just got my step fathers M2 cla’d put 20 rolls through it since the start of Covid and have made my 2 year old daughter a book she can look back on. I decided to keep making books for her to have. Fun fact on the M2 it was once my step dads... step dads camera.
I could tell roughly the same story about my own dad and his Pentax Spotmatic, which is mine now. I will always continue using that camera and hope to pass it on some day.
I bought one from EBay for less than $40. Hopefully it’ll work. So excited...
Thanks for sharing Mr. Hunt. This is very nice and personal video. Keep the good work up! Cheers!
Thank you kindly.
Great video. Wish I had my father's old film camera.
The shutter click sound is the photography cuipd
My dad had a Pentax when I was a kid which he would let me use occasionally in the early/mid eighties. I can't remember which model it was, but he no longer had it when he passed away about nine years ago.
This is beautiful
Hold on brother I'm crying
Lovely stuff Bellamy. I have a Maxxum 7000 Mom Cam and an SP1000 Grandad Cam. They'll be the last 2 things I own if the world comes crashing down.
My dadcam is an Asahi Pentax SV with a trio of old SuperTaks. It'll never see another roll of Kodachrome, but gets fed Tri-X and FP4+ now and then. Mirror sometimes sticks on damp days and the finder is dusty, but the shutter never fails and there's nothing wrong with Takumar glass. I hope to get it CLA'd soon, even if the cost of a service is probably well above what the body's actually worth. Doesn't matter, though. Not the point.
I kept me moms camera. I couldn’t sell it, no way. Nikon f2 with de-1, she definitely had way more skill than I do. I can barely manage with sunny 16 lol this is my favorite episode. Made me think of me mom. A lot.
Aside from the emotional value, that is a fantastic camera.
My first SLR camera. I can't fault it. I love it
My dad's camera as well! Battery doens't power the camera so I have to take it to repair but I'm exctied to use it again once it's good to go
I had the first version of the XG-1 with smal letters minolta on the pentaprisme housing, I only had it for a few weeks, the temperature was under the freezzing point the whole period I had it, so when I was putdoors it would not fire the shutter, because the air was so dry and my fingers gor dry, so the current on the shutter botton did not work. As an all time outdoor man, this was not good for me, so I got a Nikon FE (later Hasselblad) to replace the the XG-1, never looked back until last year when I got Sony cameras, so I was reminded about the minolta because Sony had bought Minolta :)
Love your videos. Love that they are short, sweet and personal. What I would be curious to hear is the full story on how you became the Japan Camera Hunter? Did you tell it somewhere, like in a podcast? Otherwise maybe an interesting topic for a TH-cam video.
I have done loads of online interviews and print interviews with the JCH story. I guess I could do a video though it would not be particularly new information for many viewers. Still, it is definitely something I can consider. Thanks
This is my Dad Cam too! Just got it back out after several years and gonna start using it!
Awesome. Hope you enjoy it.
I love this story. I have one too that I got new for Christmas back in the late 70s. I love it. I havent used it in decades. Mine has an auto-winder and also a flash attachment. Where do you get and process your film? I'm giving mine to my son who owns a photography business. I hope that he'll treasure it and remember me when he uses it.
Great video and story, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Bellamy, same story for me for my dad's 1980 Canon AE1. Still working, and i still use it. Sometimes take better shots compared to my Leica M6 😄. Cheers to our dads! 🙏
That's awesome! Cheers!
Your story about this camera could be mine. ❤️
my greatest artistic aspiraton in life is to be a photo geek dad
A very good thing to aspire to.
My DadCam? Kodak No2, bought by him in 1926, probably with his first wage to go on his first holiday without his parents. Still got it, still works [though could do with a service], still takes perfectly good pictures.
That is awesome!
i love minolta lenses on my x370 x700 and a6300
Thank you for sharing your wonderful syory
Thanks for watching.
A great video thanks for sharing
This was my first SLR back in 1982 after a stint with a Kiev 4 rangefinder. I think the Rokkor lenses were stunning. My dad's camera was a Zenith but I never liked it. Too tank like. I liked the XG-1 more than the Contax Aria and even Nikon FM2 I had years later. It was a sad day when Minolta disappeared...
Sorry for your dad, can't imagine..
Great seeing you carry on with your dad's legacy however☺
Much appreciated
I got a random message from the widow of a man who was my neighbor for my entire life. Mr. Danny had cerebral palsy and walked with crutches or in a wheelchair. He lived with his mom beside the field in my grandparents backyard. As I grew up and would ride my bike around the block, I would always tell him hello. My grandmother would send me across the field to take things to his mother and I would go in through the backdoor. When I was about 12, we got a Boy Scout Troop started by our middle school band teacher. Mr. Danny volunteered as an assistant scoutmaster. We would go camping and to scout camp. Eventually, as I grew up, Mr. Danny's mother died. He was an earthy man. He would cuss and dip tobacco. He had no issue in giving me any either if I had actually wanted some. She messaged me and said she had found his old camera and wanted to know if I wanted to have it. If not, she was going to throw it away. I just got it today. I have an old Yashica camera and a broken Rebel film camera. I use them as decorations since I shoot digital exclusively. Maybe one day I'll find some film and see if it still works. Where does one even get film developed anymore?
This one is also my dad´s old camera and i just bought a film; any recommendation to how to start to use it? ive never used a camera before
What camera bag is that? It’s beautiful
Hey I have the Minolta xg1 and I just bought new batteries and put them in but I tried the battery check and the light does not come on? Do you know what I can do to fix this? Thank you :)
What batteries does it take?
Fabulous - God bless!
A reliable, light, easy to use, and fun camera, with great lenses. Cons: None
I have 2 and use them a lot. They're, what, 40 years old and refuse to die.
Hola acabo de comprar esta camara , va ser mi primera camara analogica , lo unico que "no me gusta" esque en modo manual no tiene footmetro pero puedo usar sunny 16, sabes si hay mucha diferencia entre este modelo y el modelo x300? Saludos
Yesterday I bought a XG-1 (with the old logo) for 10 euro's, including three lenses. I hope the camera is still working, fingers crossed. That would mean I'm going to set my first steps in analog photography.
Good old Minolta.
As a teen my first “real” camera was Minolta XG-M. I will never part with it. I now have my father’s 35mm…. A Yashica.
thats sweet =)
Omg.. I’m watching your video right. And I have my XG-1 with me and knowing I have HP5 loaded and the hp5 box marker on the back of camera, I popped open the back. Hopefully I didn’t ruin much and I only had 8 exposures so far. I feel like an idiot
f8 and be there.
My father give it to me the xg 1 at 18 too
My neighbor just gave me this camera. I am a Rangefinder Technician. I don’t normally work in SLR’s. Who can anyone recommend as a Minolta CLA tech ?
I honest couldn't tell he is British
Boo to the single person that downvoted this. Boo I say.