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01-27-2019, 03:23 PM   #1
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Recommend a Minolta X-700 Replacement

I have been accumulating a small collection of K-mount lenses since acquiring my K-1, including several of the SMC-A series. My fiancee has taken to shooting film on a Minolta X-700, and I was originally going to see if I could adapt my lens collection to her camera body, but I realized that it would probably be simpler, possibly less expensive, and result in higher quality photos to just purchase a Pentax film body. I was hoping to get some recommendations for a body that will have similar capabilities as the X-700, and will be able to utilize the aperture control of my A-series lenses. I suspect that the Super-A / Super Program might be the best fit but would like some experienced input.

01-27-2019, 04:01 PM   #2
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Might take a look at the following:
Pentax MX.

Pentax Super A/Super Program.
01-27-2019, 04:19 PM   #3
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That would be my choice.

Another option would be something newer, with autofocus and auto wind... that can be turned off...

-Eric
01-27-2019, 04:50 PM   #4
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I’m not that familiar with Minolta, so I looked it up. From what I can tell, the X-700 is a manual focus camera with manual mode, program mode, and aperture priority mode. Oddly, from what I can tell, it lacks shutter priority. (A strange omission because program mode requires the ability to automatically set both shutter and aperture, so why leave out shutter priority?). If program mode is important to you, then the Pentax SuperProgram can do that as well as aperture and shutter priority (program mode and shutter priority require A series lenses). Later manual focus bodies lost features and got plasticky. There were some autofocus bodies that were good and work fine with manual lenses.

If program mode isn’t important, than you can look earlier than the SuperProgram. The LX and ME Super, both of which give you metered manual and aperture priority. Both are well liked, thought I’ve used neither. The LX is probably the most expensive Pentax 35mm film camera currently, but the ME super can be found pretty cheap.

If all you want is metered manual, then there are a lot to choose from. My favorite being the MX, but there are lots of others worth looking at.

01-27-2019, 05:15 PM   #5
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The Super Program is the equivalent to the X-700 in Pentax-Land. No aperture readout in the viewfinder and awful push button shutter speed selection is the downside. I think because Asahi's obsession with buttons following the success of the ME Super, you will not quite find an equivalent camera in Pentax's range to the X-700. If you don't need TTL Flash and full program mode, I'd recommend the KX or MX. They're wonderful cameras and fully mechanical and as a result, will not crap out due to faulty eighties electronics the way two of my X-700s have.
01-27-2019, 06:27 PM   #6
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If you don't absolutely NEED program mode, I'd steer clear of the Super Program/Super A. Their viewfinder displays are horrible. The ME Super is a far superior display, in fact, the best of all of the M series displays in my opinion. I personally LOVE the push buttons too. They are easier for me to manipulate than the shutter speed dial.
01-27-2019, 07:27 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by abruzzi Quote
Oddly, from what I can tell, it lacks shutter priority. (A strange omission because program mode requires the ability to automatically set both shutter and aperture, so why leave out shutter priority?).
Mainly to keep cost down but also Minolta's target market were photographers that preferred control of the aperture (aperture priority or Av in Pentax terms). Canon favored action/sports photographers as the AE-1 series were shutter priority (Tv). The Minolta XD-7/11 had both Av and Tv modes and I think the XK with AES viewfinder did as well. All the rest of Minolta's auto cameras were Av.

Minolta's program mode was biased towards aperture where as Canon's favored shutter speed.

The difference between the target markets can be seen in their lens line-ups. The Canon FD mount was known for the number of offerings in the long telephoto lenses where as Minolta (along with Olympus) had a wide range of macro bellows and macro bellows lenses.


Last edited by Not a Number; 01-28-2019 at 03:04 AM.
01-27-2019, 07:35 PM   #8
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1. Mx
2. Lx
3. K-1000
01-27-2019, 08:02 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by ctrout Quote
If you don't absolutely NEED program mode, I'd steer clear of the Super Program/Super A. Their viewfinder displays are horrible. The ME Super is a far superior display, in fact, the best of all of the M series displays in my opinion. I personally LOVE the push buttons too. They are easier for me to manipulate than the shutter speed dial.
All these things are ultimately preference, the OP will need to decide what he likes and what he doesn’t. The push button shutter that many seem to hate is, for me, much easier to work than the fairly stiff MX shutter dial. But I’ll also take the LCD shutter readout over the busy long list of shutter speeds that you get with the K2, KX, LX, ME, and ME Super among others. I never liked them, especially when they overlay the shutter speed over the viewfinder image. The MX is better for me because you only see the selected shutter speed and the stop above and below, but even better would be to see only the selected shutter speed and off the image area.
01-27-2019, 10:30 PM   #10
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The PZ-1 is a great choice which adds autofocus.
01-28-2019, 04:07 AM   #11
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As said closest to the X-700 is the Super program/super A.
- Program mode
- Aperture prioirity
- Shutter priority
- Manual mode
- TTL flash or flash program
Focusing screens are not interchangeable, but there is a aperture lever for DOF preview.
The viewfinder is ok from my poinr of view and I'am using the camera with a pair of lenses. Time and aperture (in program mode) are shown by LCD, which is a major backdraw in dark enviroments, as the illumination of the LCD tends to be a bit weak.
If you want to buy one of these, make sure it works well together with the A lenses in A-mode. The electronic contacts of the mount may have issues, and metering will give unreasonable values.


As an alternative there are:
Program A / Program plus- smaller brother of the series
- Program mode
- Aperture priority
- Manual mode
- No TTL flash, only program flash
- Aperture lever

P30T or P30N/P3N or P50/P5N (not the P30 without a letter, this has no aperture priority)
latest manual focus camera of pentax, a bit plastic feeling, quite basic, but a good workhorse and inexpensive, if you are lucky with working light seals - quite similar capabilites to the Program A
- BIGGEST ISSUE: !!!! only DX based ISO, i.e. you have to use DX coded films with their coded ISO not good for shooting ilford XP2 or pushing
- Program mode
- Aperture priority
- Manual mode
- flash program
- aperture lever


Of course the LX, MX and KX are excellent cameras as well. But they are fully manual and do not use the A-setting of the lens.

If you are content with aperture priority and manual mode (again A-setting not utilized) the ME super is worth a look, as well as cameras of the Chinon, Ricoh and Cosina brand which may be a bit younger. I would not recommend an autofocus camera for your A-Lenses, as they have no mattes for focusing manual lenses.

Also have a look at the cameras reviews on this site.

Last edited by Papa_Joe; 01-28-2019 at 04:14 AM.
01-28-2019, 07:19 AM   #12
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*ist has P-TTL, DX coding and manual ISO setting...
01-28-2019, 07:26 AM   #13
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The point about not having a Matt for focus of the A series doesn't hold up in my opinion. I focused my A* 85 f1.4 on my PZ-1... Younger eyes helped, but so did film vs high pixel count digital. The focusing screens of the PZ-1 could be replaced as well. The mz-m screen fits and has the split prism design you want.

split prism focusing screen for Z-1p / PZ-1p - PentaxForums.com
01-28-2019, 07:46 AM   #14
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Of those mentioned I recommend the P3n/P30T bodies with their simpler controls.
Useful features include DOF preview and AE memory lock.

Chris
01-28-2019, 08:34 AM   #15
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Thanks for all the responses - it looks like there is more to think about than I had originally anticipated. Autofocus is not a priority. Having the option of using the A-setting on the lenses would be preferable, but not an absolute requirement. Seems like everybody has a high opinion of the MX - I think I'll look a little deeper at that option.
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