Minolta SR-T 101 Review: – So much has been written about the SRT-101 the world scarcely needs another article on it BUT – it happens to be one of my favourite cameras so I am going to dive in and hope to bring something new to the party. (Q: Seriously Mel you’re going to write about what most be the most written about camera on the Internet? A: Yes I am because it’s so good, deserving of us much time as you can devote to it).
Where to start though – I could blather on about its ground breaking approach (it took Nikon almost 10 years catch up with its auto indexing feature), I could ramble on about its mechanics and how it’s almost bombproof and I could cover how long it stayed around thanks to its solid design and its many virtues – and I will cover a lot of that but lets start at the beginning.
Minolta SR-T 101 Review – A time and a place…
Before looking at the SRT series it’s important to place it in its time. It’s very hard to understand how an artefact from a bygone time is the way it is unless you understand the times it was created in. The Minolta SRT series started with the SRT-101 which was released to the public in 1966. Given the relatively slow pace of camera development at the time it would be safe to assume the camera was in development for at least 5 years (it took 10 to develop the later X1).
So let’s take a beat and consider the state of the world and its technology in the early 1960s.
Computing technology was a world away from today – the IBM 1400 Series started shipping and had a whopping memory of around 16k. These were the first truly modern computers as someone today would understand computing. They were slow, the electronics were something fearful and the whole system would be occupy the space of a squash court.
For fast processing and compact design the world relied on analog computers. These used a series of gears and motors to solve complex trigonometry and differential equation type problems required for real time applications like anti-aircraft weapons, bomb sights, torpedo targeting etc. (you get a glimpse of some of these in the films ‘Run Silent Run Deep’ and ‘When Worlds Collide’)
The micro-chip was not yet in production and processor chips were almost two decades away.
In camera technology the things we take for granted today like automatically returning mirrors and automatic lens stop down had only emerged around 1958 – scarcely 10 years before the SRT series started shipping and then only for the premium end of camera gear. Some cameras were using manual stop down as late as 1974! Through the lens metering (TTL) wasn’t available until 1963 and only then on the extremely expensive Topcon Super. It was followed by the almost as expensive Nikon F in 1965.
If you want to get a feel for the 1960s watch the movies ‘Alfie’ or ‘The Ipcress file’ it will give you the flavour of the times. The relatively low tech world of the 1960s was very different to today. I included this section for younger readers to maybe give them a feel for the times from which emerged one of Minolta’s most wonderful achievements – the SRT Series.
The Road to the SRT Series…
In 1958 Minolta launched the SR-2, One of the first cameras ever to have an automatically returning mirror, automatic stop down AND a bayonet mount (Nikon would go wth a bayonet mount 12 months later – Pentax would take another 10 years!) – this would be the SR mount though its usually incorrectly referred to as an MC mount which would stay common on all Minolta cameras until Minolta launched the first practical Auto Focus camera in 1985, giving the SR mount a life time of 30 years! It was however an expensive camera so Minolta followed up with the quixotically named SR-1 which cut a few things down to get the price right. Over the next few years Minolta progressively released newer versions in the SR series. Some of these were stylistic changes to the cameras looks and some were to introduce improved handling and build quality. The SR series would culminate in 1962 with the SR-7 model – the first camera to incorporate a built in CdS meter cell – although not through the lens.
In 1966 the SR series would be withdrawn to clear the way for the most advanced Minolta camera of the time with a raft of features that would make it Minoltas most successful camera for the next decade.
Minolta SR-T 101 Review – The SR-T 101
The SRT-101 launched in 1966 and was a huge leap forward over the SR series. Although superficially resembling an SR series camera the SRT is entirely different inside. The SRT-101 featured through the lens metering (TTL) and critically open aperture metering. Other manufacturers could do TTL but often only with the lens stopped down. You had to stop the lens down, take a meter reading, make suitable changes to the f-stop and shutter speed and then open the lens up for focusing and shooting. Minolta swept all that away- Now you could meter, compose and shoot with the lens fully open which made things easier and faster. Now Nikon could do this the year before (for a lot more money) but Minolta added auto-indexing to the whole system.
As soon as a lens was fitted the camera would know what f stop you had set on the lens and adjust its meter accordingly. With Nikons system, assuming you could afford it, you had to ‘program’ the meter by turning the lens aperture ring all the way to the lowest f stop to synchronise the meter to the lens and turn the lens to its highest f stop number to remove the lens. None of this with the Minolta approach – you just pressed the lens release button and twisted the lens off. Minoltas system was known as Meter Coupled (MC) and they released a whole series of lenses, mostly adapted from the SR series cameras Auto-Rokkor (AR) lenses.By simply adding a small tab to the aperture ring the basic lens could stay with the same optical design– this gave Minolta a very definite edge. Automatic meter coupling, simpler lens release and a complete set of lenses straight out of the bag on launch date. Over time many of the AR series of lenses were redeveloped with improved optical formulas to become some of the best lenses ever made.
The Meter Coupling system used by Minolta would eventually be copied by Nikon 10 years later with their Automatic Indexing System (AIS). That kind of shows how far out in front Minolta were.
It didn’t stop there though with just auto indexing and ease of use – the SRT also supported stop down metering for earlier Auto-Rokkor (AR) lenses and any other lenses that might lack the meter coupling tab. Inside the camera a system known known as the ‘AV Safety’ very neatly made sure that you would not take a stopped down meter reading and apply it to a wide open lens by accident. The meter will switch off entirely if you enter stop down mode with a an MC coupled lens and will likewise switch off if a non-MC lens is being used in open aperture. Through a simple series of switches the camera always presents the true metering situation to avoid user errors. This was deleted on later models as the need to stay 100% compatible with lenses made a decade earlier was less of a demand.
The SRT also added what Minolta called Contrast Light Compensation (CLC). A simple kind of matrix metering. The camera would adjust the metering based on the scene. This really only works in landscape shots but basically there are two meter cells. One reads the top half of the scene and the other reads the lower half. This was designed so that the sky (usually the brightest part of a landscape picture) would be compensated out to provide more even exposure for the whole image.
In addition to all of this good stuff the SRT featured a very large mirror so there would be no image cut off even with very long telephotos lenses a shutter speed display in the viewfinder and they topped it off with a camera that felt ‘right’ with good ergonomics and great handling.
Minolta had, with the SRT-101, made a giant leap forward. There was no motor drive connection but back in 1966 no one was much worried about that. Minolta did though create the SR-M which was basically an SRT with no meter and a permanently fixed motor drive – it was never successful as a seller. The SRT-101 though would become the biggest seller for Minolta in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
So why all of the stuff at the start about analog computers? Well simply this. When the SRT-101 launched microprocessors were 30 years away. The big task was how to get a meter to respond to varying light levels and to correctly calculate the exposure values for f stops and film and shutter speeds. The answer is under the hood. The SRT uses a match needle driven by a simple two input mechanical computer composed of strings and pulleys to ‘solve’ the exposure ‘problem’ this is a borrowed technology from military analog computers of the period. I say it’s simple, in terms of how it works, it is, but I’d have hated to be doing the math to calculate the various pulleys and string lengths which must have been something dreadful to calculate. The whole system is held in tension by a single large spring. It’s simple, ingenious and it works! Nikon did it with the Nikon F metered head by using a huge wheel with a resistor strip. It’s bulky, complicated and almost impossible to repair. Minoltas simple solution has proven to be far more reliable.
The SRT swept all before it in its day (well apart from the Nikon crowd – who would though eventually succumb to Canon’s EOS almost 2 decades later) and it became the best ever seller for Minolta. The SRT would carry on until it was progressively phased out starting around 1977 but it would be 1983 before the SRT was eclipsed in sales volume by the X-700 which was microprocessor driven and made of plastic.
By the time of its retirement the SRT had been in production for 15 years. Few cameras ever had such a long production life.
So tell us about the camera…
Well the SRT spanned a fair chunk of time. From the very first SRT-101 to the last model being sold (the SRT-100X) is a span of 15 years. Across that time period many changes were made to the camera. Later models often featured extra features and some of the very late models started cutting down on features as the SRT was progressively downgraded to an entry level product. For the purposes of this article I’ll only talk about the SRT series in general terms. If you want specific information about each model then ‘The Rokkor Files’ is the best source on individual models.
So on to the SRT. It’s an extremely fine camera to work with and handles ‘right’. As mentioned it has open aperture metering so long as it has an MC or the later MD lens on it and it can of course use non-MC lenses in stop down metering. Its viewfinder is not up there with cameras made over a decade later but it’s perfectly good enough and better than most with a fine matte screen, an unobtrusive meter and a good field of view.
The SRT is of course, apart from its light meter, wholly mechanical and extremely reliable. Almost the entire camera is made of metal apart from one small gear wheel (the mirror kick gear) which is almost never a problem with the camera. It’s quite a heavy lump compared to later cameras bit it’s very solid and tough.
This one has the earlier un-sculpted advance lever seen on later models.
The focus screens are rather good in them giving a bright and clear view but early ones do not have a split image viewfinder and rely on a micro-prism dot for focusing. Almost all models support shutter speeds from 1 second to 1000th plus ‘B’ with the exception of an early budget model – the SRT-100.
The viewfinder in the original SRT-101 includes a shutter speed display, Minolta later added an aperture display to some models. Some very late models deleted both viewfinder displays.
As production moved on across 15 years numerous small changes were made. The most obvious from the outside is the loss of the FP synch for flash bulbs but later the AV Safety system was removed so the camera would meter constantly whether in stop down or open aperture – by the time these models launched there was less demand for backwards compatibility with older lenses. On the early versions the stop down/depth of field preview button locks into place which makes sense for convenience when metering. On later models with no AV safety the stop down/DoF is simply sprung.
As time marched on Minolta added a split focus finder and features like a film safe indicator on the 303b version which shows that film is transporting and also that the camera is loaded with film.
You could consider the SRT series to be the perfect all mechanical camera. There is not much to go wrong, almost any good repair tech can fix them and the camera can do pretty much everything you would ever want and of course it’s compatible with almost every single manual focus lens Minolta ever made.
Minolta made a dizzying number of model names for these and the same basic model might have three different names depending on its intended market. I’ll focus on a narrow selection of the more common SRT models though because a full listing would be a very long read indeed…
A quick word on the camera mount as this is often a source of confusion. The SR series used a bayonet mount known as the SR mount. The Minolta SRT refined this with the addition of the aperture indexing ring. The much later Minolta XD refined this further with a an additional lever which tells the camera what the lens minimum f stop is and this is referred to as an MD mount but the basic mechanics are all identical. The Minolta mount is often stated generically as an MC/MD mount. In fact they are all SR mounts and are all cross compatible though you dont get the advantage of extra features when using a plain SR mount lens on an MD equipped camera. The physical connection though remains identical in almost all cases. I say ‘almost’ there was a very early version of the SR mount on some SR2s which is not compatible but these are extremely rare.
SRT-101 – The Original (1966-1975)
The earliest SRT-101 has a slightly different trim to later ones. The most obvious difference is the very early ones have a black shutter speed dial. Later ones have a taller and easier to grip silver shutter speed dial. Internally they are near identical with only minor manufacturing changes. The SRT-101 had both Depth of Field (DoF) Preview and Mirror Lock Up (MLU) and supported both X and FP Synch for flash. The flash connection was by PC cord as the SRT-101 had only a cold shoe.
Very early SRT-101s had a significant bias to the CLC metering system. This was progressively softened after and around 1969. The downside of the original CLC system bias is when shooting in portrait mode one side of the frame can unduly influence the overall metering. To counter this Minolta reduced the bias factor.
The SRT-101 was most famously used by Eugene Smith to document the Minamata mercury poisoning industrial disaster and when you see the incredible work that he turned out there you come to see that you probably don’t need much more than an SRT-101.
The SRT-101 would be replaced by the SRT-101b which added a hot-shoe and a film memo holder together with a more refined and sculpted film advance lever.
SRT-303 – First Premium Version (1972-1975)
The SRT-303 is mechanically identical to the SRT-101 in almost all respects but added an aperture read-out to the viewfinder, a hot shoe and a split image viewfinder in most models – some early models of the 303 lack this. The SRT-303 also provide a multiple exposure facility whereby the film spool was locked in place which provided better registration of the film frames. It’s beautifully simple. When you press the rewind release the film take up spool is locked into position meaning the film stays where it was when the last shot was taken. When you rewind the film it doesn’t cause problems thanks to a simple clutch mechanism.
The film advance lever was also changed to be more ergonomic and this was carried over onto other cameras in the SRT line up over time.
The SRT-303 would be replaced by the SRT-303b model.
By the time of the SRT-303 the MC-X Series lenses had replaced the earlier MCII versions.
SRT-303b – Second Premium Version (1976-1977)
My personal favourite – the SRT-303b like the other SRTs is mechanically identical in most respects to the SRT-101 and the SRT-303 but removed the Mirror Lock Up. The SRT-303b added a film safe indicator which showed that film was transporting correctly and also acted as a warning that the camera was loaded. In addition the rear door was changed to hold a film memo holder.
As a note the SRT-303b sometimes DID have a mirror lock up fitted – this was probably down to Minolta using existing stock parts when the were changing over to the 303b. When dealing with the 303 and 303b models you really have to be sure what the camera has as there is some variance. Also the 303b is usually stated as appearing around 1976 but I have seen an authentic one that has a factory date of January 1975. Like most manufacturers Minolta may have been using part built 303s to fulfil the 303b orders. It wouldn’t be impossible as the internals of both cameras are near enough identical.
The ‘b’ versions of the 303 and the 101 started using plastic aperture rings around 1976 rather than the metal rings seen on earlier cameras. They are quite durable though and I have never seen a broken one yet. They do have an advantage over the metal versions which is they are more resistant to gumming up with dirt and grease than the earlier all metal rings.
SRT-100X – The Last One (1977-1981)
The final iteration of the SRT series was the budget level SRT-100X. Minolta removed the self timer, Mirror Lock Up, FP Synch, the shutter speed displays and the self timer BUT for all that it’s still a very capable camera and indeed some serious photographers prefer it for its uncluttered display and simplicity. Internally it’s still metal through and through but with a lot less of the internal foams which is a blessing (see later). Very late on, almost at the end of production, Minolta removed the twin meter cells and the CLC logo on the front of the camera disappeared, the twin cells were replaced with a single meter cell with an averaged meter pattern.
Buying an SRT today – what’s the risks?
Well any of the SRTs are probably the last bargain on the classic film counter shelf. More capable and less expensive than the Pentax K1000 and most of its contemporaries and they are generally solid performers but – their reputation for reliability is something of a two-edged sword. The SRT contains a great many internal foams and these are almost always decaying into a poor state inside the camera. Left untreated these will eventually cause problems. I created an article that shows what happens inside an SRT a few months back HERE but it’s worth showing some pics again. The hazard is people will often claim the camera is mint and runs ok, externally it might well look clean, wind on and go click but internally things can look very different. Likewise its performance can be suspect unless tested on a shutter tester although to be fair thats common with almost any old camera.
The other hazard of the SRT are its meter cells. Even back in the day these could be troublesome but to be fair the SRT is no bigger a risk in this respect than almost any other classic camera using CdS cells. Replacements are impossible as the cells required have been out of production for many years. Very late SRT models like the SRT-100X tend to suffer less from this as the cells are potentially 10-15 years younger. As the cells die the meter will be less and less reliable in low light situations. Typically they will start to fail below EV8 which is quite dim but they will get progressively worse.
As mentioned most SRTs will run slow on their shutters unless serviced but that’s no different to almost any classic camera most of which will exhibit less than optimal performance unless serviced. With an SRT the surest sign of the lubrication failing is when the mirror fails to return to its down position at slow shutter speeds.
Most copies are nowhere near as smooth as they should be when purchased from places like eBay. The SRT is more reliant than some cameras on lubrication and few copies will have been properly serviced. This translates as a crunchy and cranky advance feel and a slow shutter. I have seen them as slow as 4 stops adrift due to poor lubrication. Lack of servicing affects almost all old cameras and even electronic cameras can suffer issues related to lubrication of their shutter systems.
On the plus side almost all of the major mechanics in the SRT series were interchangeable. The basic guts of the camera remained the same from the beginning to the end of production and given the long production life it means spares are relatively easy to find and most spares are interchangeable between different models. From a servicing point of view they are easy cameras to deal with and the fact that so many of them are running at all is a testament to the quality of the construction. The SRT series was built to a quality thats unimaginable today. The most common external fault is that the early ones have a relatively weak plastic tip on their advance levers. These can easily be sheared off by improper or overly rough handling.
The SRT was designed to run on mercury cells – these are no longer available. The easiest way to power them today is vis a zinc air hearing aid battery (Type 675) using an adaptor. You can’t simply use a 1.5 volt battery and adjust for error as the meter performance is logarithmic not linear. People do promote a modification using a diode but this also will cause meter readings to be in error thanks to the SRT’s non linear response. Frankly with 675 batteries being cheap as chips it seems pointless to seek more complex and expensive solutions.
Minolta SR-T 101 Review – In a nutshell…
The SRT is a genuine classic from the golden age of film cameras. Ground breaking and a marvel in its day (Minolta sold millions of them) and still an incredibly good camera to use today when in a serviced condition. The SR mount gives the SRT series access to almost every Minolta lens ever made and Minolta were among the top tier of lens makers – some of their glass is the best of its kind.
The SRT models are relatively inexpensive to buy and have serviced and are solidly made. A fully serviced one from High 5 Cameras can be had for just under £200 with a beautiful lens – not so much money really for a good as new camera that will easily last another 20-30 years.
It’s an easy to live with, robust and a faithful friend in your photographic endeavours. As mentioned earlier Eugene Smith used an SRT-101 for his work at Minamata and when you have seen his pics you realise just what an SRT-101 can do in the hands of a skilled photographer but it will also perform well from a technical standpoint in the hands of almost anyone. Simple and endearing its a camera which does what it says on the tin and gets the job done with no fuss. If you get an SRT the most impressive lens, and no SRT is truly dressed without one, is the 58mm f1.4 PF. It’s a lens with a character all of its own. A good one will render superbly in black and white. If colour is your thing get the later MC-X 50mmf 1.4 PG for it’s superb sharpness and beautiful warm colors.
I have shot a great range of cameras and have owned many of them including Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Pentax. I have chosen to keep 2x SRTs as my main shooters. That should tell you something. They just work – and I am never so happy as when using one for the simplicity and reliability.
Mel is one of the driving forces behind High 5 Cameras and writes all our articles.
Starting serious photography back in 1972. Over the years she got to shoot film with most of the major brands in 35mm and large format as both a studio photographer and content provider for websites in the early life of the web. These days she is rediscovering photography and has become the GOTO person for knowledge on camera repair advice.
There are two details that made me sell all my 101 bodies
Now i shot with the SR-1 and the 303.
these are my fav minolta SLRs
Amazing article though!