Minolta SRT101 35mm Camera with Minolta MD3 50mm f1.7 lens

General

Minolta SRT101 35mm Camera with Minolta MD3 50mm f1.7 lens

A fully serviced and very late model Minolta SRT-101 manufactured in April, 1973. The camera is paired with a Minolta MD3 50mm f1.7 lens.
The camera (serial 2940855) and lens (serial 9580268 have been completely rebuilt and refurbished.

In good condition for its age and working 100% perfectly after extensive servicing and repair work. Camera shows wear from use (see pictures) but is in perfect working order with an exceptionally accurate shutter and light meter. Viewfinder is clear and bright with just a few very small particles which do not affect the pictures.

Lens is clear and bright, fully cleaned with a smooth focus and reactive aperture after rebuilding. The camera and lens have been extensively serviced and tested and calibrated on our professional equipment.

Supplied with the good quality after-market lens cap.

Please Note: The SRT series were originally designed to use a 1.3v Mercury Battery. These are no longer available due to environmental restrictions on the use of Mercury. We recommend using a 675 Zinc-Air battery as a replacement which are cheap and plentiful – you will require an adaptor for these. Read our guide here on powering vintage cameras for full information.

The SR-T101 was the first camera released in the SR-T Series in April 1966, and was in production for 15 years.  This ones dates from March, 1969 and is the 2^nd production type with cross head screws rather than the JIS types that followed.

The SRT101 was revolutionary it day for being the first camera will full aperture through the lens metering . The SRT101 actually incorporated the world’s first matrix metering system, called the ‘Contrast Light Compensator’ system by Minolta. The system used two separate metering cells, situated at different parts of the pentaprism. These cells measured the light falling on different parts of the viewfinder screen, and provide a reading that takes into account the contrast in a scene. As a result, the camera has the capacity to significantly reduce underexposure of shadows or other dark areas in a photo, by minimising the effect of particularly bright areas which are brighter than the real average of the scene.

The  SR-T101 was to become one of the most popular cameras of its era. Other key features of the camera included a viewfinder that displayed the selected shutter speed, mirror lock-up for use with non-retrofocus wide angle lenses, and a depth of field preview button that enabled the photographer to stop the lens down to the taking aperture to assess the depth of field.

The major specifications of the SRT101 are;

• Single lens reflex camera with through-the-lens CLC (Contrast Light Compensator) meter coupled to shutter and film speed.
• Meter sensitivity EV 3 to EV 17 at ASA 100.
• Film speeds supported ASA 6-6400
• Fully mechanical cloth focal plane shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B
• Shutter speeds 1-1/60 sec with electronic flash
• Oversized quick return mirror for no image cut-off even with super telephoto lenses
• Mirror lock-up
• Exposure control needle and selected shutter speed visible in viewfinder
• Flash synchronisation (X and FP)
• Fine microprism focusing with Fresnel lens
• Automatic reset film counter
• Accessory shoe (cold)
• Self timer
• Depth of field preview button

Restoration

The highest serial number SRT we have ever seen and also the youngest one having been manufactured in 1973.

After servicing this camera had a perfect metering operation – normally we expect the meter to start showing errors at low light levels in cameras this old using CdS meter cells. This one is perfect through the entire test regime. Likewise, the shutter showed better than average accuracy. Although the bodywork shows some use by a less than careful previous owner the camera performs exceptionally well.

This camera arrived in poor overall condition with a number of issues including a non-working meter and a sticky shutter release due to the safety interlock being partially seized. In addition the camera showed almost 100% shutter capping across all speeds. These issues are very common old SRTs (and almost any camera that’s 50 years old) which have not been serviced. We have carried out an extensive service which has included the following;

• All internal foams and seals replaced
• New shutter safety interlock
• Replaced power wiring and solder joints
• New light seals and mirror bumpers
• Shutter cleaning and lubrication
• Deep clean throughout
• Shutter and meter calibrated to factory specification
• Supplied lens has also been fully serviced with fresh lubricants, cleaned and collimated with our professional collimator.

Additional works have included re-collimating the viewfinder and prism. As acquired the camera would take pictures out of focus as the prism and viewfinder were not correctly aligned. It’s a problem common to older cameras which is why we always take care to fully test, calibrate and align any camera we refurbish.

See pictures of this camera and lens during complete servicing.

Test pics appear here when available.

Please be aware that the cameras and lenses for sale can be up to 50 years old.  They have been serviced and/or checked and are always as good as they can be made, but please don’t expect them to be flawless as if they were made yesterday.

All lenses of this age exhibit some small particles of dust and coatings are not up to modern standards. Cameras will exhibit some wear signs and likewise may have small dust specks in their viewfinders or focus screens.  These do not affect the picture in any way.

ANY problems or issues will be described in the main text which you are advised to read carefully.If you are unfamiliar with film cameras we suggest you do some online research and read the manuals which are freely available from online resources.

We are enthusiastic film fans and spend our time hunting cameras and lenses that have been or are being unloved. We then spend hours to bring them back to fully working and clean condition, ready for a new lease of life with you  We always change the film seals, give the camera a clean/service and make sure its fully working before we sell it on to you.

Most lenses are cleaned, re-lubricated and all of their functions checked prior to sale so you know they will work, full details will always be in the text. All items are packed safely for transit using proper packing material NOT something the cat was sick in. Having been stung both on eBay and by dealers alike who often know very little about film cameras we decided to offer people a chance to experience film using a camera that will last for many years and which we can say for sure works reliably

Mel & Claire