Minolta XD7

A fully working and professionally CLA’d XD7 (serial 2119538), brand new seals and deep clean . Late model version.

Fully film tested (see the sample pictures) and all functions working as they should. Camera supplied with a fully restored and refurbished early type MD 50mm f1.7 lens (Serial 2275609) as supplied originally with many of these models. Comes with a good quality lens cap.

The lens is silky smooth throughout its focus range after rebuild and has a snappy and reactive aperture. Viewfinder is clean and bright with just a few small specks and the camera is in excellent condition both internally and externally.

Overall cosmetics are excellent with signs only of careful use consistent with a camera of this age. Base shows two tiny impressions. Leatherwork is in good condition.

Overall a fully working and excellent example of this sought after model.

The Minolta XD7 (sold as the XD11 in the US and the XD in Japan) was in production from 1977 until 1984. It was the first SLR camera to feature both shutter priority and aperture priority auto exposure modes as well as having a hidden Program mode (set the shutter to 125 and the lens to minimum aperture (eg f22) and the camera will operate in Program mode).  The XD7 also has full manual mode. Also, included were fully mechanical “O” (1/100 sec) and ‘B’  settings, which allowed the XD to operate without a battery.

The XD7 was the top-of-the-line Minolta camera and priced much higher than the X-700 which was also in production at the same time reflecting the higher build quality.  The XD was the last of its kind being the last Japanese camera to be built to super high quality before the industry turned to plastic bodies and a ‘good enough’ approach.

A superb handling camera with one of the smoothest winders and a beautiful compact size the XD7 is a truly beautiful camera to shoot with though it does have its foibles.

The final check metering system takes a final meter reading after stop-down of the lens before firing the shutter which can feel like the camera is a little slow reacting even though its only microseconds. The final check metering system also required the lens to react quickly hence the MD lenses which were bought out to complement the XD series have lighter and faster reacting aperture blades. Despite this we have shot with the XD and older MC lenses without any problems.

Many XD cameras suffer a variety of ills through poor storage.  Ours are always fully checked and film tested to make sure this very complex camera is in top notch shooting condition.

We advise to NEVER use old flash guns with the XD as their trigger voltages can destroy the sensitive electronics in the camera.  The XD is not unique in this – many late model electronic cameras are sensitive to early flash guns with their excessively high trigger voltages.

Camera fully cleaned and serviced, viewfinder cleaned of old decayed light seals and viewfinder is now clean and bright. Aperture readout mirror replaced as this was missing when it came to us.

New light seals and mirror bumper fitted.

The lens has been completely rebuilt, cleaned and lubricated. Like most MD series it was suffering dried out lubrication and oil haze. This is common with MD lenses of this age.
Lens is now clear and bright with perfectly smooth focus and snappy aperture.

Lens and camera have been subjected to a UV bath to ensure any possible fungal spores are eliminated.

Shutter tested with Phocron XA Tester to ensure accuracy.

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