The Minolta XE-1 is a SLR 35mm camera. It was introduced in the 1970s and sold to photographers in Europe. The model was produced in Japan. There, it could be purchased as the Minolta XE. In North America, the model was available as the XE-7.
The lenses of the 35mm camera can be interchanged. It comes with a Minolta SR bayonet. Most often, the 35mm photo camera it comes with the Minolta MC Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7. Of course, there is a wide range of other lenses for this mount. You have to manually focus the lens on the desired subject.
The Minolta XE-1 has a light meter. It is designed for films from ISO 12 to ISO 3200, and the correct exposure is measured through the lens of the SLR camera. The shutter speed and aperture can be selected by the photographer. However, there is also an automatic exposure mode. In this case, one selects the aperture and the shutter speed is set automatically.
The shutter supports speeds from 1/1000 second to 4 seconds. There is also a bulb mode for long exposures. It is advisable to use a cable release and to mount the camera on a tripod.
An external flash can be connected to the Hot Shoe. There is also a PC flash socket. The photo camera has a built-in self-timer. Depending on how far you move the lever, the longer the lead time before the picture is taken. The camera also has a mode for multiple exposures.
Measuring 14.8 x 9.7 x 6.1 cm, the camera body weighs 775 grams without film and lens. The camera requires two 1.5 V silver oxide batteries.
Films for the Minolta XE-1
The Minolta XE-1 is designed for 35mm film. 35mm film is still made by a variety of producers. A good film choice is the Kodak Portra 400* for color images and the Ilford HP5* for black and white images. Of course, there are a variety of other films available for the Japanese camera.
The negatives of the Minolta XE-1 have a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. Thus, 36 images usually fit on one roll of film. The film transport is mechanical. The return transport of the film material into the cartridge is also done by hand.
