Minolta XG 1

The Minolta XG 1 is an SLR camera from Minolta. It was introduced in 1979. The model is very identical to the XG 7 / XG 2 in terms of functionality, but lacks the ability to remove the back and the display of shutter speeds from 1/15 s to 1/2 s was combined into one LED.

The camera was sold only outside Japan. In 1982, the new Minolta logo was added and the cameras name was changed to XG-1. In the same year it was replaced by the XG-1N, this was partly based on the XG-M.

The lens of the 35mm still camera is interchangeable. It comes with a Minolta SR bayonet. In many cases, the 35mm camera comes with the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.4, but there are many other lenses available for the SLR. The camera does not yet have an autofocus system. The focus has to be adjusted manually on the lens.

For this, the Japanese camera has an exposure meter. The exposure is measured with metering cells through the lens. Films from ISO 25 to ISO 1600 can be used. The shutter allows shooting at 1/1000 second to 1 second.

Exposure time and aperture can be freely selected in manual mode on the Minolta XG 1. In this mode, the exposure is not measured by the camera, but must either be measured externally or estimated. In addition, there is an aperture priority mode. In this mode, the aperture is selected by the user and the camera technology automatically selects the shutter speed. Exposure can be corrected with exposure compensation.

For long exposures at night, the SLR camera has a Bulb mode. In this shooting mode, the shutter is opened as long as the shutter release button is held down. The camera should be mounted on a tripod for this purpose to avoid camera shake. The camera can be released with the self-timer or an external cable release. The self-timer has a lead time of ten seconds.

An external flash can be connected via cable or hot shoe. The maximum usable shutter speed is 1/60 second. Faster shutter speeds cannot be used.

The dimensions of the Minolta XG 1 are 13.8 x 8.8 x 5.2 cm, according to the user manual. It weighs 505 grams. Power is supplied by two SR44 batteries (eBay / Amazon*). This type of battery is still easy to get today.

Films for the Minolta XG 1

What kind of films are needed for the Minolta XG 1? The camera is designed for 35mm format films. This type of films are still produced by various manufacturers and can be processed by most photo labs without any problems.

Possible films for the Minolta XG 1 that can still be easily purchased today are the Kodak Gold 200* for beautiful color images and the Ilford FP4 Plus* for stylish black and white images. Of course, there are a variety of other films available. Most of them can be used with this camera.

The film transport of the camera is mechanical. After each shot, you have to rewind to the next frame. On the top is a counter for the number of photos taken.