Widerhallderzeitkamerasammler
Minolta XE-1
The XE-1 was, after the SRT-101, my 2nd camera. I really wanted to have it, because with its aperture priority and professional appearance, it made a lasting impression on me as it stood in the window of the photo dealer. Although it had been out of production for 4 years, which I didn't know at the time, and even if I had, I wouldn't have cared. It wasn't about having the latest thing. My father, after decades of photographing with the Leidolf Lordomat, had bought the then brand new XD-7 in 1977 and I would never have dreamed of such a camera for myself. In addition, I was allowed to use the XD-7, under protestations on my part and teachings on his part, from time to time. Of course, the self-timer lever of the XE-1 had broken off in the window of the photo store. The typical battle scars of an XE-1, but its aura of solidity and robustness captivated me. Quite different from my buddies' Olympus OM-1 or Nikon FE. Not that they weren't rugged, and they were and are admirable cameras. But at the time I didn't want the fine but the weighty. I got that with the XE. Whole 1,080 grams with 148x97x96 mm. So I scraped together everything I had, traded in my SRT and bought the XE-1, which I took with me everywhere from then on. To this day, I am fascinated by the fact that with such a monolith, the CLS shutter (Copal-Leitz shutter) and the mirror shutter can be triggered almost without vibration. Of course, the joint development of the Copal-Leitz-Minolta companies points to another special feature of the XE-1. That there was a twin, no rather a sister, to the XE-1 in the form of Leica's R3. Leica needed after the successful years with the Leicaflex a change to a time automatic. The cooperation with Leica happened from Minolta on an equal footing. Both companies saved development costs and had a lot to bring to the partnership. Nevertheless, the results are quite different, which can certainly be explained by the significant price difference between the two cameras. What is interesting about this partnership is that it also included lenses. And even more interesting is that this exchange, to my knowledge, knew only one direction: From Minolta to Leitz. The Rokkor lenses 16mm F/2.8, 24mm F/2.8, 70-210mm F/4, 75-200mm F/4.5, 35-70mm F/3.5, and not to forget the RF 800mm F/8 were adopted by Leica for the R system. A crowning achievement of the collaboration was certainly the Leica/Minolta CL/CLE system.
Minolta XE-1
The XE-1 was, after the SRT-101, my 2nd camera. I really wanted to have it, because with its aperture priority and professional appearance, it made a lasting impression on me as it stood in the window of the photo dealer. Although it had been out of production for 4 years, which I didn't know at the time, and even if I had, I wouldn't have cared. It wasn't about having the latest thing. My father, after decades of photographing with the Leidolf Lordomat, had bought the then brand new XD-7 in 1977 and I would never have dreamed of such a camera for myself. In addition, I was allowed to use the XD-7, under protestations on my part and teachings on his part, from time to time. Of course, the self-timer lever of the XE-1 had broken off in the window of the photo store. The typical battle scars of an XE-1, but its aura of solidity and robustness captivated me. Quite different from my buddies' Olympus OM-1 or Nikon FE. Not that they weren't rugged, and they were and are admirable cameras. But at the time I didn't want the fine but the weighty. I got that with the XE. Whole 1,080 grams with 148x97x96 mm. So I scraped together everything I had, traded in my SRT and bought the XE-1, which I took with me everywhere from then on. To this day, I am fascinated by the fact that with such a monolith, the CLS shutter (Copal-Leitz shutter) and the mirror shutter can be triggered almost without vibration. Of course, the joint development of the Copal-Leitz-Minolta companies points to another special feature of the XE-1. That there was a twin, no rather a sister, to the XE-1 in the form of Leica's R3. Leica needed after the successful years with the Leicaflex a change to a time automatic. The cooperation with Leica happened from Minolta on an equal footing. Both companies saved development costs and had a lot to bring to the partnership. Nevertheless, the results are quite different, which can certainly be explained by the significant price difference between the two cameras. What is interesting about this partnership is that it also included lenses. And even more interesting is that this exchange, to my knowledge, knew only one direction: From Minolta to Leitz. The Rokkor lenses 16mm F/2.8, 24mm F/2.8, 70-210mm F/4, 75-200mm F/4.5, 35-70mm F/3.5, and not to forget the RF 800mm F/8 were adopted by Leica for the R system. A crowning achievement of the collaboration was certainly the Leica/Minolta CL/CLE system.