Several weeks ago, I was drawn to investigate Minolta cameras after learning about the historical collaboration between the Japanese manufacturer and Leitz, which, beginning in the early 1970s and spanning approximately two decades, birthed the XE and XD cameras as well as the Leica R3-R7 series of SLRs. Having spent about 18 months shooting the R7 quite religiously—with varying results—and a couple experimenting—pleasantly—with the radically different R8 (review to come), I was intrigued to discover what the Japanese siblings of the R3 and R4 had to offer, both technically in their own rights as picture-making tools and as lessons in the history of Leica photography. Therefore, I went ahead and purchased decent, though not mint, copies of the Minolta XE-1 (1974; badged for the European market, marked XE in Japan and XE-7 in North America) and XD (1977; badged for the Japanese market, marked XD-7 in Europe and XD-11 in North America). I do not yet own R3 and R4 bodies with which to compare them (that’s a topic for another article), so I will review them independently of the Leica cameras. This article deals exclusively with the Minolta XE.
Surface Studies /
Minolta XD, Auto Rokkor-PF 55 mm f/1.8, Fomapan 100.
More Diptychs /
Backhoe, De Courcy Island /
Rolleiflex 3.5B, Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 75 mm f/3.5, Kodak Gold 200, Cinestill CS41.
A diptych of diptychs /
An experimental layout for diptychs of photographs in landscape orientation within the constraints imposed by Instagram (1080 x 1350 px).