After a recent disappointing outing with my Minolta XD I decided to switch from the Minolta over to a different film SLR. I didn’t want to get rid of any of my Rokkor lenses, as they are some of my favourite legacy options. After some research I decided that the Nikon F3 would be my best option, for a rugged yet compact 35mm SLR, which I would be able to adapt my Minolta lenses without compromise.
I managed to find one at a good price and after checking that the lenses focused correctly I bought it and began to shoot. I’ll be writing a longer piece specifically about using the F3 with my Rokkor lenses, but overall I’ve had very few issues at all, and actually find the F3 to have a better balance in hand, especially with some of my longer lenses. I shot the F3 first at Comic Con and then shortly afterwards on a trip to Paris.
Hope you enjoy these first images with the F3 and Minolta lenses, and hopefully it won’t be long until I’ve fully got to grips with the new setup, and will have much better images to show for it!
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Hello, very nice your pica.
Plecase, let me know, what kind of adapter did You ușe?
Thanks,
Alex
Thanks Alex! It’s a generic adapter from eBay, I think K&F.
What’s wrong with XD? I love my xd7…
I had a negative experience with the camera. I am sure that yours serves you well!
My favourite from this set was last one – with the stairs.
Glad you like it!
Agree about the last one. I initially thought it was someone on a roof! Can I ask what it was about the Minolta that didn’t click with you? i ask because I jsut acquired on this week!
I had a bad experience shooting the XD7 in Amsterdam, and as a result am not satisfied with the camera as a whole. I know many people use theirs daily and are more than happy with the experience.
Does this adapter have a glass element to allow infinity focusing?
If so, it would seem using a different Minolta body would produce sharper images.
While I like my XD, my favorite is probably the 570. I too am a fan of Minolta glass.
The stair shot is also my favorite.
I thought this too – there must be some compromise in the adapter?
Not that I’ve been able to see in the majority of my images – I’ll be happy to write an update article after using the combination more extensively!
Why would anybody use a Minolta lens on a Nikon ?
Don’t get me wrong why not wear a basecap turned
around and ride the one way street the other side ?
Just courious what are your reasons……
My reasons are that I own many Minolta lenses and zero Nikon ones. I also prefer the way that the lenses focus – Nikon are known for focusing in the reverse direction.
I may convert my collection over time but for the moment I am happy using my current lenses on this camera.
Simon,
I agree with some of the comments above. Something does not make sense. The flange focus distance is:
Minolta/Konica Minolta/Sony A-mount 44.50 mm
Nikon F-mount 46.50 mm
Therefore, any adapter that lets you mount a Minolta lens on a Nikon body must have some optics to modify the focal length. The F3 was a marvelous camera, and I used one for about 20 years. But Minolta also made a bunch of excellent bodies in various price brackets.
Nice shots, the first and fifth especially. There is a distinct glow to the images, something that many people would refer to as ‘classical’ rendering. Did you shoot at rather wide apertures?
Yes, almost all of these are wide open at f/1.7. The lens is a classically soft one, and I have sharper results from my sharper lenses!
Well strange reasons but in the end it makes sense.
I am a sucker for old Nikkors from the pre-Ai area.
The way they render and the awesome mechanic build
is just a joy to use so I prefer them over any Nikon lens
made today even at my modern digital Body’s !
So for bothbof us the lenses matter more than the „stuff“
behind which only keeps the film in a „box“ right ?
As long as the box is light-tight I’d use whatever had the best ergonomics 🙂
Excellent work, Simon
This probes is the photographer and not the equipment, even mixing different brands!
Greetings.
Great stuff man.
Simon, setting aside why you’re being somewhat coy in response to two enquiries what the bad experience with the XD was, it seems to me to be a very strange choice to use your Minolta lenses on a Nikon via an adapter and which by its very nature of having to include a negative lens group to counter the difference in lens flange distance must degrade the optical quality of the fine Minolta optics. Why you’d be happy with this is a little surprising.
The Minolta XD camera is an excellent camera, I’ve owned mine since from the early 1980’s when I purchased it with the motor winder and dedicated flash. The camera was in mint condition when I got it, not generally the case today some 36 years on when intending buyers are likely, sadly, to be unaware of a camera’s history or how it’s been used or abused.
I’m not sure I’m being coy on the subject – I actually published an entire article on the experience on this blog a while ago!
Thanks, Simon. I’m genuinely interested in understanding what was your experience with the XD that it has put you off, seemingly, all Minolta bodies. I’ve tried to find your earlier article to better understand your decision, but without success. (Hamish, can you point me in the right direction, please?)
I don’t quite get some of the comments – okay it might not be everyone’s idea of perfect to use Minolta lenses on a Nikon, I’d agree in so far as I love using my Nikon lenses on my F3, and wouldn’t try anything else. But then, the whole reason I use the F3 is because I enjoy using it. If you enjoy using the Minolta lenses on the F3, then that’s fine – I’m sure you’ll take better pictures with something you enjoy using, than with something that’s “technically” perfect, but not perfect for you. Likewise, I’ve gone through one or two cameras that are meant to be brilliant, but not enjoyed using them. Camera choice is really personal, so if you don’t fancy using the XD for whatever reason, then that’s your personal choice. I love the picture of the guy with the photo frame 🙂
Thank you Charlie! I agree, there is no objectively “right” way to perform photography, otherwise blogs like this where people share their subjective enjoyment wouldn’t exist!
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