Minolta X-700 and a Really Long Walk.

July 10, 2020

I had to drop my car off for service at Oakville Volkswagan recently, and like everything else with Covid 19, things were different, no courtesy shuttle for starters, and public transit was running on a reduced schedule. I said screw it and walked home, clocking in at around 10 km. Yeah, I got my steps in that day.

I also wanted to photograph on my way home, and wanted to travel light. I took one look at my pair of Minolta X-700's grabbed one with the 50 F1.7 lens on, packed the Minolta MD 28 F2.8 and the sleeper 75-150 F4 zoom. It was the perfect kit for a long walk. No way I'm packing something heavy like a Minolta XE-7, Nikon F2 or Canon F-1. I really didn't take a bad photo all the way along my route. I have several thoughts on the X-700, they always seem to find me, as in I've never had to pay for one. They are the quintessential 1980s consumer camera that both a non photographer and an experienced amateur photographer pick up and take great pictures.

In fact if asked what would be a great "starting out" camera, I would happily recommend the Minolta X-700. First off Minolta designed it well, you had MD mount Rokkor glass which goes toe to toe with anything else in the industry at the time, you can find Energizer 357 batteries pretty much anywhere, it can be a camera you can grow with.

The other reason for bringing my camera with me was I had an opportunty to photograph another part of Oakville that I usually drive through, now I'm walking, and things look different. The first half of my trip back to downtown Oakville for my rest stop and coffee on the stoop was the commercial and slightly industrial part of Oakville, not the pretty part, more in some ways with suburban office parks bland. I wanted to channel a bit of Stephen Shore documenting the near empty office parking lots. I think though my favourite on this stretch is the portrait orientation shot of the QEW westbound, this one is a print candidate.

Camera: Minolta X-700, Minolta MD 28 f2.8 lens. Minolta MD 50 f1.7 lens.

Film: Ilford Delta 100, HC110 B.