Bill Smith's Photography

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 ...

The X-570 is a really nice camera to work with, pity it never sold as well as the X-700. I can see why this camera has a strong cult following. Camera:Minolta X-570, MD 50 f1.7 lens. Film: Ilford HP5 400, HC110 B.

There's a story here, one thing about shooting film aside from everyone else thinking you're eccentric for not shooting digital, you get old camera gear gifted to you. This camera cost me nothing. My friend and fellow Classic Camera Revival Podcast host James Lee, gave me the late production new in box  Minolta MD 50 f1.7 lens back in December 2016 during a recording session. I had a X-700 but I gave that to my brother Alex a few years back, and I wanted another one. Well doing further research I decided I wanted the X-570 instead. Fast forward a few months my friend Bill Dimmick came up to me after an Oakville Camera Club meeting and asked if I wanted his Dad's Minolta X-570. Bill and his wife were cleaning house to put it on the market and move north into the Kawarthas.  I now I have my late production Minolta kit. The X-570 is an interesting camera, by the 1980s Minolta gave up any pretensions of going after the Pro market that Canon and Nikon have pretty much cornere...