The Minolta SR-Even today, the Minolta SRT series of hand-made film cameras is still popular with photographers.The SRT camera is rugged, powerful, easy to use, and uses many timesWell-known photographers who start their careers.While digital photography has moved film cameras like Minolta SRT out of the mainstream, these workawayers are still a great way to learn photography skills, it also provides a pleasant exercise for those who want to get involved in 35mm film photography.From 1966 to 1981, the Minolta SRT camera series is available in many models.The SRT is a solid 35mm SLR and is becoming more and more popular thanks to its excellent ergonomics, attractive price and complete accessories from Minolta.Although the functions of the SRT are pale compared to modern dSLR cameras, the SRT series provides several "first" for Minolta and the entire camera industry ".Even today, the SRT model is still able to make great images and provides a great way to learn how to operate a SLR.Thanks to the metal body and sturdy construction, it is quite easy to locate the used Minolta SRT camera in good condition.(Think e-Bay, pawn shops, yard sales, etc.These SLR cameras also offer a benefit that few cameras can boast of today: they don't need batteries to operate.The built-In the exposure meter, it is true that battery power is used, but this has no effect on any function of the camera.You can remove the meter battery from the SRT camera and you can continue shooting as long as you have film.All the features, settings and adjustments of the camera will be fully operational.Minolta manual-As this 1975 marketing photo proves, the focus system is very extensive.Minolta provides a complete set of lenses and accessories for these cameras.One of the reasons the camera is so popular is the excellent Rokkor lens series.Minolta is able to maintain full compatibility between the SRT and all manual focus lenses.The first footage of the Rokkor bracket appeared in 1958, and Minolta still provided certain footage in 2001.Any of these lenses will work perfectly on all the SRT models.Page for more details.The site has a large SRT section with photos and reprints of the original brochure.A must-It contains steps to convert the SRT series camera into a battery using a silver oxide meter.manual-SR-.Loading your SRT camera with fresh film is a simple thing.However, if you are not familiar with using the camera yet, you should take the time to familiarize yourself with the process in detail.Get into the habit of never turning the camera on, unless you're absolutely sure there's no loaded movie in it.If you open the back while the movie is not in the metal box, the movie will be destroyed.To check, flip the crank handle on the rewind knob.Turn the crank clockwise carefully.If the handle rotates freely, the film is not loaded in the camera, or the film has been safely re-wound in its protective box.If the handle does not turn, there will be a loaded film in the camera.You need to rewind the movie so you can safely open the back.Reverse the camera and press the clutch button.You will find the clutch in a small triangular groove at the bottom.Press it until it clicks and stays frustrated.Return the camera to the upright position, then turn the film clockwise until the handle rotates freely.Now you can open the back.Grab the rewind knob and pull up in a slow, steady motion.When you pull the knob up, you hear the metal clicking and the back pops up.Fully open the back.If there is an exposed cassette tape in the camera, pull it up on the same rewind knob and lift the cassette tape.Take a new roll and take out the leader from about 5 inch of the box.Place the cassette tape on the left side of the camera with the plastic nipple down.Lift up on the rewind knob, allow the cartridge to be in place, then press the knob to secure the film cartridge.Now drag the splitter over the patch board so it can be placed on the double sprocket.Insert the narrow part of the lead into the slot on the occupation line axis.Once the lead card is online on the shaft, turn the wind lever on time to see if the sprocket hole engages the sprocket correctly.If everything is OK, please close the back and press the left edge until you hear it click in place.Now blow the shutter twice.Every time you want to push the lever, you have to press the shutter release device to let you Wind further.At this point, take a look at the movie counter.It should point to 1.Don't be greedy.If you are trying to stretch your movie by not pushing the full two frames, you may find the first image blurry.So be sure to blow the wind over the whole two frames.While the SRT has a strong film transport capability, the film has the potential to slide freely if you do not properly engage the film on the occupied wire shaft.If this happens, the film will not be released.Essentially, you shoot all the exposure on one frame.Minolta is clearly aware that this could be an issue as they include a "safe load" indicator in subsequent models of the SRT series.Don't worry if you have most SRTs that don't have this feature.It's easy to check if the movie is loaded correctly.Check the loaded movie using the same rewind technique described.After you close your back and turn the wind bar twice, flip the film Crank and carefully try to wrap the film counter-clockwise.(Don't press the clutch button) the film may have slipped freely if you can turn the crank more than half a circle.Wrap a few more laps back, open the back and reload the film correctly.If the movie looks loaded properly, take a look at the rewind knob when you push the movie forward.If the film moves through the camera, the rewind knob turns counter-clockwise every time you shutter ahead of time.After you take all the pictures on the roll, you have to pour it back into the box before opening the roll and taking it out.You already know how to do this if you 've been paying attention.Press the clutch button and then carefully Rewind the Film using the rewind knob.When the movie is liberated from the occupied scroll, you will feel it.Rotate the knob a few more times until it rotates freely.Now you can turn on the camera and take out the film for processing.Once you understand how control works, you will find the Minolta SRT series very simple to operate.However, some buttons and switches may look a bit mysterious if you're new to the camera.As you can see in the photo above, there are several controls coming together on the right side of the SRT series.The round switch at the top is the mirror lock (MLU) switch.Rotating this switch will make the rearview mirror move up from the image path.Usually, the mirror is put down except when exposed..When you click on the shutter, the mirror swings outward so that the light can reach the film.There are two reasons you might want to lock the mirror outside.When shooting with a long lens or telescope, the vibration generated by the movement of the mirror may affect the clarity of the image.Therefore, some models of the SRT allow you to lock the mirror to avoid vibration.Another reason is that some very early Minolta wide-angle lenses actually highlight the inside of the camera body.To avoid contact with the Mirror, the mirror may be raised when these special lenses are used.Most SRT models have MLU functionality, but Minolta removed this feature in some later versions.If your SRT camera lacks MLU functionality, you may never miss it unless you take it with extreme remote photos or use very rare early wide-angle photos.The lever on the front of the camera is a mechanical selfie.To use the timer, rotate the lever clockwise until it is locked.Once the switch is turned on, a small button is displayed.Pressing the button causes the lever to rotate slowly to its normal position.When the lever reaches the top position, it triggers the shutter.Simple but effective.The last control is the depth of field preview (DOFP) button.Many users are confused about this button because it seems to have done nothing..The automatic diaphragm keeps the aperture open until exposure.When the camera stopsTo use DOFP, the aperture must be stopped down.You will not see any changes if the lens reaches the maximum aperture.When you reduce the lens to a smaller opening, pressing the degrees of freedom preview will show the increased degrees of freedom for the selected aperture.Of course, the image in the viewfinder will be darker, but you can see how the DOF will affect the final image.When DOFP is pressed, it will lock the preview view.To release the preview and return to the viewfinder that opens the lens, press the button and release it so it pops up.You don't use DOFP every time you shoot.If DOFP is not used, you may walk for a few weeks or more.However, when depth of field is critical, you will find that the preview feature is very valuable.All he models are mechanical cameras, which means running without a battery or external power supply.However, there is a built-in exposure meter that requires a battery.As long as you choose the right exposure, the camera will take excellent photos without batteries.Onboard meters are very convenient and do a good job in suggesting proper exposure under lighting conditions.The meter switch is located at the bottom of the camera.Press and turn with your thumb and turn the meter to the on position.match-Pointer indicator in viewfinder.Change the aperture or shutter speed so that when you pass through the viewfinder the needle is inside the circle you see on the right.Note: You must set the ASA (ISO) of the film you are using so that the meter can provide an accurate reading.B.C.Check on behalf of the battery.If you turn the switch to B.C.Position, when you look through the viewfinder, the needle should be inside the black rectangle at the bottom of the screen.If the needle is not aligned with the rectangle, the battery runs out and needs to be replaced to provide a good exposure reading.Don't leave the switch in B.C.Location because it will run out of battery very quickly.For the same reason, you should always turn off the switch when you finish the day shooting.The meter battery is located under the hatch at the bottom of the camera.Again, you need to press and turn with your thumb and unscrew the lid.If it is difficult to open the lid, you can bend the paper clip into a simple wrench and use it to open the lid.After removing the hatch cover, all you have to do is put the camera tip so that the old battery will fall into your hands.Make sure the battery box is clean before installing the new battery.An old trick is to use a pencil eraser to clean the metal contact band to ensure a good connection.All SRT models can be powered on meters using either the PX13 or the PX625 mercury batteries, which are no longer widely used because they contain mercury.Get the fresh p625 battery, see resources below.The meter needs a button battery that looks like a large hearing aid battery.You may find that the size and shape of the battery is similar to that of the p625, but these are usually not the correct voltages.In this way, turning will affect the accuracy of meter reading.You will be much better using the correct p625 battery provided below.Or you can invest in a handheld meter and give up using any battery in your SRT model.Minolta SRT battery on AmazonFew camera stores still carry the PX13 or PX625 batteries used by meters in the meter series.These batteries used to be sold in most camera stores, but environmental fears and deaths in nearby camera stores almost eliminated the availability of mercury batteries used by the SRT.Amazon lists a wide variety of partner merchants that still store the hard-to-find px625.If you do use the old mercury battery in the camera, please do not discard the old battery in the garbage.Find a recycler who removes mercury from landfill sites and water supplies!Minolta built the SRT series with the beautiful SRT 101.While other cameras in the series will offer a wide range of features that are 101 lacking, SLR cameras have remained a serious photographer's favorite for decades.Like many Minolta SRT models, the 101 is provided in "pro" black and more common silver finishes.This special camera seems to be one of the early ones as it has a mirror lockup switch.Minolta removes the lockAs an up function for running changes, so the early SRT101 camera has a mirror lock functionAlthough it was lost in later versions.The SRT 101 has a "cold shoe" flash mount--There is no electrical connection to the shoes.The photographer needs to connect the flash to the camera's flash sync port with a wire.The sole purpose of this shoe is to be used as an installation area.It is difficult to find the meters battery of the SRT series, because of environmental problems, the production of mercury batteries used by the SRT series meters ended a few years ago.The silver oxide battery can be installed, but the voltage is different, resulting in inaccurate reading of the meter.Fortunately, you can still find the PX625 battery on eBay.--©Copyright 2007-Text or images in this lens may not be reused without written permission.If you would like to reprint the material on this page, please contact Tom Bonner: tom (at) adventuresindesign.com..This website is a member of WebRing.Here