Expert: John Oliverio - 10/23/2008

Question
QUESTION: Dear John,
I have purchased a Minolta SRT 101 body and am now looking for lenses.
I'd like to know what model lenses there are available.
Looking for:
1) a "normal" lens, 55mm or 58mm , f 1.2
2) 200mm lens (a fast one ... f 2.8?)

Do you have recommendations ... where to find (other than ebay), price range, specific models if possible.

Thanks, in advance, for your help.
Yours,
Tom Anderson

ANSWER: Tom,

Minolta dis-continued lenses that would fit your camera in 1986. Because of the nature of the aftermarket lens business and who they produced for, I would only buy Minolta brand lenses for your camera.

I do not have specific recommendations of where to find lenses.  I think you may have a very hard time finding specific lenses....  especially the 200 f2.8, if you don't use eBay.  How about Craig's List?  I checked the big online used retailers and they had very few MD mount lenses and none that I would really want. The most common lenses you will find for MD are the 50mm f1.7 rokkor MD and MC, and the 135mm f2.8 MD. There are a number of wide angle lenses out there as well.   I don't think I've seen a 200mm f2.8 for Minolta for 20 years. Just be sure to steer clear of aftermarket.

Can I ask why you bought the SRT 101? Do you know that while you can get a battery to power it up, you can no longer get the correct battery?  Shooting slide film in that camera can be a problem with the wrong battery. I would suggest that if you want to shoot a manual focus minolta film camera that you at least get up as far as an "x" series camera.  Also, beware of dry-rotting of the mirror cushion and film box seal on the SRT.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear John Oliverio,
I am extremely grateful to you for your comprehensive info.
I'm responding in detail to your remarks.  Hope this isn't "over the top."
I plan to buy only Minolta lenses - aftermarket scares me.
I do like using ebay, just curious about other sites that are equally viable.
The MD, MC Rokkor prefixes and PG, QF suffixes are confusing!
RE: why SRT 101?  I had my SRT of 35 years stolen.  I loved it!  So, bought a Leica R4s from a friend - in perfect condition.  Light meter was 3 f stops off.  The repair was about $800.  Too much for me.  Also found that parts for R4s repair are almost unavailable.  Loved the sound of German mechanism; like my M-Benz 280 SE. But, no.
Would love a Leica, but too much for me.
SO, I went back to the SRT as solid and familiar.  SRT body I bought (ebay) was advertised as refurbished - all parts lubricated.  Battery requirements (as you mentioned) were reconfigured to "now" stds.  Quote: "Professionally overhauled."  (100% pos feedback, seller-ea1hdh, Juno Bch, FL)
I don't shoot slide film (yet, but haven't to date)
Dry rotted cushion and film box seal expected to be fine as per professionally refurbished description.
I'm hoping to get the feel and results of my old SRT with this one.  
Previously I had a 200mm 3.5 and a fast 58mm (or 55mm)... also a 28mm, which I didn't use much.  I want to have that system again, but better w/ faster lenses.
Thank you ever so much for your input.  With good info, such as yours, I'll build the camera system I desire.
Sincerely yours,
Tom Anderson


ANSWER: Tom,

The letter suffixes have to do with the lens design.  Here is a chart:

First Letter (no. of groups): T=3; Q=4; P=5; H=6; S=7; O=8; N=9.
Second Letter (no. of elements): C=3; D=4; E=5; F=6; G=7; H=8; I=9; J=10; K=11; L=12.

MD or MC have to do with the series.

Here is a good site for lens history.

http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Lens%20History.html

That bit about the battery being brought back to "now" standards is probably a bit of lie.  They can easily change the voltage requirement for the camera with an adapter in the battery compartment.  However, that isn't the main problem.  The SRT series did not have a voltage regulator.  It wasn't necessary with cameras that took a mercury battery as that cell had a flat discharge curve. (in other words, no curve)  It maintained 1.35 volts through-out its life then just died.  Modern batteries get weaker as they age and the cameras have the voltage regulators to step up the voltage. Unless something has changed that I don't know about, taking an SRT apart and trying to put in a voltage regulator just isn't economically feasible. Now, as I said, this isn't a big deal if you are only shooting print film.  But the meter isn't consistent or accurate enough for slide film.

Have fun with your new camera!  And start thinking about digital.  You will be forced into it sooner than later.

John

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear John Oliverio,
I doubt you have time to deal with this, but RE: the "battery update" on the camera I bought on ebay, it is (was) item #190259522356.
If you would be kind enough to look at it, perhaps you can tell me if I bought a "pig in a poke."  Or what to do with it now that I will own it!
The site you sent along re: Lenses article, is great.  Thanks very much.
Tom Anderson

Answer
If the voltage problem bothers you and you are set on 35mm Minolta, you may want to consider a later model.  Minolta had a line of cameras called "X" series.  The XD 7 and X700 are two I'm familiar with.  I had an X700 when I was in high school that I was very fond of and it served me clear through school and on into the Navy.  Still manual focus...  it had a computer that offered some exposure automation.  Though you could still shoot in manual like the SRT.  Unlike the SRT, it will not operate mechanically with out a battery.




As I suspected, the update does not include a voltage regulator.  All they did was fix it to match the new voltage of 1.5v. This does not address the issue of the battery becoming weaker.  It will not step up the power to 1.5 as it becomes weaker.  As I said, this is not too much of a hardship if you are only shooting print film. Print film has a much larger "margin for error" than slide film has.  Exposure latitude for print film is as much as 9 stops (for black and white). Though in practice you should work on the assumption of 3 or 4 stops. You should change the battery more often than you used to stay ahead of the power loss.

John