Konica Minolta XG-1 35mm Film Camera

The XG-1 is Minolta's entry level manual focus SLR film camera from the late 70's and early 80's. It's very cheap, simple and easy to use.

Features:
- Aperture priority (you set the aperture, the camera sets the shutter speed) mode.
- 1 second-1/1000 second cloth shutter with 1/60 second flash sync speed.
- Uses modern, cheap batteries (2 LR44 button cells) and has an electronically controlled shutter, so most working cameras should give accurate exposure readings.

Drawbacks:
- No metered manual mode (camera would tell you when your manually set exposures are over or under exposed)
- Capacitors are less robust than on the X series cameras and have a tendency to fail and need replacing.
- All of these cameras will need a light seal replacement if they haven't had one already. The stuff turns to tar over time. This is not a difficult job, and Interslice's generic light seal kit will walk you through it.
- No TTL flash metering (like on the X-570 or X-700), so you'll have to either calculate flash exposure manually or use flashes with a sensor on them.
- The leatherette tends to shrink and peel away from the body. The Cameraleather website can sell you new stuff.

This specific review is for the XG-1, but except for the XG-A and XG-M all the rest of the XG's are mostly the same. The XG-A takes away manual exposure and the XG-M adds depth of field preview and aperture readout in the viewfinder.

I'm rating this a "4" because it's a very usable camera and a good deal at its price point, but the X-570 corrects most of the drawbacks of this camera for not much more money. For most users, I'd recommend that camera instead. The XG-1 might be a good choice if you're really on a tight budget, desire greater simplicity, and/or can live without TTL flash and metered manual mode. My ebay guide on the Minolta system or the rokkorfiles website can help you do more research on camera features and specs.