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$0.00 Summary:The Minolta X-370 SLR, along with the Pentax K1000, may be one of the best beginners' cameras of all time. It is robust, reliable and has a huge selection of lenses and attachments. Its simple exposure meter and priority aperture control are suitable for novices and experts alike. I have been tracking them down in fleamarkets and hock shops for twenty years to give to my children, nieces, nephews and anyone I care about who expresses an interest in film photography. Strengths:Albinar, Minolta, Tamron and a dozen other lens manufacturers have made every conceivable glass for this camera, from an 8MM fisheye to mammoth F2.8 1300MM+ telescopes. Micrography attachments are available. While light, the camera will withstand considerable abuse. The shutter speeds to 1/1000 are adequate for everthing from lanscapes to football games. With reasonable care, it will produce images that rank with any other system on the planet. Weaknesses:The camera does not suffer fools well. It requires two S-76 constant voltage 1.3V mercury batteries, which are fairly, but not impossibly, rare. Radio Shack has recently reintroduced them. Novices who put LW44 or 76 1.5 alkalines in the instrument will experience chronic underexposures until the voltage drops with use. Then the shutter will no longer function, and the truly uninformed will attempt utterly unecessary repairs; usually destroying the focal plane shutter mechanism in the process. Similar Products Used:This camera is the baby sister to the X-570 and X-700 Minolta SLR's, which use the same basic mechanism, with more bells and whistles. Customer Service:Anybody who fixes SLR's fixes Minoltas. Spare parts and cameras that can be cannibalized are ubiquitous.
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