Camerosity

Episode 36: Minolta Disco


Listen Later

For the second episode in a row, we take a deep dive into a singular brand of cameras, and as you can pretty much already guess, Episode 36 is all about Minolta!  The guys and I visit the Minolta Disco with returning callers, Alex Luyckx, Bill Smith, Howard Sandler, Mark Faulkner, Mario Piper, Robert Rotoloni, Wannes Scheipers, and first time caller, Mig Cero.

The Minolta Disco is a strange place where we cover history of the company, our favorite models, common problems and what to look for when buying certain Minoltas, the Minolta and Leica connection, and what Minolta Auto focus SLRs you should consider if you like physical knobs.  Minolta is one of the longest lived and prolific Japanese camera makers, so we had a huge number of things to talk about.

Not content to stick with just one single topic, Mike reveals a strange habit he does in the dark when loading film, Paul covers everyone's favorite Topcon SLRs, along with a short review of the focal plane shutter Topcon IC-1 Auto, Robert gives us some history on why so many Japanese camera makers preferred 24mm x 32mm images, and a little bit of history on Japanese distributors in the United States.

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are decided by you.  The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you'd like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, and right here on mikeeckman.com.  We record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we will hit the road and record our third European episode, recording at a time that is more friendly for our fans in Europe.  For our friends in the UK, a lot has changed since the last time we talked, they lost their queen and have had three different Prime Ministers, so who knows what kind of mood they'll be in.

We are not 100% sure on the exact time we will record Episode 37, but it will probably be Tuesday, November 22nd.  Be sure to stay tuned for the official announcement.

This Week's Episode

  • Mike's Strange Habit of Closing His Eyes While in a Darkroom / Alex Purposely Waits to Look at His Digital Photos After Taking Them
  • We Start Talking About Minolta with a Topcon Super D and RE3 / Difference between the Super D and Super DM
  • Topcon RE lenses vs Topcon UV Lenses / Leaf Shutter Topcons / Topcon IC-1 Auto
  • Topcor Cult Lenses, 58mm f/1.4 and f/1.8 lenses / 135mm and 200mm Telephotos
  • Not All Exakta Lenses Will Work on the Topcon RE Super / The Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50/2 Hits the Mirror
  • What Other Cameras Came with Topcor Lenses? / Horseman and Leotax Did!
  • Tokyo Kogaku and Nippon Kogaku Both Had Very Similar Origins / Topcon Suffered from Poor Distribution in the US
  • Other Companies Who Were Killed By Distribution Like Miranda and Aires
  • Nikon Got Lucky With Ehrenreich / Canon Struggled With Distribution / Minolta Distributed Themselves
  • Minolta's Early History Nichi Doku and Molta Eventually Became Chiyoda Kogaku
  • The Original Minolta was Based Off the Plaubel Makina / Minoltaflex and Minolta Autocord
  • When Did Minolta Become a Meaningful Force Outside of Japan? / Minolta Was Successful with Post Exchanges
  • Minolta's Screw Mount Rangefinders / 24 x 32 Exposures / Japanese Film Was Very Expensive and Often Used for X-Rays
  • Was the US Government Responsible for the Disappearance of 24 x 32?
  • What is Everyone's Favorite Minolta? / Minolta Super A (Anthony and Mike) / Minolta SRT-101 and 102 (Mario) / Minolta XD-11 (Bill Smith) / Minolta XM (Wayne) / Minolta Hi-Matic 7S II (Mig) / Minolta 110 Zoom SLR (Theo) / Molta Minolta Vest Camera (Mark) / Minolta Dynax 9 (Alex)
  • Full Bodied Japanese Fixed Lens Rangefinders Are Some of the Best Values Out There
  • Alex Loves the Minolta Maxxums 7 and 9
  • Minolta SLRs with Physical Knobs / Minolta 600si Classic and 650si Date / Make Your Own Handgrip with Sugru
  • Minolta Got Sued a Lot / Minolta Auto-Wide
  • The Minolta and Leica Collaboration Started with the CL / The Minolta XE-7 Has Nothing From Leitz In It / Leica R3
  • Minolta XD-11 and Leica R4 / Leica R-Series Lenses are REALLY Expensive
  • Robert Likes Minolta Subminis / The Konan Was the Predecessor to the Minolta 16
  • MINOLTA DISCO!!!!
  • Other Minoltas / Minolta Freedom Zoom 105i / Minolta Vectis S-1 / Minolta X-700 / Minolta SR-3 / Minolta Uniomat III
  • Did Konica and Minolta Ever Make a Serious Camera Together?
  • Show Notes

    If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group or Instagram page, or email us at [email protected].

    The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

    Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

    Camerosity Twitter - https://twitter.com/CamerosityPod

    Alex Luyckx – http://www.alexluyckx.com/blog/

    Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

    Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris and https://www.etsy.com/shop/Camerasandpictures

    Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/ and https://www.facebook.com/VoltaGNV/

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    CamerosityBy Mike Eckman

    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    34 ratings


    More shows like Camerosity

    View all
    The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography by Ibarionex R. Perello

    The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography

    667 Listeners

    B&H Photography Podcast by B&H Photo & Video

    B&H Photography Podcast

    2,019 Listeners

    Film Photography Podcast by Michael Raso

    Film Photography Podcast

    222 Listeners

    Street Photography Magazine by Street Photography Magazine

    Street Photography Magazine

    56 Listeners

    Classic Camera Revival by Alex Luyckx

    Classic Camera Revival

    42 Listeners

    Sunny 16 Podcast by Ade, Rachel, Clare, John and Graeme

    Sunny 16 Podcast

    66 Listeners

    Analog Talk by Analog Talk

    Analog Talk

    284 Listeners

    Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast by Mike Gutterman

    Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast

    58 Listeners

    The Photowalk by Neale James

    The Photowalk

    122 Listeners

    Uncle Jonesy's Cameras by Kevin and Kelley Lane

    Uncle Jonesy's Cameras

    22 Listeners

    Embrace the Grain Photography Podcast by Embrace the Grain Photography

    Embrace the Grain Photography Podcast

    13 Listeners

    FRAMES Photography Podcast by FRAMES Magazine

    FRAMES Photography Podcast

    104 Listeners

    Sunny 16 Presents by Sunny 16 Podcasts

    Sunny 16 Presents

    21 Listeners

    I Dream of Cameras by Jeff Greenstein and Gabe Sachs

    I Dream of Cameras

    53 Listeners

    The PetaPixel Photography Podcast by PetaPixel

    The PetaPixel Photography Podcast

    96 Listeners