I recently won a(nother) Minolta XG11 through an eBay auction. They’re lightweight, do what I need them to do, and they allow me to make use of my favourite lenses, like the 58mm Rokkor-PF I’m so fond of. When I saw one nearing its end for $10, I put in a bid, hoping to win it at that price.
And I did!
The advertisement promised a working camera with some peeling leather, which is exactly what it all seemed to be. On Sunday, during an afternoon adventure (second of the day!), I gave it a test roll.
Unfortunately, it is possible that it’s underexposing by about a stop. While it’s possible that it was the development (my D-96 was on roll 11 of 12, but about one month old and well-sealed), the rebate text seems to be sharp and present, while the frames are somewhat thin.
I will give it another test with a different developer to see if my fortunes change, but if not, then it will be a backup body with a nice little note reminding me to adjust accordingly.
Still, for $10, I am not entirely disappointed!
Camera
Lens
Film
Developer
Time & Temp.
Scanner
Location
Date(s)
Filing
Minolta XG1
Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7
Fomapan Classic 100
Flic Film Black and White Cine (D-96)
5m20s at 25°C
Plustek 8200i / SilverFast 9
Ottawa, Ontario
May 10, 2026
Series 7, Roll 079
- This one, being an older version, is styled “XG1” (instead of “XG-1”) and features the older Minolta logo, before they debuted the “rising sun” logo they became best known for. ↩︎