One of the workhorses of the mid to late 1970s – the Minolta SR-T 201 is built like a tank (and weighs just slightly less) and its design shouts basic but functional. A perfect camera for a beginning film photographer.
Natural light from a north-facing window softened the look of the vintage chrome.
The Minolta SRT 201 was in production between 1975 and 1981 which is a pretty long run for such a basic camera. The competition at that time was fierce between Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and even Yashica for solid SLRs that wouldn’t break the bank. Minolta had a good reputation for delivering value and its Rokkor lenses (this one takes the MD mount) in a wide range of focal lengths. maximum apertures, and budgets. Excellent quality used Rokkor lenses that would fit this camera are plentiful in online auction sites.
It comes in a black and white version too!
A simple top plate with easy to adjust controls.
So why is this Minolta perfect for a first-time film shooter? It’s pretty much as manual as you can get – the button type battery powers the built-in TTL (thru-the-lens) exposure meter but the shutter is completely mechanical with speeds from ‘B’ (bulb) to 1/1000th of a second. If you choose to meter with a phone app or hand-held exposure meter then you don’t even need the battery. The viewfinder is bright and it displays the selected shutter speed across the bottom and a match needle indicator along the right side.
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to pop on over to my camera shop to see what I’ve got in stock. Visit http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris
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Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 