If you've ever learned to ride a bicycle or helped someone else to learn, you may have started riding with training wheels, in order to get used to the controls and pedals without the worry of falling over.  While starting with a bit of assistance didn't guarantee success, it certainly helped avoid failure.  When starting out with a film camera, it's nice to have a little assistance to help avoid failure but, unlike your first bicycle, which you almost certainly outgrew quickly, it is possible to start your photography career with some assistance and keep using that camera for the rest of your life.  One of the premier cameras in this category is the Minolta X-700.  Introduced in 1981, the X-700 was the Minolta company's flagship Single Lens Reflex (SLR).  The camera's popularity is borne out of the fact that it remained in production and largely unchanged for two decades.

The Minolta X-700 is a true life-long camera, thanks to its multiple shooting modes.  When paired with its new MD lenses, the X-700 could be shot in full "Program" mode, where the camera's metering system would select both the aperture and the shutter speed, based on the light available.  In this mode, all the photographer had to do was focus, check the information in the viewfinder, compose, and fire the shutter.  Unlike its contemporary the Canon AE-1 Program, the X-700 gave the photographer shutter speed and aperture information in the viewfinder.  With this assistance, the user knew the exposure would be correct and, just like training wheels, it gave beginning photographers a safe way to start shooting with one less thing to worry about.

Once the beginning photographer has shot through a few rolls and is ready to take off the training wheels, there's another mode on the Minolta X-700 for aperture priority shooting.  In this mode, aspiring photographers can experiment with changing aperture, while the X-700 selects the appropriate shutter speed.  Finally and once the photographer is comfortable with all the controls and is ready to take over all of the artistic choices, the X-700 allows the user to choose both aperture and shutter speed with full metering information in the viewfinder - riding with no hands.

Far from being merely a camera to learn on, the Minolta X-700 is built for years of use.  The X-700 allowed for Through-The-Lens (TTL) flash metering, making professional quality fill-in flash easy to achieve.  With Auto-Exposure Lock (AEL), it was a breeze to make back-lit subjects stand out.  All of this came in a solid, lightweight, and compact body that featured one of the best ergonomic designs of the era.  It's no wonder the Minolta X-700 was named the European camera of the year in 1981.

In the 21st century, Minolta is all-too-often overlooked in the photographic world, which is a shame.  Their technological and design achievements deserve the attention of any serious or beginning photographer. 

ar/sd