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Tech · Minolta · 1981

Minolta X-700

Program mode, a bright finder, and cheap lenses. A known capacitor failure decides the buy.

35mm film SLRs still worth buying used — #6

Overall

7.7

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (8.8), weakest on Durability (6.4), a 2.4-point spread. The 7.7 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Minolta X-700 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Minolta X-700: Performance 7.8, Value 8.8, Durability 6.4, Ease of use 8.2, Design 7.2.PerformanceMinolta X-700 — Performance 7.8 out of 107.8ValueMinolta X-700 — Value 8.8 out of 108.8DurabilityMinolta X-700 — Durability 6.4 out of 106.4Ease of useMinolta X-700 — Ease of use 8.2 out of 108.2DesignMinolta X-700 — Design 7.2 out of 107.2Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Shutter
Electronic, to 1/1000 s; up to 4 s in auto
Modes
Program, aperture priority, manual
Flash sync
1/60 s
Power
Two SR44 or LR44 cells
Mount
Minolta MD/SR

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You want automation and a big, bright viewfinder for the least money
  • Minolta Rokkor lenses, among the best bargains in manual glass, appeal to you
  • Your budget leaves room for a capacitor repair if the copy you get needs one

Skip it if

  • You want a body you'll never have to send for repair
  • Factory parts matter to you, since none exist anymore

On paper the X-700 is the most capable camera on this page for the money. It has full program mode, aperture priority, and a viewfinder owners consistently describe as one of the brightest of its era. Minolta MD lenses are plentiful and cheap.

Its weak spot is well known to repair shops. A capacitor on the circuit board ages, and the camera starts acting erratically: a shutter that fires on its own, a dead meter, a body that will not fire. The repair is common and not costly, but it means plenty of eBay listings with “untested” in the title are failing ones. Unless the price reflects that, buy from a seller who shows it working, or one who lists a recent service.

With fresh batteries and a healthy board, it’s a pleasure to use. Without power you get only the mechanical O setting at 1/1000, which works in bright sun and not much else, so a spare pair of cells belongs in the bag.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.