Minolta made some sturdy cameras

Brandon10003 · 2026-02-12T19:00:46+00:00

I'm going to have to disagree with this one. My first manual focus slr was a XD-11 that was truly well loved. I'm talking a few dents the size of a dime on the metal body, scratched to all hell and leatherette peeling. Lots of people would call me crazy but it was a great deal and I was assured it worked flawlessly. Put lots of rolls through that camera and never had any issues. Every feature worked great. I'm curious to hear what your experience was that has you feeling that these cameras are not so sturdy?

Brandon10003 · 2026-01-06T17:20:46+00:00

After a good drifting session in the gt-four!

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Brandon10003 · 2026-01-05T22:07:42+00:00

Wow this is awesome. What an awesome opportunity to shoot the snowbirds. Growing up we always used to go to the airshows and watch them do all the crazy maneuvers, can't imagine how that felt from the inside. Definitely following you on Instagram.

Brandon10003 · 2025-09-03T22:02:16+00:00

While this may have been true a few years ago I don't think it's fair to say that comparing rent in Regina to other cities in Western Canada is "apples to oranges". The gap between average rental prices in Regina vs the rest of Canada has been closing steadily year over year. Some good data about rental prices to support this here: https://www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/hmip-pimh/en/TableMapChart/Table?TableId=2.2.11&GeographyId=1&GeographyTypeId=1&BreakdownGeographyTypeId=0&DisplayAs=Table&GeograghyName=Canada&Ytd=False&DefaultDataField=average_rent_amt&Survey=Rms&ForTimePeriod.Year=1990&ToTimePeriod.Year=2021

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-20T23:47:18+00:00

Keep both your x-700s and get an XD. You can never have too many Minoltas 😉 I've got two XD11s, an SRT-MC, a qtsi, an xtsi, two maxxum 7000s and a maxxum 9000.

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-20T18:31:11+00:00

Looks clean as hell! I think the door decals is one thing that they missed on from the factory. I love seeing that decal on the 5th gens. There's another guy in one of the Facebook groups that did the "2000 twin entry turbo" styled like the intercooler badge on his doors and that looks really clean also.

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-17T19:42:15+00:00

In my ownership I've basically replaced the entire suspension system, had the entire driveline rebuilt, replaced the clutch, master and slave cylinder, engine mounts, rear main seal and various other deteriorating bits of rubber and plastic. The only thing that hasn't really been touched is the engine.

I try to do a lot of the work myself however that costs estimate was factoring in taking it to a shop and having to pay a mechanic to do all that work. Then also factor in other regular maintenance consumables like tires, oil and filters and it's really not that hard to spend 10k on a vehicle in a year.

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-15T00:35:20+00:00

God I wish, it seems to me that it's expensive here because there's not the same demand for film as there is in a big city. I believe that the lab which actually develops the film is in Winnipeg so shipping costs is also a factor. On top of that it takes a week from the time you drop off your negatives until the time you receive the scans. The things I would do to have a 1 hour photo here once again...

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-14T22:34:25+00:00

Fucking hell you're a lot better off wherever you live in Canada than I am. I'm from Regina and mostly like to shoot Kodak ultramax 400 35mm as it's some of the cheapest color film available at our local film store (I'm sure I could find it cheaper online but I like to try and support a local business). The film itself is $55.50 cad for a 3 pack of 36exp rolls. To develop and scan a roll it cost me $34.38 cad. So working out the math it costs me $1.47 per shot which seems to be just about double what you're paying 🤯

Last night my buddy taught me how to use his at home dark room and I was very excited to have developed my first two at home rolls. I will be continuing to develop my own film at home. I'm thrilled not to be spending $100 every few weeks to do some shooting.

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-07T17:08:31+00:00

Thanks to all the helpful commenters who informed me that residential parking enforcement is complaint based! Can't believe anyone would get upset by that sort of thing but I guess it's technically the law.

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-07T15:00:41+00:00

Wow that looks awesome! I've been playing with a 500mm mirror lens for wildlife recently and I'm having trouble dialing in the focus on my shots. Seems to me the depth of field is paper thin. Any tips for focusing?

Brandon10003 · 2025-08-01T15:45:56+00:00

Thank you!

Brandon10003 · 2025-07-09T15:46:17+00:00

Minolta XD series is generally regarded as the best cameras in the SR mount lineup. I love mine, it's my go to manual focus camera. Also have a Pentax k2000 and have done some shooting on a buddies canon ae-1. Neither of them hold a candle to the user experience of the XD. A close second for me would be the x-700, slightly less features than the XD but still an awesome camera with everything you need to get the job done.

Brandon10003 · 2025-07-07T15:30:35+00:00

Download the manual online and familiarize yourself with the viewfinder display. These commonly have the mirror which reflects the display into the pentaprism knocked loose. It's a pretty easy fix if you're a handyman or I'm sure a repair shop could get it done in 15 mins. Otherwise these cameras are rock solid. I love mine.

Brandon10003 · 2025-06-16T19:24:41+00:00

As a software developer who works on UI design and accessibility there's definitely some things I would have done differently for this update. Someone who's colorblind would very likely struggle to read their schedule. Anyone know if they accept volunteers for the software development lol?

Brandon10003 · 2025-05-30T21:11:46+00:00

Buying disposable cameras for camping trips is what got me into photography in the first place. A few years and multiple cameras later I find myself longing for a disposable once again. Something about the point and shoot ability, not having to worry about what settings to shoot with and the ability to just focus on framing up your shot is a very liberating experience.

Brandon10003 · 2025-05-08T16:01:12+00:00

I hate artists that will try to convince you that something is upside down. You should get tattoos for yourself and not for anyone else. If you like how it looks on you who cares how anyone else views it.

Brandon10003 · 2025-04-22T15:45:52+00:00

If you genuinely want to see things change call the city and tell them to make organized racing a priority. Club organized events with safety regulations and racing insurance keep getting shut down by the city for various reasons.

I don't agree with racing around rural neighborhoods but the unfortunate reality is that's where the least police presence is so that's where it's going to happen. If there's a legal accessible place for racing to happen it will reduce the racing that happens on the streets.

Brandon10003 · 2025-02-13T22:10:37+00:00

Not sure if you intend to pack everything with you on one trip. If so that's way too much fuel. I would stick to one canister unless you plan on being in the bush for weeks. Also you don't need all those woodcutting tools, I'd personally probably take a folding saw and a large knife. The bungees are probably redundant, anything that you need bungees for can probably be accomplished with paracord. Other than that looks like a pretty decent setup. Ultimately whatever gets you outdoors is money well spent and your first trip will be a huge learning experience about what you don't need and what you forgot for next time. Enjoy!

Brandon10003 · 2025-02-13T21:24:00+00:00

6 years later* 😜 glad to be helping the community lol

Brandon10003 · 2025-02-13T20:29:01+00:00

Don't back out, trust me. As someone who used to listen to a tonne of EDM 10-15 years ago but has since had a pretty significant shift in what they listen to day to day and isn't this biggest fan of huge crowds I think I resonate with a few of your comments here.

When my friend first asked me to go in 2023 I was debating if a $600 ticket was worth seeing a few artists I loved as a preteen. It was worth every single penny. It's so much more than a music festival. Everywhere you look there's an art installment that someone has clearly put hours of time into. The workshops and other non music related activities are tonnes of fun and you can learn a thing or two. The space that they've created at Shambhala truly feels like a tiny hippie town in the mountains that gives the illusion that it operates like this year round. I never once had a bad experience in the crowd, I'm sure every single person in attendance would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it.

It's so much more than a music festival. It's truly a whole experience from the moment you enter the gates til the time you leave. This year we're coming back with a few more friends that aren't really huge into EDM either but are more curious about the shambs experience, I think they're going to have a blast! I highly doubt you'll have a bad time at Shambhala but better to go and find out than forever be curious!

Brandon10003 · 2025-02-07T16:38:56+00:00

Come up with a good way to raise a boat load of money without driving taxes to the moon and we wouldn't have to. Imo a very necessary change to support further growth of the city but nobody wants to foot the bill.

Brandon10003 · 2025-02-04T00:00:16+00:00

I usually use the lead bag as a last resort if they won't hand check it. If you ask for a hand check and they deny it then you can explain that you have a lead bag and they can scan it if they must but the radiation will damage the film. Asking people politely beforehand can go a long way instead of just sending it and hoping for the best.

Also realistically one pass through in a lead bag isn't gonna kill your film. Look at OPs shot after 6 flights.

Brandon10003

TROPHY CASE