The Minolta XG-M was a

35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...

single-lens reflex A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin le ...

camera A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...

introduced in 1981 by

Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It made the first integrated autofocu ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It was also known as the X-70 on the Japanese market, in which it was not available until 1982. When released, it was the top model in Minolta's XG series of consumer-grade manual focus SLRs, replacing the XG-9. Changes from that model included a

metered A measuring instrument is a device to measure a physical quantity. In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Esta ...

manual mode (the XG-9's meter was switched off in manual), and a revised body style with rearranged controls. This was also the first camera to use Minolta's new logo, which was used until the 2003 merger into

Konica Minolta is a Japanese multinational technology company headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with offices in 49 countries worldwide. The company manufactures business and industrial imaging products, including copiers, laser printers, multi-fu ...

. The body style became Minolta's standard manual-focus SLR body, so the XG-M strongly resembles subsequent Minolta cameras. Body changes from the XG-9 included a new right hand handgrip and stronger internal build allowing the use of a 3.5fps motor drive while the XG bodies were only able to use a 2fps winder. The XG-9's integrated switch for on/off/self-timer/battery check was removed and its functions spread around the camera. The

self timer A self timer is a device on a camera that gives a delay between pressing the shutter release and the shutter's firing. It is most commonly used to let the photographer to take a photo of themselves (often with a group of other people), hence t ...

was relocated to a switch on the front of the camera, on the left-hand side of the mirror housing. A new main on-off switch was placed beneath the shutter speed dial. The lock button for the shutter speed dial also functioned as a battery check; the front LED, also used for the self-timer, lit when that button was pressed and the batteries held adequate charge.

Film speed Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system. A closely related ISO system is used to describe the relations ...

and

exposure compensation Exposure compensation is a technique for adjusting the exposure indicated by a photographic exposure meter, in consideration of factors that may cause the indicated exposure to result in a less-than-optimal image. Factors considered may include u ...

settings were moved to beneath the rewind knob. The XG-M supported both

aperture priority Aperture priority, often abbreviated ''A'' or ''Av'' (for aperture value) on a camera mode dial, is a mode on some cameras that allows the user to set a specific aperture value (f-number) while the camera selects a shutter speed to match it that w ...

autoexposure and full manual mode. For aperture priority shooting, the shutter speed dial was set to the A (auto) position. The photographer would set the aperture on the lens, which would be visible in the viewfinder by means of a small periscope beneath the image. The camera would decide on the correct shutter speed according to the reading of its

center-weighted average metering In photography, the metering mode refers to the way in which a camera determines exposure. Cameras generally allow the user to select between ''spot'', ''center-weighted average'', or ''multi-zone'' metering modes. The different metering modes all ...

. This would be displayed in the viewfinder: a column on the right of the image showed all the shutter speeds, and an LED would light next to the chosen speed. The automatically selected exposure could be adjusted by means of the exposure compensation dial on the left; compensation of plus or minus 2 stops could be selected in half-stop increments. In manual mode, the XG-M would use that LED to display its recommended shutter speed. However, to select a shutter speed, the camera had to be removed from the eye; the speed selected was not shown in the viewfinder. Speeds between 1 second and 1/1000 second could be chosen, and there was a BULB mode for long-duration exposures. The camera was battery dependent, needing 2

LR44 A button cell, watch battery, or coin battery is a small single-cell battery shaped as a squat cylinder typically in diameter and high — resembling a button. Stainless steel usually forms the bottom body and positive terminal of the cell; insu ...

or equivalent button cells to operate. A minimal amount of

photographic flash A flash is a device used in photography that produces a brief burst of light (typically lasting 1/1000 to 1/200 of a second) at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a ...

automation was provided. With a compatible dedicated flash, the camera would be set automatically to the 1/60 second

X-sync In photography, flash synchronization or flash sync is the synchronizing the firing of a photographic flash with the opening of the shutter admitting light to photographic film or electronic image sensor. In cameras with mechanical (clockwor ...

speed, and a ready light in the viewfinder would blink when the flash was charged. The photographer did have to set the correct aperture for flash photography according to subject distance; a guide was available on the back of Minolta's flashes.

References

* McGloin, Joe (2004).
XG-M
'. From th

site, retrieved on November 26, 2005. * The Rokkor Files.

'. Retrieved on November 26, 2005. * Minolta (1981).
XG-M Brochure
' (PDF). Retrieved on July 11, 2006.

External links

{{Minolta 135 film cameras XG-M