Still the Perfect Starter: Why the Minolta XG-M Holds Up
Decades later, I still recommend the same advice I got as a beginner.
All of my images of things that were moving (mostly trains) were coming out blurry. I was taking pictures with a 35mm point-and-shoot camera, which was all I had ever used. There was no way to control shutter speed or anything else. I finally asked a friend, who was a professional photographer, what I should buy to learn how to use a “real camera.” His reply pointed me to a few different early 80s manual film cameras from Minolta. They were solid, reliable, inexpensive, and relatively easy to use. Soon, the Minolta XG-M entered my life and started me down the road I’m on today.
Why the XG-M Was (and Is) the Perfect First Camera
When I purchased this camera, it was only about 15 years old or so. Compared to the top-end cameras of its day, it wasn’t missing too many bells and whistles. It could shoot in manual and aperture priority modes. Higher-end models had shutter priority and program modes. The pro models had a faster top-end shutter speed and more durable bodies.
It was inexpensive, and there was a good variety of affordable lenses. It also had all the basic capabilities I needed to learn how to compose and expose an image properly. With aperture priority mode, it provided just a little help, so I didn’t have to get wrapped up in getting the exposure right. But it was also just “manual enough,” so I had to learn about aperture and shutter speed.
Back then, ISO was a property of the film you loaded in your camera. I didn’t hear the term Exposure Triangle much.
What made that a solid learning camera then, still holds true today. If you want to learn analog photography, or even photography in general, these are still good cameras. There are XG-M’s available for $150 or less for a body, and lenses for under $50. It does everything you would need, and leaves you enough control to force you to learn about how to create an image. It’s lightweight, it gets out of the way of your photography, and it makes a very satisfying CLICK when you expose a frame
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What It Didn’t Have (and Why That Helped)
Compared to today’s cameras, this seems much more primitive. The most obvious difference is that there is no screen to immediately see your shot. No chimping, no quick corrections, and no trial and error to get the right exposure and composition. And you won’t be using the screen to compose your shot if you’re used to using a camera like a phone. You will be using the viewfinder.
It has a 1/1000 of a second MAXIMUM shutter speed, which at first doesn’t seem terrible, but it is surprisingly limiting. If you are shooting on a bright sunny day, you won’t be using f2.8 for a shallow depth of field. And hopefully you didn’t load a higher ISO roll of film in the camera because you are going to be dealing with that until the roll is finished.
There is no EXIF information embedded in your images. If you make mistakes with your exposure, you won’t be able to check the EXIF data to see what you did, so you can do better next time. Carry a notebook and take good notes.
And of course, there is no autofocus. Your photography becomes slow and intentional. You need to anticipate where the shot will be if it’s something that’s moving. When you do it more, it will go faster, but there is no focus tracking, and no quick shots unless you are prepared.
Slow and intentional. If you don’t like the sound of that, I encourage you to try it before making a judgment. Slowing down and thinking about your photography can have a big impact on your compositions and your creativity. If you are just learning or going back to try analog after learning on digital, this approach can positively affect your photography skills.
What Makes a Great Beginner Film Camera Today
If you can’t find a Minolta XG-M, there are several similar camera models available today. Minolta has the X-700, X-570, XD11, and X-370. There is also the Canon AE-1, the Nikon FE, and the Pentax K1000, to name a few.
What distinguishes a good beginner film camera? This is very subjective. But the initial traits that molded my photography were the manual focus and aperture priority. A decent built-in light meter and reliable build quality let you enjoy the experience, but still require that you do enough work to learn the basics.
You can use a point-and-shoot to get decent images from a roll of film. It’s quick, and it does everything for you. And you will get the phone look. But just like I learned years ago, you have no control, and ultimately, you don’t learn the basics of photography.
Lessons That Still Hold Up
The XG-M taught me how to get proper exposure. I couldn’t rely on post-processing to the extent we can today. There was no Photoshop for a safety net. I learned to shoot using aperture priority on this camera, which is still my preference today. Not everyone will agree with that, but it’s what works for me.
The XG-M molded my shooting style to the extent that 30 years later, I have begun to revisit analog photography once again. It does not feel out of place after using digital cameras from Canon and Fujifilm, and now returning to my Minolta XG-M. Other than the painfully slow 1/1000 shutter speed and not being able to change the ISO mid-roll, I feel right at home with the camera settings. Just like I never left.
✅ Where to Find Me
You can find more of my work on the web at: Simmons Photography
If you want to work with me, or inquire about licensing images: Contact Page
More of my work can be seen on Vero and Flickr.
💬 Closing Thoughts
I posted a short article last week that I didn’t send out via email. Check out Photographing a Hazy Sunset for your viewing pleasure if you missed it.
If you are in the market for used film photography gear, and don’t want to try to navigate eBay or Marketplace, check out KEH.com. They have a good selection of analog gear, and are up front about the condition of each piece of equipment they sell.
I think my dad owned this camera back in the day. I remember that it was a Minolta for sure. By the time I wanted to start trying photography, he sold it to a friend 😭