Product ReviewsMinolta SRT 101 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only

Solid camera, but has some drawbacks

When SRT 101's are working, they're good cameras and offer a few nice features such as metered manual operation, a hot shoe for flash, and a nice mostly metal build quality. They have an all-mechanical shutter, so you can use them without a battery. The battery just runs the light meter. And they're a Minolta Manual focus camera, which is one of the cheapest and most available manual focus lens mounts out there.

However, they do have some issues. All will need new light seals and mirror bumper foam if this job hasn't been done; the old stuff becomes tar-like and loses its elasticity. The shutters get slow on them with age as lubricants dry up. Sometimes the second shutter curtain can hang up on them giving you pictures that get progressively overexposed from left to right. Also, the battery voltage they were designed for is not readily available today, so sometimes the 1.5V alkaline batteries will skew your light meter readings (sometimes they're pretty close, though). To deal with these problems, I recommend either sending SRT's to a pro who will check for all these problems and fix them for about $50-150, or do the light seals yourself and film test the camera.

I waffle between giving this camera 3 and 4 stars. its not a bad camera, but there are better options out there. The XD-11 or X-570 are better cameras for not much more money, and XG-M's and X-370's are better cameras for about the same money. Even if you want the features of the SRT-101, you would probably be better served with an SRT 102 or 202, which add a few features over the 101. That said, the 101 could be a good second body or backup to one of these other models. If you want more information on this camera and the Minolta manual focus system in general, check out the guide on the subject that I wrote and google the rokkorfiles website.Read full review...

Minolta SRT 101 or 202: Kick it old school and get back to basics!

With all the digital gadgets in the world today, it's sometimes nice to go "vintage" and try taking photographs the way they did "back in the day". Like many people my age, I learned the basics of photography on my own Minolta camera many years ago. I purchased this Minolta Film Camera to get back to basics again, after many years of shooting digital. Having to go back to a camera that is so "mechanical" has really caused me to think about my f/stops, film speed, shutter speed, depth of field and lots more.
Of course, shooting film will always cause any professional or amateur photographer to stop and consider before "pulling the trigger" as you would on a digital camera. The Minolta SRT 101 does have some "luxury items" such as a built-in light meter, interchangeable lens, a "hot shoe" for flash and depth of field preview button.
Of course, it is quite a bit heavier than most of today's digitals and, in a camera bag with several lens, it will work-out more than just your photographic skill. It's a real "work horse" and, in my opinion, will become more and more difficult to find in good, clean condition as the years go on.
In short, the Minolta SRT 101 or 202 is a classic camera that will never lose it's value to students or those who just want to bring their photography to a new and different level. It's fun to challenge yourself and the Minolta SRT could be just the camera to purchase if you want to "kick it old school" and learn or re-learn the marvelous art of photography.Read full review...

Excellent , Reliable Vintage Manual 35mm SLR

Great well built manual SLR . Timeless style, quality Bought from Japan Ebayer, camera was well cared for.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kosai1970

Great camera for film photography!

When it was released in April, 1966, the SRT 101 was a huge step forward in SLR technology. Even today, it remains a top quality film camera. It features shutter speeds of 1 second to 1/1000, mirror lock up, self-timer, and large mirror with no image cut-off. It has a built in light meter that automatically adjusts to lenses mounted. This camera is tough, all mechanical construction. If properly maintained, it could work into the next century. The Rokkor series lenses that work with this camera are top-notch in quality, rivaling any made in the era. If you are into film photography, this camera can do anything you want, but you need to know how to do exposures. This camera is all manual, meaning you actually need to know how to properly expose film. If you don't, you will need to learn, or buy an autoexposure camera instead.Read full review...

It's solid, it doesn't need batteries, and it's love.

Photos are at the lab right now, but I have gone through several rolls already (just bought it a couple of weeks ago). The sound of the shutter and the heavy pull of the film advance is very addictive. I love this camera. It doesn't require batteries to operate like most cameras. You do need a battery for the light meter but that's not required to function. I have been shooting without the light meter because I really want to hone my photography skills. I recently bought a Canon AE-1 and I couldn't test it because the battery was dead.

I love this camera, if you have an opportunity to buy one, just do it.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tci_surplus

Great manual camera

The Minolta SRT series is a great manual workhorse. These cameras while now very old, are The perfect manual cameras for small format film shooters. There are some common problems with these cameras. CDS cells for the meter often come loose making the meters not work properly. The springs in the shutter often get a bit gummed up, making the shutter not work as it should. It will click, but mirror won't return. fix with CLA. While heavy, big and clunky, you can't beat a manual camera's operation. The Rokkor-X lenses are tack sharp, and inexpensive. Look out for aftermarket lenses, The Iris often will not work after this many years. SRT101 has some great features that we don't often see today, Mirror lock up, depth of field preview, and an X sync pc connection.Read full review...

Great Deal

The camera arrived in great condition; better condition than the photos showed in the original add. Coming from Japan it took a significant amount of time, but there was an indication before purchase that it would take a long time, six weeks.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kosai1970

Great camera

I bought this camera based on a recomendation from a friend of mine (it's my first film camera) and so far it's working perfectly, firing on all of its speeds (from what my friend told me) the lens is awesome.
I'm cirrently shooting my first roll of film and we'll see how it goes.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ap81cards

Worth Waiting For

I was looking for a excellent working model of the Minolta SRT 101 and I found it. I had to wait for it to ship from Japan, but it is exactly what I wanted in the price range I needed. All the functions work. I even purchased a battery for the light meter and it works as well.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: oTF4IqGlRtS@Del...

THe magic Minolta SRT101

Really great camera, not expensive. Lot of spare parts available to repair it (just buy another one:)). Lens are not expensive too, so you can buy really great lens for few dollars.
Be sure to buy one with an operational exposure meter. Pay attention to the body, you can not clean the corrosion of some part of the chrome. Also check for dents, and scratch, you can not re-chrome the body or remove the scratch. Try to find an SRT303 or SRT102, the latest evolution of the SRT models. Black models are rare, so more expensive.Read full review...