Minolta XG7 Body Only (USED)

 The first models from these two lines were the XG7 and XD11.  Both cameras would feature Auto Exposure modes, Minolta’s excellent light meter, and top speed of 1/1000th of a second.  The XG series had a cloth shutter, while the XD had an advanced metal shutter similar to what Nikon was using at the time.

While considered a mid-level camera, the XG7 still had many features that made it stand out from the competition.  For one, it was the only camera in its price range with a soft-synthetic leather covering which gave it a “luxurious” feel to it.  It had an electromagnetic shutter release button that would activate the exposure meter only when in contact with skin.  The viewfinder had both an aperture setting indicator and LED exposure scale.  Other feautres of the XG7 were an electronic self timer with LED indicator on the front of the camera, a film safe indicator which shows if the film is properly loaded, an oversized mirror to eliminate cut off on large telephoto lenses, and finally a shutter release socket that worked with both mechanical cables and electronic shutters.

The XG7 was so successful that Minolta decided to split up the camera into two separate models called the XG1 and XG9.  The XG1 would become a less expensive entry level camera, and the XG9 would improve upon on the XG7 with a redesigned viewfinder, brighter focus screen, a depth of view preview button, and support for a Minolta quartz data back.