Minolta X-300s User manual

INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
X-300s/X-370n
tr

Your Minolta X-3OOs,z37Otrt
is an easy-to-use microcomputerized
single-lens-reflex
(SLR)
camerawith quartzcontrolof mechanical
sequences
and shutter speed,
providing
lasting
accuracy
andyears
of enjoyment.
In its aperture-priorityauto-exposure
(AE)mode ("AUTO" on the camera),
the X-3OOs,z37Orrr
auto-
matically
setsthe precise
shutter speed,according
to the in-camerameter for correctexposure,
at
the aperture
you selected. An AE lockcan be usedto hold a meter reading
and then readjust
the
framing beforereleasing
the shutter. Auto control
is maintained
even
when usingmirror lenses
and
close-up
accessories
suchas bellows-not possible
with shutter-priorityAE systems.
Creative flexibility exists in the X-3oOs,z37Oruls
match-LED,/full-metered manual mode: For
correct
exposure
atthe metered
value,
simplyadjust
aperture
and/or shutterspeed
to alignblinking
and glowing LEDs in the viewfinder. Or you can also merely refer to these LEDs-or totally
disregard
them-when making
your own settings.
Flash photography is also simple: just attach a Minolta X-series Auto Electroflash, adjust
aperture,
andshoot. Flash-ready
signplis
giveninthe viewfinder,
andthe shutterisautomatically
set
for proper
sync.
at 1/60 sec.
The X-3OOs,/37Oru
can be used with Minolta's wide range of accessories,
such as wideangle,
telephoto,
andzoomlenses,Motor Drive1,Auto Winder G, and much more.
Before
usinglenses,flashes,
or other
accessoriesmade
by companies
other
thanMinolta,
attachthem
to the camera
andmakesure
they
function
properly
bytaking
test
photographs.
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CONTENTS
NAMES
OF PARTS
. . .
STRAP AND CASE
SUMMARY
OF OPERATION
(auto
model.
.
PREPARING
TOTAKEPICTURES
.
ATTACHING
AND REMOVINGLENS
BATTERIES
AND POWER
Battery
check
Cold-weather
operation
FILM AND FILM SPEED
LOADING FILM
SafeLoad Signal/Frame counter
VIEWFINDER
PRESHOOTINGCHECK
. . . . . . .
TAKINGPICTURES
INAUTOMODE
CAMERA
SETTINGS
FOCUSING
HOLDING CAMERA AND RELEASING
SHUTTER
Mounting camera
on tripod
Self-timer
Eyepiece
cap
REWINDING
AND UNLOADING FILM
,t
CREATIVECONTROL.....
AE LOCK
MANUAL EXPOSURE MODE
Long exposure
at "B" setting
DEPTH
OF FIELD
SHUTTER SPEED
OTHER FOCUSING METHODS
Distancescale
.:..
Infraredindex
FLASHPHOTOGRAPHY...]
ACCESSORTES.
TECHNICAL
DETAILS.
. ...
CARE
AND STORAGE
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,:iLrr;dl&i!:-"- -.di'.

NAMESOF PARTS
Focusing
grip
Distance
scale
Aperturering
Main mritch
Back-cover release knob
Rewind crank
Film-speedring
Film-speed
window
Film-speed
ringrelease
Sync. contact
Mounting indo< Minimum- relock(Disengage
for useon X-3OOs,z37ON)
Depth-of-field soale
Safe Load Signal
Monitors correct film advance
Shutter-release bufton
Mode/shu
tter-speed
window
AUTO:automatic
mode
1- 1000:
shutter
speeds
B:"bulb" (long)
exposure
Frame countel
2 Camera control contact Film-advance lever
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AE lock/self-timer switch
' AE lock for holding
close-up
or
adjusted-viewingmeter readings
' Self-timer with three-rate
blink-
ing
LED
Mode/shutter-speed
selector
Self-timer
LED
Front
grip
MCcoupler
Lens-mounting index
Lengrelease button
Strap eyelet
Shutter- releasesocket
Bayonet lens
mount Diaphragm-control
lever

Accessory shoe
Eyepiece
Eyepiece frame
Film window
Winder contact
Battery cover
Motor-drive
gu
idesocket
Take-up
spool
Pressure
plate
Eack cover
Rewind release
Winder/motor-drive gu
ide socket
Winder/m
otor-drive
coupler
Motor-drive contacts Tripod socket
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STRAP
AND CASE
Attach the strap (provided)
and case
(optional)
asshown. The strap
includes
a batteryholderusedfor storing
fresh
sparebatteries.
Eyepiece
cap

SUMMARY OF OPERATION (Automatic
mode)
5. Load film properly and
closecover
(p.
14). 6. Advance
film to frame"1"
andcheck
SafeLoadSignal
(p.
15).
2. Checkbattery
power(p 1
1).
1. Slide main
switchto "ON"(p.
1O). 3. Setfilm speed
lp. 12l-.
4. Openbackcover(p.13).
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8. Select
lens
aperturs
(p.19).
7. Set mode/shutter-speed
se-
lector
to "AUTO" (p.
18). 9. Adjustfocus (p.2O).
11. Slide main
switchto
"OFF"
(p 10). 12.
Rewind and remove film
(p.
23).
10.Release
shutter lp. 211.

PREPAR
INGTO TAKE
PICTURES
ATTACHING
AND REMOVING
LENS
Body andlenscaps
Remove body and lens caps as
shown.
To attach
Align the red mounting index on
the lens barrel with the red index
on the camera'slens
mount. Insert
the lens bayonet into the mount,
then turn the lensclockwiseuntil it
locksinto place
with a click.
To remove
While pressing
the lens-release but-
ton, turn the lens counterclockwise
as
farasit will go,
then lift it out of
the
mount.
o Neverset
a lensmount-side down unless
a rearlens capis
attached;
otherwise,itscontrol pins may bedamaged.
o Be careful not to touch anythinginside
the camera, especially
the
mirror, whenattaching
or removinglenses.
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BATTERIESAND POWER
Batteries
Use one of the following types of
batteries:
oTwo 1.55V silver-oxide (SR-zl4:
Eveready
S-76.
EPX-76,or equiv.)
o
Two 1.5V alkaline-manganese
(LR44:
Eveready4-76 or equiv.)
oOne
3Vlithium
(CR-1/3N)
2. Wipethe terminalswith a clean,
dry cloth. Hold the batteries by
their edgesand insertthem plus (+)
side up into the sleeve on the
inside
of the cover.
unscrewthe battery covercounter-
clockwise
andremoveit.
o Donot use 1.35Vmercury
batteries
(MRzl4:
Eveready
EpX-675or
equiv.),
which arethe sameshape
and size,
because
their voltage is
too low.
o To avoid battery leakage
or bursting, do not mix batteries
of
differenttypes,
brands;
or ages.
o Keep
batteries
awayfrom youngchildren.
1. Using
a coin or similar object,

3. Replace the cover and screw it
in clockwise
as
far as
it will go. Mainswitch
To operate the camera,
slide the
main
switch
to "ON".
When you have finished taking
pictures,move the main switch to
"OFF" to prevent
accidentalexpo-
sures and battery drain. (lt the
switch is left on, however,
battery
drain occursonly when the shutter-
releasebutton is pressed,so you
may want to leave
it on to avoid
missing
unexpected
shots.)
Shutter-release
button
Pressing
the shutter-release button
(with the main switch on) activates
the camera's meter, viewfinder LED
display. and exposure-control sys-
tem. The shutter is released when
the button is pressed all the way
down.
The viewfinder LED display will
remain on lor 15 sec. after you
remove
your
finger.
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Battery check
The camera
automaticallychecks
battery power when the shutter-
release
button is
pressed.
o When batteries are nearly ex-
hausted, the mode LED l" A"
or "M") in the viewfinder
blinksto
warn that fresh batterieswill soon
beneeded.
o When batteries are completely
exhausted (or not correctly in-
stalled),
no LEDs light and the
shutter
locks.
Cold-weather operation
Since batteriestend to lose
power
as temperature drops, always use
fresh batterieswhen photographing
in cold weather and keepa spareset
with you, preferably in a warm
pocket closeto your body. Battery
capacity will be restored when
temperaturereturns
to normal.
For prolonged cold-weatheruse
at
approx. O"C (32'F) or lower, it is
recommended to use silver-oxide
batteries; if a lithium battery is
used
belowapprox. 0"C (32"F), the
camera
may not operate.

FILM AND FILM SPEED
The camera uses standard 35mm
cartridge
film. Eachfilm has an ISO
film-speed number which indicates
the film's sensitivity to light. The
ISO number .is marked on the
camera's
film-speed
ring.
For proper exposure, the cam-
era's film-speedring must be set to
the correctfilm speed.
Setting film speed
While pressing the f
ilm-speed
ringrelease,
turn the film-speed ring
until the desirednumber lines
up
with the index and locks in place
when you remove
your fingerfrom
the release.
Intermediate settings
Filmwindow
The film window can be used
to
conf
irm the type of film currently
loaded.
rso
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LOADING
FILM
Before opening the camera
back,
make sure there is no film inside
the camera by checking the film
window
$.121.
NOTE
o When loading
film in adark place
or with the lens cap on, loading
will be easierif the modeselectoris
not setat "AUTO". 1. Unfold the rewind crank and
pull up on it to lift the back-cover
release
knob. Pull up on the knob
until the camera
backsprings
open.
2. Leaving the knob pulled out,
position a 35mm film cartridgein
the chamber with its projecting
spool down. Then push the back-
cover release
knob all the way in,
rotating
it slightly
if necessary.
oAlways handle and load film
from direct light
by your body.
o Do not touch any parts
or areas
inside
the camera
shown in blue.
in subdued light or at leastshaded
13

3. Pull out just
enoughfilm leader
to reach the take-up spool. lnsert
the end of the film into a slot on
the left side of the take-up spool,
making
surethat a hole in the film
is lined up with the tooth on the
take-up spool. The sprocket teeth
should be engagedwith holes
at the
bottom of the
f
ilm.
4. With the film held againstthe
sprocket by your left hand,slowly
operate
the film-advance
leveruntil
the
film is
wound
firmly around
the
take-up spool, the sprocket teeth
are engaged with holes on both
edgesof the film, and the slack
in
the film is taken up. lf the film-
advance leverstops at the end of a
full stroke during this procedure,
releasethe shutter and continue
(main
switch
must
beat on).
5. After making surethat the film
is taut, close the camera back by
pressing
it until it locks
shutwith a
click. A red "S" should
now appear
opposite the index in the frame
cou
nter.
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6. Advancethe film andrelease the
shutter until the index points to
"1". A red
barshould
appearat the
Iar left in the Saf
e Load Signal
indicating that film is loadedand
advancing
properly. lf it does not
appear or swingsfar to the right,
repeat
steps3 to 6.
The camerais now ready for taki
ng
the first picture, provided film
speed
isset.
Film-advancelever
The lever has 30o of unengaged
movement to allow swinging it out
from the camera body so the right
thumb will fit comfortably behind
it. As the lever is moved an addi-
tional 130ountil it stops,
the film
and frame counter advanceandthe
shutter is cocked for the next
exposure.
SafeLoad Signal/Framecounter
As you take pictures and advance
the film, the red bar in the Safe
Load Signal
gradually
moves
to the
right and the rewind crank rotates
counterclockwise,
indicating
proper
film advance.
Never force the film-advance
lever when it stops and resists
further movement at the end of the
f
ilm, which may be somewhat
after the common film lengths
(12,20,24,36 exposures)
shownin
redin the f
ramecounter.
Theframe
counter stops advancing after 36
exposu
res. 15

VIEWFINDE
R
O Mode indicators
M: Manual
mode
A: Auto mode
O Over-range
LED
Blinks
at 4Hz (4
times
per
second)
16
oSh
utterspeedscale/
LEDs
'Glowing LED(s)indicate:
(1)
in
"A" (auto)
mode,shutter speedset by camera
(if two
LEDs glow, camera has set stepless speed
between
the two), and (2) in "M" (manual)
mode,the metered speed
' Bfinking LED (at 4Hzl indicates
user€et
shutterspeed
inmanual
mode
' "60" LED blinks at 3Hz as flash-ready
signalwith X-seriesMinoltaAuto Electro-
f
lashes
1-4 sec./under-range
LED
Glows if metered
speed
is between 1 and4
sec.
Bf
inks lat4Hz) if outside range
B-setting
indicator
Focusing
screen
Split-image
spot, microprism band, and
AcuteMattefield
Aperture
indicator
o
@
o
@
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PRESHOOTINGCHECK
Check the following items to
makesure
your camera
isready
for
pictu
re-taking:
Film speed
set?
Batteries
OK?
(Does
mode LED glow-not blink-when
shutter-release
button ispressed?)
Min
imum-aperture
lock released?
(onnew-typeMD lens
only)
lsthe f
ilm loadedcorrectly?
Mode/shutter speed
set?
Self-timeroff ?