Singing the Praises of the Minolta SR-T 202

Uncle Jonsesy's Minolta SR-T 202

I was doing my daily read through of blog posts that my RSS reader (Feedly) collects for me when I came to a post on the Casual Photofile site by Josh Solomon entitled, "The Ten Best Mechanical 35mm Film SLRs Ever Made." Because I love to read articles like this ("The Ten Best of Whatever") and also because I value the thoughtful and researched opinions of others, I clicked on the link and read the post. However, honesty compels me to say that I had another motive. I wanted to see if Uncle Jonesy's Minolta SR-T 202 was on the list. And the answer is . . . yes! Technically, the author chose the SR-T 102 as one of the ten best mechanical film SLRs ever made, but the SR-T 202 was the 102's successor and virtually the same camera, the mirror lock-up ability being the only feature that did not make it from the 102 to the 202. 

As I read the author's glowing assessment of this classic Minolta SLR, I beamed with pride. But what really caught my eye was when Mr. Solomon wrote this:

"For reasons unbeknownst to me, the Minolta SRT series always seems to get left in the lurch when it comes to the mechanical SLR discussion. This is the camera series that bestowed open-aperture metering to the masses, gave us our first taste of matrix metering with Minolta’s patented CLC System, and, in my opinion, comes closest to the feeling of shooting an M series camera in SLR form.

Did I really just write that last thing? Hell yeah I did, cause it’s true."

Wow, the Minolta SR-T is the SLR version of the Leica M series camera?! I've always wanted a Leica M, and now it turns out that I already own one, albeit in SLR form. Uncle Jonesy sure knew how to choose his camera! Solomon goes on to state:

"Sure, it’s bulkier and louder than the M camera (it’s also, you know, an SLR), but when it comes to feel and optics, the SRT series reminds me most of my M2 (save for just one other camera). The control layout is nearly exactly the same, the advance lever is just as buttery (looking at you, Olympus OM-1), and the optics are some of the finest in 35mm photography. Any doubters to Minolta’s optical and manufacturing prowess can take it up with Annie Leibovitz, W. Eugene Smith, and, well, Leica themselves. Minolta knew what they were doing, and should never have been underestimated – not then, not now, not ever."

As I read these words, I looked from my iPad to the shelf where Uncle Jonesy's SR-T 202 proudly sits and thought to myself, "What am I doing?! I must get this camera off the shelf and make it do what it was built to do." And the very fact that, almost fifty years after it was assembled, it not only can do that but also do it well is a testament to how great these SR-T cameras really are. In fact, whenever someone asks me what is the best camera for getting started in film photography, I always suggest any of the Minolta SR-T cameras, particularly the 101, 102, 201, and 202. Even if the meter is non-functional, the rest of the camera probably will work just fine (and not having a meter might be better in the end.)

So, even though I have been drawn to using an autofocus camera lately, I have a feeling the my SR-T 202 is going to get more use this year. And if you would like to know more about the camera, here are two reviews you may enjoy reading. The first one is from late 2018 and was written by Yours Truly for the excellent Kosmo Mono Foto blog. The second review is by James Tocchio for his equally excellent Casual Photofile website. 

Finally, if you want a Minolta SR-T series camera, you might want to act now. While they have been easy to find and quite affordable, a new movie on the work of photography W. Eugene Smith starring Johhny Depp may cause the price to go up.

Happy Shooting!