Minolta XG-SE User manual

Your "Special Edition" XG-SE is a top-quality single-lensreflex whose electronic
system will control exposure for you automatically, freeing you for more enjoyment
and greater creativity. You can also override the meter's automatic setting or set the
camera for full manual operation. lts advanced"Acute Matte" focusing screenmakes
viewing brighter and focusing easier and more accurate. Electromagnetic shutter
releaseand unique "Touch Switch" metering head a host of otherfeatures. Attaching
the accessoryAuto Winder G enablessingle-frame/continuousmotor film advanceup
to 2 frames/sec.Minolta's special Auto Electroflash 200X and 132X electronically
switch the XG-SE's shutter over  for  strobe exposures when charged and signal
flash-ready in  finder; the 200X  also enables continuous-sequenceflash with  the
winder. Besides MD lenses, your XG-SE uses virtually all interchangeableMinolta
lensesmade to date and all applicableMinolta SLR system accessories.
   Before using your camera for the first time, study this manual carefully all the way
through -or   at least all the sections needed to cover your own photographic needs.As
you read, attach a lens to the camera body (seep. 10), load batteries, and handle your
XG-SE and acquaint yourself with  its parts and features. Then load it with film and
proceed to actual picture taking. In this way, you can take good photos and begin to
realize the broad potential of your XG-SE right form the start. Be sure to keep this
manual for reference later as necessary.



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MAIN FEATURES
                                                       Special camera-control flash units
                                                                                                           .  Automatic  shutter speeds, indicated by
      Fail-safeelectronic exposure system                   L E D ' s a r e v i s i b l ew h i l e y o u v i e w .
        Incorporating many of the features devel-        .  LED at "60"  position blinks at flash-ready
     oped for Minolta's top electroniccameras,the       signal when Auto  Electroflash 200X  or
    XG-SE covers a wide range of photographic      132X is attachedand charged.
     conditions. lts electronic shutter which auto-       r  Special focusing screen has split-image and
     matically locks to prevent overexposureand       microprism focusing aids, plus scientifically
     electromagnetic shutter release with  unique      developed new type of matte field that is up
     touch switch metering add to the handlingease       to 50% brighter than conventional matte
      of the camera.                                      screens.
     The XG-SE's system features:
      o  Full automatic exposureby steplessshutter   Easy handling controls
       speeds f rom  1 /1000  to  1 sec. plus full       Lightweight and compact, the XG-SE  is
       manual settings.                       human engineered to  fit the user's hands for
      o  Electromagneticshutter release.            smooth operation:
      o Unique "Touch switch" metering.              o Smooth short stroke film advance.
            .  Shutter-releaselock prevents overexposure   o  Large,easy-to-adjustshutter-speeddial.
       when light is over meter's rangeor. battery    o  " S o f t - t o u c h "    e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c s h u t t e r
       power low.                                          release.
      o Two  tiny  silver-oxide batteries as power     o Curve formed body with cushioned body
        source.                                         g rip.
                                                     o M i n o l t a b a y o n e t   l e n s m o u n t w i t h    l a r g e
                                                      releasebutton.
                                                     o Balancedwinder operation.
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Ouick attach auto winder                        User oriented features
   The XG's accessory auto winder attaches    o Up  to  two  stops' continuous adjustment
quickly, without accesscapsto removeor store,      over or under the normal electronicsetting.
freeing the user from advancingfilm in single-    o X-type flash synchronization through the
f rame or  continuous operation up  to  two        hot shoe or PC terminal.
frames per second. lts strong efficient coreless   o  Electronicself-timerwith blinking indicator
micromotor winds as many as 150 or more         light.
cartridgesper set or chargeof batteries.At the     o Eyepiece cap  for  unmanned or  similar
end of each cartridgethe motor automatically      operation.
shuts off.                                        o  Exclusive Safe Load Signal monitors film
                                               alignmentand advance.
Specialcamera-controlflash units                                  .  ASA/DIN conversionscaleon back.
  When attached to the XG-SE and ready to     o Release terminal  for  tripod  shots with
fi re, both  the  Auto  Electroflash 2O0X and       electronic or standard releasecord.
132X start a  f lash-readysignal blinking in the         .  Shutter  not  operative when  oieration
viewfinder and automaticallyset the shutter for       switch off.
X-synchronization(1/60 sec.) when the shutter    o  Virtually    all   existing  Minolta   inter-
is released.The Auto  Electroflash 132X lea-      changeable lenses and  applicable qy'stem
tures two auto settings as well as manual and a       accessoriescan be used in either automatic
tiltable flash head for bounce flash. lts special       or manual operation.
flash distance check lamp lights to  indicate
when flash brightness is sufficient for correct
exposure. The 200X model provides auto flash
at either of two aperturesand either full-power
manual operation or when powered by Ni-Cd
batteries, up to two continuous-sequenceflash
exposureseach second with the Auto Winder G.

Finder eyepiece
                                                  Shutter curtain
                                                 Sprocket
                                               Take-up spool
                                             Back cover
                                                Pressureplate





Rewind button
Auto-winder coupler
Tripod socket
Winder terminal
Battery chamber cover
Guide-pinsocket

S U M M A R Y  O F O P E R A T I O N     ( A u t o m a t i c )


   The steps pictured on this page outline use     perfectly exposedpictureswith this cameraand
of your XG-SE on automatic mode. They give a     are keyed to corresponding sections of  the
general ideal of how  very easy  it  is to  get     manual for ready reference.This brief guide





1 . C h e c kb a t t e r i e s( s e eP . 1 2 )           !. Move main switch to "ON"       3. Open back cover (p. 14)
                                                            ( p . 1 3 )





7. Set selectordial to "A"            8. Set lens aperturs (p.241         9. ROlust focus (p. 35)
  b . 2 a l
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may also be useful for good results after you      in stru ctio n s  in the   r est of  this m anual, which
 have not used the camera for some time. lt is    sh o u ld b e  th o roughly  studied  for  best  r esults.
 not, however, a  substiture for  the detailed





4. Lo a d  f ilm p r o p e r l y ; c l o s e       $ . A d v a n c ef i l m t o " 1 "  ( p . 1 6 )      6. Set film speed(p. 18)
   c o v e r ( p . 1 5 )





10. Releaseshutter (p. 38)         1 1 . T u r n p o w e r o f f  ( p . 1 3 )         12. Rewind and removefilm
                                                                                                                    ( p . 4 1 )

1 0    ATTACHINGAND REMOVINGLENSES


                                                   To Remove
         To Attach                                       While pushing the lens-releasebutton, turn
             1. Remove the body cap f rom the cameralens    the lens counterclockwiseas far as it will go;
            mount and the  tear cap from  the lens   then lift the lensbayonet out of the mount.
             bayonet. each by turning the cap counter-
              clockwise.                          C A U T I O N
                                                                                                                  lf  it becomes necessaryto set the lens down
             2. Align the red mounting index on the lens    without a rear lens cap attached, be sure to set
               barrel with the red index above the camera    the  lens only on  its front end (except for
              lens mount; insert the lens bayonet into the    fisheye lenses) as damage to  the diaphragm
             mount; and turn the lens clockwise until  it    control pin could result from rear lens contact
              locks into place with a click.                    with a hard surface.





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BATTERIESAND POWER



   Tw o  1.5 - v o l t s i l v e r - o x i d e b a tte rie s, Eve re a d y      In sta llin g b a tter ies
5-76  or  e q u i v a l e n t ,  s u p p l y  th e p o we r  fo r  th e      1 . U s i n g a  c o i n  o r  s i m i l a r o b j e c t ,   t u r n    t h e
met er,  ele c t r o n i c  e x p o s u r e  co n tro l,  e le ctro -         b a tte ry-cham ber   cover   counter clockwise
magnet ic   r e l e a s e , e l e c t r o n i c  sh u tte r  se ttin g s.        a n d re mo ve  it.
a n d L E D   i n d i c a t i o n .                                  2 . A f t e r  w i p i n g    t e r m i n a l s w i t h  a  c l e a n d r y
                                                              clo th  a n d handling only by the edges. inser t
C A U T I O N                                           two  o f  the  specified batter ies plus  ( +) side
 o  T h e   s h u t t e r w i l l   n o t    r e l e a s e w h e n     t h e         o u t     i n t o    t h e  s l e e v e o n   t h e    i n s i d e o f   t h e
   opera t in g b u t t o n    i s p u s h e d  if : b a tte ry p o we r        co ve r.  (lf  batter ies ar e inser ted im pr oper ly,
     is    t o o       l o w ;     t h e  o p e r atin g  switch   is  a t          th e y  will  not m ake contact, and no cur r ent
   "O FF , "    e x p o s u r e  c o n d itio n s  e xce e d  th e       w i l l  f l o w . )
    ra n g e o f  t h e a u t o m a t i c e xp o su re syste m.
 .  Do not u s e 1 . 3 v m e r c u r y b a tte rie s, E ve re a d y
   E P X - 6 7 5 o r e q u i v a l e n t , w h i c h h a v e a s i m i l a r
    s h ape.

N O T E
 o   lf   t h e  c a m e r a   i s n o t b e use d fo r mo re  th a n
       t wo  w e e k s ,    i t    i s a d v i s a b le to  re mo ve  th e
    b at t e ri e s .
 o  Fres h s p a r e b a t t e r i e s m a y  b e sto re d  in th e
   bat t ery  h o l d e r  p r o v i d e d  with   th e  ca me ra
    st rap.                    I

1 3


Main switch                                Touch switch/operatingbutton
   To  operate the camera, move the main       Finger contact  with  the Touch  switch/-
switch to "ON." This allows current to flow to    operating button activatesthe camera'selectro-
the Touch switch/operatingbutton. The main     nic shutter and when the shutter-speed/func-
switch also servesas the self-timer and battery     tion selector is set at "A"  (automatic), powers
check switch.                                    the electronic exposure control and LED cir-
   To prevent accidental exposures and need-    cuits. lf proper contact with the touch switch is
less battery drain, always be sure to move the    not possible(i.e., while wearing glovesor when
main switch to "OFF"  when not using the    fingers are dry), slight pressure on the button
camera.                                                    will also activate the camera.

L O A D I N G A N D A D V A N C I N G F I L M



N O T E
  W i p e  o f f  a n y  d u s t  o r  d i r t    t h a t m i g h t
a c c u m u l a t e  o n    t h e  to u ch  switch  with  a cle a n         After  you  have not used your cam er a  for
d r y  c l o t h . T h i s w i l l     i n s u r e g o o d  c o n t a c t a n d    som e  tim e,  check  the  Safe Load  Signal and
p r o p e r o p e r a t t o n .                                                                          f r a m e c o u n t e r  t o b e s u r e t h a t  t h e r e  i s n o  f i l m   i n
                                                       the cam er a.  lf the cam er a is unloaded, pr oceed
Cold-weather  operation                               a s f o l l o w s :
   B a t t e r i e s  b v  n a tu re  te n d   to  d e cre a se ln     1 . P u l l  o u t  o n    t h e  b a c k  c o v e r  r e l e a s e k n o b
c a p a c i t y a s t h e  t emp e ra tu re g o e s d o wn . Th o u g h         u n t i l  t h e c a m e r a b a c k s p r i n g s o p e n .
the  silver-oxide  batteries  used  for  the XG-SE
are  superior  to  most  others  in  this  respect,   it
a l s o h a p p e n s w i t h  th e m.
          l f  o l d  b a t t e rie s  a re  u se d  a t  te mp e ra tu re
b e l o w  O o C  B 2 " F l ,      t h e  c a m e r a ' s e l e c t r o n i c
o p e r a t i o n m a y  n o t b e sa tisfa cto ry. Yo u  sh o u ld
t h u s   r e p l a c e o l d e r  b a tte rie s  with   fre sh  o n e s
b e f o r e u s i n g y o u r  X G-SE  in co ld we a th e r a n d
c a r r y s p a r e  f r e s h b a tte rie s with yo u d u rin g su ch
u s e . B a t t e r y  c a pa city  will  b e  re sto re d  to   its
n o r m a l    l e v e l w h e n  th e b a tte rie s a re wa rme d  to
thei r  recommended    operating   temperature
r a n g e .


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3 .     l n s e r t  t h e e n d o f   t h e   f i l m    l e a d e r a s s h o w n
2 .  L e a v i n g t h e k n o b p u l l e d o u t , p o s i t i o n a  f i l m           in to o n e o f the slots in the take- up spool so
    c a rt ridge    i n   t h e  c h a m b e r w ith  th e p ro je ct-           th a t  th e  tooth   is engaged with  a spr ocket
   rng-s p o o l e n d    t o w a r d     t h e  b o tto m   o f  th e         h o l d  n e a r  t h e e n d o f   t h e   l e a d e r . M a k e s u r e
    c a mera . T h e n  p u s h   t h e  b a ck-co ve r  re le a se          th a t  th e e nd of the leader does not pr o,|ect
    k n o b a l l t h e w a y   i n ,  r o t a t i n g  i t s l i g h t l y t o d o           fro m   a n o ther   slot  between  tabs  on  the
    s o if n e c e s s a r y .                                     sp o o l.





            O z
                            r ) o

                                  : : .          I
                                  : o l o r

1 6

               4. With the shutter speed function selector on
              manual  setting operate the   f ilm-advance   5 . Close the camera back and push in on  it
                leverslowly until the film has begun to wind        until it clicks locked.
                 firmly around the take-up spool and the    6. A red "S" should now appear opposite the
               sprocket teeth are engaged with  holes on       index  in the frame-counter window. Ad-
               both edges of the film.  lf the advance lever      vance film and releasethe shutter until the
               stops at the end of a full stroke during this      index points to "1" on the frame-counter
               procedure, releasethe shutter and continue.      d i a l .





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1 7

                                     C A U T I O N
                                                  Film should be handledand loadingdone in
7. A  red  b a r  s h o u l d  a l s o n ow  a p p e a r a t th e    subdued light  -  at least shaded from  direct
   ex t re me       l e f t       i n     t h e  S a fe  L o a d  S ig n a l    sunlightby the body.
   w i n d o w .  T h i s      i n d i c a t e s  t h a t    t h e    f i l m     i s
    lo a d e d a n d w i n d i n g p r o p e r ly o n th e ta ke -u p    Film-advanceleverand f rame counter
    s pool.   lf    t h e  S a f e  L o a d  S ig n a l d o e s n o t       The film-advancelever is designedwith 30o
   appear  o r  s w i n g s   f a r    t o  th e  rig h t  in  th e    unengagedmovement before the beginning of
   window,  repeat steps 1 through  6  to assure      its engagedstroke to allow swingingit out from
       t hat   f ilm     i s p r o p e r l y  e n g ag e d o n  th e sp o o l.    the body  so that  the  right thumb  will  fit
   A s  y ou  c o n t i n u e   t o   t a k e p ictu re s, th e  re d    comfortably behind it. Continuing to move the
    s ig n a l w i l l m o v e g r a d u a l l y to wa rd  th e  rig h t     lever until  it stops, an angle of 130o. advances
    in    t he  w i n d o w ,        i n d i c a t in g   th a t     f ilm   is     film and frame counter and cocks the shutter
   adv anc in g p r o p e r l y .                                for the next exposure.

1 8                                                    F I L M  S P E E D


                                                    Each film on the market has an ASA or DIN
                                                      exposure-indexnumber to indicate its sensitivi-
           When the lever stops and resists further    ty  to  light. For correct exposure, the meter
         movement at the end of a film, never attempt   must be set for the effectiveexposureindex of
             to force it farther. (See p. 41 for instructions      t h e f i l m  i n u s e .
           o n r e w i n d i n ga n d u n l o a d i n gf i l m . )                 Setting film speed
            The counter automatically resets for  film       T o d o t h i s , l i f t u p o n t h e k n u r l e dr i n g o f t h e
           loadingwhen the cameraback is opened.          shutter-speed/function selectorand tu rn it until





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1 9




the proper ASA  indication appears centered  in    ASA/Dl N conversion scale
the   f ilm-speed window  and  loc ks in th at posi-      A  c o n v e n i e n t  s c a l e  f o r  c o n v e r t i n g D I N    t o
tion when  the  ring  is released. Marks between   ASA  film-speed  ratings  is located on the back
numbered graduations indicate ASA numbers as    cover of the camera.
shown  in the ASA/D   I N conversion scale below:

ASA      D I N  ASA      D IN
  25   o    1 5       25O  o  25
    32  o   1 6         32O  o  26
    40     . j 7        400   0   27
 50   o    1 g       500  o  28
    64  o   1 9          640   o  29
    80  o 2 0       800   0   30
 1 0 0   o 2 1       1000 .  31
   125  o 2 2            1 2 5 0  o  3 2
   16 0  o 2 3      1600   0   33
 200   o 2 4

20
     EXPOSURE.CONTROL FUNDAMENTALS


         The two camera exposure-control settings   the next higher speed (11125l,and half as long
       are lens opening (aperture)and shutter speed.   as the next lower one  (1i30). The  interval
      The size of the aperturedeterminesthe amount   between two standard f-numbers (say, f 14 and
         of volume of  light reaching the film from a       f / 5 . 6 ) o r s h u t t e r s p e e d s( s a y , ' l 1 1 5a n d 1 / 3 0 ) i s
       given subject and lighting. The shutter speed   one  "stop."  Total exposure on the  film  is
       determines the length of time this light acts   determinedby the combination of apertureand
       upon  the  film.  Apertures are expressed in    speed.Other things being equal, using the next
       f-numbers,which are largerfor small openings   smaller f-number (i.e., giving one stop more
       and vice versa (e.9., f 116 represents a small   exposure) will balance using the next higher
       opening, l12 a large one). Shutter speeds are   shutter speed (i.e., giving one stop less expo-
       expressedin secondsor  f ractions thereof, which    sure), and so on. A great rangeof combinations
        are generally the reciprocals of the numbers    (e.9.,f/5.6 at 1/30, f 14 at 1160,f12.8 at"ll125,
      shown on shutter-speedscales (e.9. 60 = 1/60       I 12 at 11250,etc.) will thus yield the sametotal
        sec.,and 2 = 112 sec.).At usualapertures,each   exposure.The specificcombinationyou choose
       f-number setting(e.9.,f/8) lets in twice as much   under given lighting conditions will depend
               f ight as the next numerically larger one ff1111  upon the degree to which you want the greater
       and half as much as the next smaller (f/5.6).   depth of field (see p.36)  of smallerapertures
        Similarly, each shutter speed (e.9., 1/60 sec.)   and the greatermovement-blurpreventingabili-
        allows light to strike the film twice as long as    ty of faster speeds(p. 28).



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2 1
 METERINGWITH THE XG-SE
 (Automatic mode only)

   The center weighted metering system in    with the same control  f rom 112 to 2 stops, the
your XG-SE employs two CdS cells mounted    exact amount varying with the specificbright-
behind the pentaprism so that  light from alI    ness difference and the ef fect desired. (p. 29l..
parts of the viewfield (picturearea) is measured     As  with  most metering systems, strong
but  influence from  a broad central area is   sourcesof direct light or other very bright areas
greatest.Thus the reading should yield satisfac-  may inf luence the readingadverselyif allowed
tory exposure without adjustment as long as    to dominate the f rame.
the main subject area occupiesa major part of      Though your XG-SE finder is designed to
the frame.                                  minimize the  effect on  the meter of  light
 lf the subject area to be measured occupies a    entering through the  finder eyepiece under
relatively small part of the frame, move the    usual conditions, care must be exercised to
camera so that the main subject fi lls most of    prevent this especiallyif you wear glasses.Use
the frame. Note the shutter speedsetting in this    of  a rubber eyecup is further recommended
position and compensate  f or  the exposure   when the subject is in shadeand the camera is
dif f erence  with   the  shutter-speed/fu nctlon     in sunlight,when bright sidelightfalls between
selector or use manual speeds to set the same   eye and eyepiece,or when stop-downmetering
value when making the exposure  f rom the     is used, particularly at small apertures (see
original position. Further, if the most import-    p.44],. When viewing is unnecessary,the eye-
ant area is very much brighter or darker than    piece cap (see p. 25) can be used to completely
the rest of the frame and does not  fill most of    eliminatethis problem.
it, exposure should be decreasedor increased


                                                                n&'*o ;;=U*      .                                :.,"   .'-,',

22    V I E W F I N D E R

          As you  look through the view'
                f inder of your XG'SE, You can see:
      O Split-image/microprism focusing
            spot,
          €) Shutter speed scale,
     @ Indicator  LED's  (Auto  mode
            only, show shutter speeds being
           selected by  the  automatic  ex-
          posure system; in manual and
          automatic mode, LED at "60"  is
            also f lash-readysignal)
             () lgO  over- or under-rangeindica-
            tors (auto mode only)

           For  operation details, see the
         following section on exposure con-
           trol and focusing.





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24       A U T O M A T I C E X P O S U R EC O N T R O L


                                                                    2 . S e t  t h e d e s r r e d l e n s o p e n i n g b y   t u r n i n g  t h e
                                                                 aper tur e  r ing on the lens bar r el. T he shutter
          A u t o m a t i c o p e r a t i o n                               speed as indicated by  lighted LED  at the
             1 . T u r n   t h e  s h u t t e r - s p e e d / f u n c t i o n s e l e c t o r t o               r i g h t o f   t h e  f r a m e w i l l v a r y a u t o m a t i c a l l y  t o
                a l i g n " A "  w i t h   t h e   i n d e x , a t w h i c h p o r n t   i t          y r eld pr oper exposu r e   f or the aper tu r e and
                                        i s    l o c k e d   t o  g r e ve n t a ccid e n ta l mo ve me n t.         o t h e r  s e t t i n g s w i t h   t h e   l i g h t b e i n g m e t e r e d .





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25

                                                  Eyepiece cap
3 .    l t    i s  t h e n  o n l y  n e c e s s a r y t o  c o n f  i r m   f o c u s         F o r  r e m o t e o r u n m a n n e d o p e r a t i o n o r w h e n
      ( s e e p . 3 5 ) ,   c o m p o s e  y o u r  p i c t u r e ,  a n d      the camera is set on a support and used without
      r e l e a s et h e s h u t t e r  ( p . 3 B ) .                       viewing on automatic mode  or manual speeds
4. The XG's range of  shutter operation on     longer  than   1  sec., be  sure  to  attach  the
   automatic rnode is 1/1000 to 1 sec. lndivi-    eyepiece cap  as shown.  This  will  prevent  un-
   dual LED's on  the shutter speed scale    wanted   light  from  entering  through  the  eye-
   indicate speeds above 1l3O sec. The LED     piece  and  affecting  the  meter  reading  and
   below "30" designatesspeedsof 1115 sec.     e x p o s u r e w h e n   t h e e y e p i e c e i s n o t b e i n g s h i e l d -
   through 112 sec.When the over-rangeindica-    ed by  the photographer's  head, as  it normally
    tor lights, the shutter will lock to prevent    wo u ld be.
   overexposure.Lighting of the under-range      The  eyepiece cap  has  a  slot  that  allows
   LED indicatesuse of a shutter lpeed longer    threading   it on  the bamera strap  to avoid loss
   than one second.For either,the apertureor     and keep  it handy  for use.
   other conditionsshould be adjustedso that
   an LED lightswithin the scale'srange.

N O T E
 o W h e n  t h e o v e r - r a n g e i n d i c a t o r   l i g h t s , b e s u r e
    n o t    t o  d e p r e s s t h e o p e r a t i n g b u t t o n w h i l e
    a d j u s t i n g  t h e a p e r t u r e o r o t h e r  c o n d i t i o n s .
   T h i s w i l l c a u s e t h e s h u t t e r  t o  r e l e a s e a t  t h e
         i n s t a n t    t h e  e x p o s u r e     i s w i t h i n  m e t e r i n g
      r a n g e a n d  r e s u l t  i n a n u n w a n t e d p i c t u r e .
  .  T o   c o n t i n u o u s l y   p r o v i d e  m o r e   o r      l e s s
   exposure on automatic mode, see p. 29.