Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/08/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The XK was Minolta's attempt to provide Nikon competition. Introduced in about 1972, it never really caught on with the pros. Imagine a Nikon F2 with an electronic shutter capable of Aperture priority--that's the XK. They copied Nikon's idea of building the meters in the prism. By changing the prism, you also change the meter. Interchangeable Finders, screens. The motor was built into the body. Thus the standard bodies could not have a motor added, and the motorized version could not have the motor removed--deadly mistakes in marketing at the time. A noted Leica photographer, John Silengo who lived in Los Angeles at the time, bought XK's when they came out, but sold them within six months when he found he was unable to get accurate exposures and Minolta could not fix the problem for him. I have owned about six XK's, three of them had meter problems. Unable to get them fixed because the parts are not available from Minolta, I ended up selling them "as is." The XK motor version is rare and considered collectible if in nice shape, but not the standard version. Stephen Gandy