Iconic 80's Film Camera gets an Overhaul - Minolta X-700 CLA & Repaint

In this video I document the process of servicing (CLA) and repainting a Minolta X-700 film camera.

Tools & Materials Used:

Subscribe to Stay Up to Date with the Rest of My Projects:

[seralegre]

clicked for the camera, subscribed for the comedy.

[geofff]

I’m totally amazed at the amount of design work that must have gone into such cameras plus how they must have been built in the factory.

[filmbyhari]

I'm really impressed by your knowledge, skill and tenacity! I could probably disassemble this but then the camera would be lying on my table forever until I throw it out because there is no way I am putting it back together...Kudos!

[cosarara]

My takeaway lesson was that I will never try to take apart one of these :) Amazing work and great video, thank you.

[Kevinmoore]

Wasn’t the video I wanted, but the video I needed. Nice work !!
Came here for clues to a stuck MD coupler, and stayed for the craftsmanship.

[c.hocson]

This video is insane! Your channel is a breath of fresh air from the typical film photography content on youtube. Excited to see where you take this!

[danielmocanu]

Patrick, you are completely madman for trying this. I can't even imagine someone can have the patience to try this out. The final results actually look sick tho.

[yonmusak]

That's insane! The workings of that bad boy are way more complicated than I would have imagined. Good job

[local.minimas]

I'm flattered you're actually explaining things as if I'll ever attempt anything like this

[Earldoesfilm]

Please never stop making these videos man, it’s all the buzz around cameras and photography enthusiasts and not to mention the neat comedic touch. Plus I’ve gotten into modding cameras and I’ve yet to do my first one which will hopefully be a canon new f 1 with a nice lime green leather replacement. Could you maybe do a video on the canon F1? Your awesome man keep it up

[Happy_Shopper]

These things are a work of art. Can't imagine how much design work went into making one of these

[verageYTuser]

Today i passed by an antique store and found a beaten up cheap canon professional film camera for cheap. After watching your video im very happy that i didn't brought it home.

[MW-udzp]

Subscribed. The thumbnail got me intrigued. I half expected this to be one of those "satisfying restoration" videos without narration. Turns out this was a very entertaining video. Your knowledge is impressive!

[dummatube]

No way is that camera a great enough ‘Icon’ for all that work! Your patience and persistence is unbelievable!

I'm not (yet) into repairing vintage cameras but I really appreciate and admire the amount of pain you're willing to go through and the persistence you have to make this work.

[davidsparks]

Dry sense of humour combined with a "Can do" attitude... is great, and makes your video fun...well, I owned 2 of these work horse cameras way back in 1989... even had the motor advance for the film... so sweet. I moved on the Nikon F5.... and eventually to digital... I do think a white camera body would be pretty awesome if it came factory direct.

[DanScott]

Amazing! Camera of the year 1982, still have my two X700's and lenses and both still work. My first 35mm cameras. Through-the-lens (TTL) flash metering, exposure lock, interchangeable focusing screens, program and aperture-preferred automation modes. Out in 1981 and continued production till 2001. Thank you, enjoyed this.

[nickademuss]

Many plastic parts back then were coated in a vacuum, with a metallic paint. Some the paint was sprayed in the molds, the plastic was injected, the heat cooked off the paint, and made a permanent bond. The metal body look on many canon's were also plated.

[mamadz]

Damn...the quality of all your contents is amazing,

I gotta be one of your earliest subscriber fr ❤✨️

[fremandg]

Well Patrick I’m 73 and live in New Forest U.K. my first proper SLR was a Minolta X700 and today I was working on a, you guessed it Minolta X700 and it went terribly wrong.
I collect cameras and have several of these, but the one that I was working on was a recent purchase and it was missing a few parts, but really apart from that, oh and it won’t wind on, or fire! But we know don’t we, these little secrets that you used in this video, the latter one, connecting the two yellow wires together, was one that I wanted to try as I to watched the guy on YouTube who knew what he was talking about as he shows you in the video and proved the point, no it wasn’t a trick, but you were right about the flex board, 🤬😩😳😢 I came to solder the wires as one had come adrift 🛶🏝️anyway, so having taken the bottom off, I thought great 30 min job and I’ll be 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂err well, the first thing I noticed was a black wire as well? 😏so I thought, no problem I’ll get one my other Xs and look at wiring, 🤦‍♂️ could I find out where it was supposed to go😱well off came the opinner bottom plate, with the six screws of different lengths and metal, of pops the spring from under eat and what do you know, ok you do know! But it travels down along the back of camera, disappears round under and reappears but tracing black on black is a pain, it runs parallel with the yellow wire and connects next to the shutter mechanism next to the yellow wire but where does it connect? So off with the inner bottom plate on the second camera, spring etc etc, I find it connects under that flex board 🤔😳🤦‍♂️ok David it’s fine, your fine, at this point I get a message from a women who has been in touch before about a storage heater I’m selling and it’s obvious she is either Chinese or of a nationality that uses things like, ok I buy you be there, I send tomorrow man with van! 😳so I reply, have you told them that they need to send two men as it’s heavy and etc etc, regards David, well I won’t bore you with the details but this went back and forth for two hours with 30 mins or 15 mins then asked me something else, all understandable as she said they would have an envelope with the money in! Then I started to suspect, please you go on this site and send me screen shot, check email, there is a site man with a van, I’m trying to sort camera and thinking, I don’t need this, I read the advert and note it talks of best Dollar for the work? 🤔🫢😵‍💫🥴 so I mention this and ask where are you located, never mind you be there tomorrow 1pm so I do my old man confused act! I’m sorry but I’m not here tomorrow, where you live, why so I know where to come tomorrow, no I’m not here where are you! Penny drops, I say your talking out your arse aren’t you, this is a scam 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🧐🤬🤬🤬🤬then I get a reply back police will come tomorrow 1pm I reply well they will be able to assist in getting the heater in van, no they come tomorrow to arrest you, Fxxk Off!
So when you started talking about taking yours apart and, well you had me in stitches, the wires you are right do just keep popping off or even worse getting shorter and shorter as you try to attach I was putting extension pieces in and it just went from bad to worse! I was re routing the yellow one and well you took me back, made me laugh and the hours, weeks, months, years, decades, lifetime you spent on the project, is a true credit to you, think of it as a photo type 🤣😂🤣😂🤣Prototype! I think you would be better going on eBay and buying off cuts of leather where they tell you the gage and it’s cheap, but all in all you learned a lot, you have a unique camera and a full video of how to take apart and put back a Minolta X700 and I bet you could flog that, you have copy right on it and I for one would pay to have that as a reference.
Sorry, I can’t hear you, what happened to the camera, it’s sat on the table in a worse state than when I started, but hey it’s past another day.
I’ve subscribed and look forward to the next laugh/ learning session.. Regards David