Minolta MF FAQ: Introduction


Version 1.1
Date: 21 Apr. 2000
Previous Maintainers: Pompiliu Donescu and Eric Loyd
Current Maintainer: Chris Valentine, email c.p.valentine@open.ac.uk
HTML version created by: Stephen D'Arcy-Evans

PREFACE

This is a list of frequently asked questions and answers about Minolta MD 35mm photographic equipment.

Comments, submissions and corrections are to be directed to Chris Valentine, email c.p.valentine@open.ac.uk

Contributions which specifically address single issues and those which could be directly incorporated into the FAQ by simple cut and paste are most appreciated. I occasionally add my own comments to contributions and I mark such as [CPV].

This document is not, and cannot, be protected by copyright laws. This document may be copied and distributed, in its entirety, freely, except for direct commercial advantage.

The maintainer and all contributors make their best efforts to ensure the accuracy of the information in this FAQ. However, neither the maintainer nor any contributors assume any responsibility for losses and damages resulting from the use of the information in this FAQ. Use the information at your own risk.

NOTE

From a previous maintainer:
This version of the FAQ is the first attempt to address Minolta manual focus equipment in a systematic order. If these issues are addressed some place else I am not aware of please let me know or they can be incorporated in a new version of the FAQ.

This document is broadcasted to Minolta mailing list asking people who are using MD equipment to contribute.

Also, once this document will achieve a stable level it can be incorporated in Minolta's FAQ maintained by Eric Loyd.

Lastly, English is my second language so any corrections will be surely appreciated.

Thank you, Pompiliu Donescu


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This FAQ has been organized starting from Bo-Ming Tong's Nikon FAQ.

Also a lot of information has its origin in the discussions in the Minolta Mailing List.

Some information has been borrowed from other sources like the MUG (http://dyson.brisnet.org.au/~craig/mug.html). These sources are specifically aknowledged in the text.

Significant Contributors:

Andrew Hately
John Vernon
Craig Huxley
Chris Valentine http://met.open.ac.uk/group/cpv/
Stephen D'Arcy-Evans
Christopher G Mullin
Jerry Lewis
Mike Nobbs


HISTORY

Version 1.0 August 3, 1996 ---- First proposed version of the FAQ.
The original document has been under discussion in Minolta mailing list.

Version 1.1, began August, 1998. Transfer into the MUG pages on three servers throughout the world.


1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Where could I get this FAQ ?

This official FAQ is under continual discussion in the Minolta mailing lists.

The HTML version resides in three different locations around the world, on the three servers used by the Minolta Users' Group web pages:

    Australia: http://www.powerup.com.au/~claddagh/MUG/mug.html
United States: http://www.minmail.org/mug/mug.html
       Europe: http://www.cs.kun.nl/~jwhub/mug/mug.html
           UK: http://www.35mm.freeserve.co.uk/mug/mug.html

1.2 How to find Minolta in the US

Minolta Corporation 101 Williams Drive Ramsey, New Jersey 07446
The phone number is (201)236-4223. [Jerry Lewis]

1.3 Other Sources of Information

Minolta related issues are discussed in the Minolta Mailing List (minolta-l@nas.isc.rit.edu) and Minolta Users Group (MUG). The other FAQs associated with rec.photo.* are in the following sites:

ftp://moink.nmsu.edu/rec.photo
ftp://relay.cs.toronto.edu/pub/acs/rec.photo
ftp://ftp.cs.arizona.edu/people/bmtong/photo
http://math.liu.se/~behal/photo/
There you'll find rec.photo.FAQ, Canon EOS FAQ, Camera Feature List, Mail Order Survey, Zuiko (Olympus) Lens Tests, etc, far too numerous to be listed here.

1.4 History of Minolta manual focus equipment

An interesting piece of historical info about Minolta is that they are still one of the only camera makers to make their own glass. [Chris Valentine]

1.5 Bibliography

1.6 Is there a Minolta mailing list ?

As of 21 Apr. 2000 there are two:
The original MML, as set up by Eric Loyd, runs on a mail server at RIT in New York State. A more recent list runs on OneList/EGroups. There are other smaller, more specialised lists available that concentrate on particular models, eg: the Minolta XK list also on Onelist.


Go back to MF FAQ index page.