C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Minolta X-9 (1990, sold as **X-300s** in Europe) is a late-series entry-level 35mm SLR on the Minolta MD mount. By 1990, Minolta's main development effort had long shifted to the Maxxum / Dynax autofocus A-mount system; the X-9 kept the MD mount alive for customers who already owned Rokkor glass or wanted a simpler, cheaper manual-focus option alongside the increasingly sophisticated AF bodies. It offers aperture-priority AE and manual exposure, an electronic horizontal-cloth shutter to 1/1000s, and TTL center-weighted metering.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The last of the MD-mount line - entry-level aperture priority for Minolta loyalists in the autofocus era.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Minolta MD bayonet |
| Years | ~1990 onward |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + B, electronic horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted |
| Modes | Aperture-priority, Manual |
| Weight | ~ |
| Battery | 2x AA |
The X-9 arrived over a decade after the MD mount debuted on the XD-7 (1977) and five years after Minolta's autofocus pivot with the Maxxum 7000 (1985). It represents the tail end of the manual-focus MD line - a budget body aimed at camera students, travelers, and existing Rokkor lens owners who did not want to re-invest in the AF system.
In Europe, the same camera was marketed as the X-300s, a continuation of the X-300 (1984) naming rather than the North American X-series numbering. The X-300 and its variants were the long-running entry-level MD bodies in that market. The underlying camera is effectively the same hardware under different cosmetic designations.
The switch to AA batteries (vs the SR44 coin cells used by the X-700 and XD-7) was a practical update for the entry-level price point - AA cells are universally available and cheaper in bulk, though they add slightly more bulk to the grip area.
The X-9 is historically a footnote rather than a milestone. Its importance is practical: it is the most recent body that accepts Minolta MD-mount lenses natively with full metering. Buyers who acquire a collection of MD Rokkor glass and want an inexpensive, modern-feeling (for 1990) camera to shoot it on will find the X-9 functional and cheap.
It occupies the same market position in 2026 as the Pentax MV-1 or the Olympus OM-10 did in their respective systems: the entry-level body you buy when the nicer bodies are out of budget, knowing you sacrifice nothing in terms of lens compatibility.
Full Minolta MD mount. MC (older Rokkor) lenses mount and meter at stop-down; MD lenses give full open-aperture metering. Practical pairings:
Accessory compatibility with winders and motor drives should be confirmed - late-production X-series bodies varied in accessory port implementation.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Minolta X-9
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