The Minolta XE-7 (released in 1974) is a rugged, enthusiast-grade 35mm SLR celebrated for its exceptional build quality, silky-smooth film advance, and incredibly quiet Leitz-Copal metal shutter. Developed during a historic technology-sharing partnership with Leica, it merges German-inspired ergonomics with Minolta's highly regarded Rokkor lens ecosystem. Exposure Modes are Full Manual and Aperture-Priority Auto. (See below for basic specs and technical details.)

The metering issue is that the meter needle tends to jump around sometimes or be less responsive to changes in the aperture setting. This is a common issue with the XE series cameras. There's at least one Youtube video that shows how to clean the metering contacts but you have to take the top plate and the film rewind crank off to do it. It ain't rocket science but I'm not messing with this stuff anymore.

The viewfinder issue mentioned is that It looks like the mirror dampening foam across the top of the focusing screen has degraded and is sticking out from behind the screen enough to be visible as a dark horizontal translucent occlusion at the bottom 20-25% of the viewfinder. I visually ckecked the light path with the back open and the the shutter open on "B" and didn't see any indication that it would show up in a picture but I find it quite annoying and distracting. The foam should be replaced as a correct fix. I tried to sort of "stuff" it back up out of the way but it had a minimal effect. That foam isn't really foam anymore, it's just a sticky glob when compressed. I think there's a YouTube video on replacing this foam but I would rather leave it to someone who knows what they're doing.

This has been in a drawer for the last 10 years or so. I put some batteries in and it works. By "works" I mean the shutter cycles quickly when set for short exposures and slower when set for longer exposures, the film advance mechanism works, and the exposure system is responsive to variations of light with inconsistencies as noted previously. Of course, just because the shutter fires fast/slow doesn't mean the accuracy is up to factory spec. I would be surprised if that were true for any camera more than a few years old. But minor deviations -- especially with print film -- might not be noticeable or can be compensated for through the Exposure Compensation dial. I have no intention of running film through it as a final test -- too much trouble/expense.

Cosmetically it looks pretty good. There's some brassing evident in the finish but nothing major.

Batteries are included.

The rear (film door) light seals were replaced by me 10-15 years ago with high-quality rubber seals and they still look good.

My asking price is way below the average SOLD price for a similarly battery-tested XE-7 w/lens on eBay ($96.00) and even below the SOLD average for a "parts only" listing ($52.50)!

Call or text me. If calling, please leave a voice message. Spam has trained me not to respond directly to unknown numbers. Please don't ask me if I take venmo or such. I'm an old geezer and don't cotton to these newfangled money exchange apps. Cash Only.

Thank you for your kind attention! Technical stuff:

The defining historical characteristic of the XE-7 is that it was co-developed through a joint engineering alliance between Minolta and Leica (Ernst Leitz).

* Shared Platform: The XE-7 shares the exact same mechanical chassis, body design, and internal components as the prestigious Leica R3 SLR.

* German Aesthetic: Because of this collaboration, the camera has a heavy, no-nonsense mechanical design reminiscent of German engineering.

Key Specifications & Technical Features:

* Exposure Modes: It features full manual control alongside a highly accurate Aperture-Priority Auto-Exposure mode.

* The Shutter: Equipped with an electronically controlled, vertically traveling Leitz-Copal metal focal-plane shutter.

* Shutter Speeds: It provides stepless speeds from 4 seconds to 1/1000 second in Auto mode. In Manual mode, it shifts to stepped increments, including a bulb setting ("B") and a mechanical backup speed of 1/90 second ("X") that functions even if the batteries die.

* Light Metering: Utilizes through-the-lens (TTL) center-weighted metering using Minolta's Contrast Light Compensator (CLC) system, supporting film speeds from ISO 12 to 3200.

* Viewfinder: Full-information viewfinder that displays the matching shutter speed needle, a split-image microprism focusing aid, and the currently selected lens aperture.

* Power: Requires two standard 1.5V LR44 or SR44 silver-oxide batteries to operate the electronics.

System & Lens Compatibility:

The XE-7 uses the Minolta SR/MC/MD bayonet mount. It is fully compatible with decades of legendary vintage glass.