As I am loading this camera with another roll of 35mm film, my mind races back to the day in 1981 when I first purchased this camera. I was getting ready to be transferred from MCAS El Toro, California to MCAS Futenma in Okinawa, Japan. This is an obviously sturdy piece of equipment that is still producing great images today. This was the first SLR camera that I had ever bought.  Minolta was an awesome company and that is the main reason why I stayed when Sony bought them. Some of the technologies of Minolta are still present in the modern Sony cameras.  I still love shooting film because it slows you down and makes you think about making a shot instead of just taking a shot.