Minolta X-500 Vintage 35mm Film Camera with Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens

The Minolta X-570 was released in April 1983, two years after the X-700 and was sold as a less expensive alternative to that award winning and very popular camera. Sold as the X-500 in Europe and Asia, and the X-570 in the US market, it never gained the popularity of the X-700 and is still under-rated by many. What is not recognised by many photographers is that the X-570 is actually in many respects a better camera for the advanced amateur than its more expensive elder sibling. The key to the success of the X-700 with the general public is generally recognised as the camera's Program Mode, which enabled even people with no photographic knowledge to take good photographs. It basically turned the camera into the SLR version of a point and shoot - similar to many of the SLRs today. This feature is only infrequently used by more advanced photographers, who prefer the control over depth of field and exposure provided by the Aperture Priority or Metered Manual modes.