Minolta X9

Introduced in 1990 it's origins go to speciality photo retailers in the States who wanted a version of the X370n aka X300S in Europe with both a depth of field preview button for checking how sharp the image is at the taking aperture plus a 45/45 split crosshair viewing screen take make focus checking easier on horizontal as well as vertical images.
It was available new during the 1990's often with a 35-70 Zoom lens  and the 220PX flash as a bundle for those who were either students with limited funds or those of us who preferred the relative simplicity of manual focus cameras.
The availability of used really nice MC and MD lenses cheaply during that era as people traded up to autofocus models that couldn't use the older  manual focus lenses also helped, enabling you to put together a terrific quality outfit for little cost.
Indeed I used to amaze people with the quality my Minolta set up produced compared to their AF models which offered a lot of technology but a more hands on approach coupled with superior optics could beat.
The camera is a plastic version of the X300 which dates back to 1983 with a modern angled profile, rubberized grip and speed selector accessible from the front of the camera.
The one criticism I'd make of is the speed selector is purposely stiff when in Auto which I find difficult to turn having poor grip where those Minolta bodies that used a wheel shutter/mode selector on the top had a release button which was easier to operate.
It exposure system does aperture priority AE as well as 1 to 1/1000 sec manually but like the XD7 the flash isn't metered in camera something Olympus had done since 1976 in the OM2.

Conway

The Jetty at Conway Harbour, North Wales June 2008 taken with the 'Standard 50' on Fuji Superia 200 film and scanned at the lab.

The Minolta XD7 (XD II)

I first bought this body back in February 1996 from the now defunct Techno Camera store group in Stoke on Trent.
This body was first introduced in 1977 and phased out in 1983.
It was the worlds first camera with more than two exposure modes, metered manual, Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority autoexposure coupled with a system that overrode any suggestions if they fell outside of the exposure values possible.
The chassis formed the basis of the Leica R4 models.
It is a exceptionally well conceived camera body that has a clear easy to use top plate.
The shutter is a metal vertical design.
The flash is NOT metered by the camera and the sync speed is 1/100.
In 1979 a cut down version, the XD5 was introduced, removing the exposure compensation safe load  and aperture viewfinder display indications.

The lens you got  varied from dealer to dealer, so at launch you could have the 45mm F2 'pancake' with a 49mm filter thread and a choice of three 50mm lenses of F2, F1.7 and 1.4 apertures in 55mm filter threads which were adapted from the last MC (Mid 1970's) series just adding the extra lug for the minimum aperture for the XD7/5's shutter priority mode.
The above is the Mark II 50mm F1.7 from around 1979 though 1981 that saw it made smaller, lighter, taking the more in vogue 49mm filter thread and it was that which came mounted to my used XD7 but keeping the minimum aperture at F16 and the focus scale in green.