A 6.1-megapixel (effective) CCD gathers the high resolution image data you need to produce professional-quality prints that are rich in fine detail.
1 I can't leave the house without this camera...
Every day since I purchased this camera three weeks ago I have been outside or somewhere else getting shots of EVERYTHING. The body design is FLAWLESS; every setting is virutally at your fingertips without having to sort through menus. Even the menus that are in the camera are a breeze to sort through--they are all full screened, independent menus, you won't have to select a menu category and scroll up and down to find the option you're looking for. Every essence of design in this camera is done in the name of ease.
I purchased a Canon G6 back in January because of the features it offered: 7.1MP and a manually controlable, bright F/2.0 lens. I had been shooting with a Minolta Maxxum 5 SLR for several years, but being in college, it was difficult to have the money and time to develop pictures, so I turned solely to digital--I was hoping the G6 would be the medium between the two at a moderate, one-time price. I missed the features of an SLR, but the G6 was more like a point-and-shoot, not the SLR I was seeking. Then came the 7D, and it has satiated every craving I have had to stifle for the benefits of an SLR.
The pictures I have gotten out of this camera are AMAZING. Friends have asked me where I bought the pictures on my wall, and when I tell them I took them and printed them myself, they are nothing short of amazed. This is also a fantastic camera to learn SLR photography on. You don't need to wait to get pictures back from the lab to realize what you were doing wrong--you can see everything clear as day on the 2.5" LCD. The autofocus system is out of this world, focusing quickly in even the darkest locations.
My only gripe with the camera is the provided software does a lousy job maintaining detail in converting and handling the RAW images. Use Photoshop's Camera RAW utility, it's much better. And at times, the images you get out of the camera appear slightly soft, but I like that the camera isn't pushy like some other brands with in-camera sharpening. If I want a sharper picture, I usually just boost the sharpening effect +1. Overall, a DEFINITE GOOD BUY.
2 Minolta did a great job.
The ease of using the interface of this camera is beyond any other competitors. Almost all settings can be done with the dials, meaning to say that you don't have to sieve through tons of menus on the LCD to change a setting. The LCD is a big bonus as well. It really makes me wonder why Nikon and Canon can't do the same, it's not technically challenging nor does it increase cost by much. Trust me, you'll love the 7D once you compare it's LCD to the puny ones that others offer. Battery life is adequate as well. Obviously the Anti-shake is an advantage, especially if you have shakey hands to begin with. But take note that it's not a miracle cure, it REDUCES shake, but doesn't ALWAYS eliminate it. So at the end of the day, you still require rather steady hands.
A few gripes. Firstly, there's not much lens selection. You can't beat the likes of canon's vast collection. But Minolta is rectifying that, so its not much of a problem. Second, focusing speed is not up to par with the canon 20D nor the nikon D70. If you're the kind who feels strongly about focusing speed, u might just get frustrated with this one.
At the end of the day, minolta has designed one splendid camera, with a few shortcomings. But hey, nothing's perfect.
3 Like a toy without batteries
I'm a longstanding fan of Minolta and this model does not disappoint. It is, however, immensly complicated so be prepared.
A WARNING: Minolta always in past models included a memory card all be it a small one. It is NOT included in this package and you must buy one (a 1 GB runs a bit less than $100 additional). What a let down to unpack and set up the camera and not be able to use it until the next day after a trip to a local camera store.
4 Wow, what a camera 5 stars and more
I cannot express it better. WOW, what a camera. I have moved up from the 7000i to the 7D. I bought the camera in mid Jan and to date have taken over 2000 pictures with it. Probaly 300+, just learning what things did what.
I take pictures in 3(primarily) modes. The ability to set the camera in those 3 modes, and switch from one to the other is a tremendous plus to me. Most of my work is at night. Some times with flash, sometimes ambient light. Being able to rotate one dial to change the camera settings makes it easy and fool proof. As long as I remember to do it.
Using continous, daylight, I can get a play back that is close to full motion video. From a still camera. I was getting 16-18 shots a second. Thanks to the large buffer.
Down side? Well, compared to the 7000i I shot for 10 years or more, this camera is heavy, and though I was able to use my existing lens, thanks to the body mount stabilization, the 5600 flash is very expensive, and necessary for digital photography.
Overall, I can't say enough good things about this camera. 8 mega pixel chip? I would need a wall mount TV, as a monitor for my computer.
5 Preliminary Review
I have just had my camera for a week so this review is very preliminary. First of all let me say me that I am a diehard dyed in the wool Minolta believer. So, this review won't be so much about what is right but more about things I found that perplexed me or need improvement. I am doing it that way because it has been my experience that most people that already have a top end camera are not looking to switch systems and that KM users reading reviews want to know where the weaknesses exist. I already own a Max9 and HtsiPlus so I was elated to see that the controls were left alone and are much the same as on the Max 9&7. The camera, as with the 9 & 7 is a very intuitive camera. Many people have complained about the weight but after using the 9 for so long the 7D feels like a feather. The big screen is really nice especially for me since I am over 50 and suffer the over 40 eye disease :-). The big screen makes scrolling through options an almost unannoying experience and is certainly easy to find what you want easily. Some of the symbols used in the menu are not very intuitive to me and I find myself hunting for which one to use for what I want to change. But I do appreciate how easy it is to read the screen. At first glance at the viewfinder it appears the camera has eyestart but it does not. Apparently the sensors are there to detect when to turn the screen off if you have it in always on mode. I never really used eystart anyway. The onboard flash seems to be too harsh for subjects within 7 to 10 feet range which is typically the range that a flash works best. I tried using the onboard flash in ADI (without and ADI lens, more on this later), pre-flash ttl, and manual mode. It didn't matter what mode I used, if I didn't dial in flash compensation the flash would be too harsh and if I dialed in compensation there wouldn't be enough flash. I guess the ttl doesn't work. Now for The ADI issue. I don't understand why there is an ADI option in the flash menu? Shouldn't ADI just work intuitively if the lens is ADI? Why do I have to turn it on or off? In fact, I would have loved to see a flash button put on the camera so I don't have to go to the menu to put the flash in manual or pre-flash ttl mode. Instead I'd just push the button then use the control wheel to set the flash mode.
Finally, if you purchase the VC-7D grip be warned that the holding strap (HS-1) does not come with the grip like it does with VC-9 grip. You have purchase it as a seperate item at about $21. Speaking of the grip, why doesn't the VC-7D hold two different kinds of batteries at the same time like the VC-9?
After I take some pictures I'll be back to tell you what I think.
6 SCAMMER HERE!
I was looking at Amazon today to purchase a Minolta 7D digital slr camera. One was listed for 699.00. The person said I should contact him and pay directly via Western Union cash to Italy. When I balked he sent official looking emails supposedly from Square Trade saying it was an escrow service. The reason I realized this was a scam was because the supposedly real Square Trade emails were written in broken English! Why is Amazon allowing such a person to scam customers on your site? I am really angry and thought you were a reputable business with which to do business. Below is text of one of the emails and the man's name & address.
BEWARE PEOPLE DO NOT BUY FROM THIS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear M. Edwards,
Our customer ( Constantin Luta ) require the payment to be done through Western Union money transfer service.
If you are not familiarized with the Western Union money transfer services please visit: www.westernunion.com. If you want to locate the nearest Western Union Office in your area please click here. You have to pay with cash at any Western Union Office.
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Item Information
Item Title: Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D 6MP Digital SLR with Anti-Shake Technology
First name: Constantin
Last name: Luta
Adress: Via Casilina 1204
City: Rome
Zip: 00169
Country: Italy
7 Great Camera
I am a professional photographer and have shot Minolta since the advent of the first auto focus, the Model 7000. As the years went by, Cannon and Nikon seemed to kill them with lens selection and features. I still hung in there. I had about $11,000 in lenses alone and was more than a little pleased with the new Maxxum 9 when it came out. What a great camera! However, digital was rapidly becoming king.
About the time I decided to chuck it all for a new Cannon digital system, I heard rumors of a Minolta digital. This was previously stated to NEVER happen. Minolta would not build a digital body. Thank God for Konica! Shortly after the purchase of Minolta by Konica, the probability of a digital was rumored. I decided to hold out and am glad I did.
The camera is packed with an enormous array of features that can pretty much be found on most upper end Digital's. However, three main things have made me absolutely ecstatic with this camera:
1. The image viewing screen is absolutely huge compared to others. I can actually do legitimate critical proofing with this thing. I don't think you could even fit a bigger screen on it without making the camera larger.
2. The anti shake body is impressive...very impressive This is not new technology for Minolta. They have had this incorporated into their fixed lens digital for a while now. Bottom line is that it works! I sat it on the hood of a running car with the stabilizer on and then off (300mm 2.8 lens). The two photos were unbelievably different. One was blurred, one wasn't. That simple.
3. It shoots the same way my Maxxum 9 does. When I turn it on, it is ready to shoot. No waiting. The buffer size allows me to shoot continuously without missing important photos while waiting for the camera to catch up to me. This is extremely nice and not what I am used to.
When I heard of the possibility of this camera being introduced (more than a year before it actually finally hit the market) I purchased an Olympus E20 to get me by for the time. I have been very happy with the Olympus in the studio. However, the screen was too small to proof with and I was always waiting on the camera. It is now my back up. I LOVE this new Minolta and can't wait until they put their 8 meg chip in another model. Perhaps a 9D?
Hmm I hope so.
At any rate, I am impresed. I will now be purchasing another as my back up.
Thank you very much, Konica/Minolta...Finally
8 Fits like a glove
If you have had minolta cameras before you will feel right at home with this new maxxum 7D (Dynax in europe). I have been a long time minolta user and was very glad to see this camera finally hitting the market. Just last week I finally got the chance to handle one at a local store. I am sharing my initial impression of the camera.
Pros:
1) Feels great in hand. I was very comfortable with its ergonomic design.
2) The AS (Anti Shake) feature is truly useful. I have been reading posts from canon users as well as minolta 7d users and looks like the AS is coming really handy in low light situation. Canon and Nikon both have similar technology for reducing shake at low light or with high level zoom. However, those technologis are built into the lense. Because of that those lenses are more expensive than the regular lense. BUT Minolta has the AS built into the body. That's why any regular Minolta/maxxum AF lenses can be used and benefit from AS technology. That is the key difference and creates this initial price difference.
3) Color is great right out of the camera. No retouching is necessary.
4) Large buffer for continuous shooting
5) Takse variety of preexisting minolta lenses
Cons:
1) PRICE ! I think the price will scare away several would be amature photographers. Especially since a digital rebel (not as feature rich) can be found less than 1000$.
Bottom line. If you already own minolta lenses this maybe the right camera for you to leap into digital photography. Or else you may want to take a look at digital rebel and see if that fits your bills.
9 Minolta's first digital SLR
The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D is a digital SLR (DSLR) which is built on Minolta's Maxxum 7 body in terms of buttons, knobs, and layout. In terms of build quality, it is more like the Maxxum 9 professional 35mm film body. It has an APS-size CCD as its image sensor which crops an image by 1.5X in comparison with its 35mm film counterpart. The 7D has a large, high-resolution LCD, matched by only two other DSLRs, as of this writing: the Nikon D2H and D2X, both of which are twice the price of this camera. It has a maximum ISO of 3200, matched by few other cameras. Even the Canon 1Ds has a maximum ISO of only 1250 and the Canon 1D Mark II of only 1600. The 7D has a resolution of 6 mega pixels, which some might find disappointing, given the plethora of new digital cameras which have come out over the past year having a resolution of 8 mega pixels. The big news, of course, is the built-in image stabilization, introduced in the Minolta A-1 prosumer camera. While Canon users, and, more recently and to a lesser degree, Nikon users, have had to choose a lens here and a lens there on which to spend their hard earned cash if they wanted image stabilization, owners of the 7D will pay a fair price for it once and will then gain the benefits of it with every lens in their arsenal; wide, long, macro, or special effect (e.g., soft focus). This is something that was impossible with film. It really is a brilliant idea.
Although there are some caveats, this is an excellent digital SLR with great features, handling, and performance. Please read my full review on my website.
http://www.jpwphoto.com/
