Name: F. Carnahan
Location: Nixa, Missouri USA
Date: 2004-12-18
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Great Camera
Comment: 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
Name: Jay Williams
Location: Tacoma, WA United States
Date: 2004-11-14
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Minolta's first digital SLR
Comment: 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/
Name: Sweet Dreams Photography
Location: Lake Jackson, TX USA
Date: 2005-09-06
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Another believer!
Comment: I have been shooting a Minolta 35mm (Maxxum 7000) for over 15 years, the last three years as a professional portrait photographer. About 18 months ago I decided to experiment with the world of digital and purchased a Canon Rebel, along with much additional equipment required in the digital darkroom. After close to $2500 in equipment and supplies and $3000 in wasted lab bills that brought me nothing but "plastic" looking prints, I packed it all in a box and sold it to the first person who would take it...vowing never to touch digital again.
But recently I kept reading reviews about Minolta's first digital SLR. With the benefit of being able to use all my existing lens and equipment, I slowing got the bug to try it.
I'm thrilled to say that after a brief review of "where are the buttons", I shot a few test frames around the house. And then added it to my next few portrait sessions (shooting both film and digital). With some minor light adjustments in studio,
my next two shoots went digital...
I may never buy film again.
My biggest problem now is ... quit shooting so many frames just because I can!
Name: Matt A. Kurkowski
Location: Peabody, MA USA
Date: 2005-05-05
Customer Rating: -
Summary: I can't leave the house without this camera...
Comment: 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.
Name: Wade A
Location: Florida
Date: 2005-08-09
Customer Rating: -
Summary: The photographer's digital SLR! Anti-Shaken, not stirred!
Comment: If you are looking for a semi-pro digital SLR that can take pictures of the family at Disney or in your professional studio, this is it. It won't break your budget, and you will be the "Apple" user of the DSLR prosumer market. (i.e., secretly envied by Canon and Nikon users, but most won't admit it!).
This camera has some real positives over other manufacturer's cameras in the same class. First and foremost, it has 'anti-shake' built into the camera body. For those that don't know, this is similar to the "steadycam" technology used on consumer camcorders to help stabilize your shots. There is one big difference between Konica-Minolta's implementation and everyone else's on the market: you get anti-shake built into the body of the Maxxum 7D! What does this mean? It means virtually EVERY lense you buy is now anti-shake! Every other manufacturer makes you buy special lenses that have a similar feature built into the LENSE, not the BODY.
YES, it really works to. A convenient little indicator inside the viewfinder tells you just how much anti-shake each shot is needing.
Wouldn't it be great to quickly change almost any option on your DSLR camera and get back to shooting pictures without delay? Ever tried to change some feature, only to have to wade through two or three levels of menus on some small LCD? This is not only frustrating, but embarrasing! Imagine your wedding party not having to wait for you to make adjustments or you are at some sports event and the opportunity to take the picture is a one shot deal. No more! The Maxxum 7D has no top LCD. That's right...this is a positive- NO top LCD. Instead, almost every major function can be changed with a knob or button on the top or side of the camera. Yes, this presents a little bit of a learning curve. Yes, I was a little nervous about Konica-Minolta's choice to go this way in the design. I can tell you now, after less than a week of ownership, I love it!
In addition, there are hundreds of lenses and accessories available for this camera, the body itself feels solid and comfortable, the 2" LCD screen on the back is enormous compared to the competition, the camera can save in RAW and JPEG format AT THE SAME TIME, and for a DSLR, it is just plain fun to shoot with.
The ONLY drawback I have found is that Konica-Minolta chose 6 megapixels for this model, while some of the competing models are at 8 megapixels. Honestly, if you know photography, the difference between 6 and 8 megapixels is really non-existent to 99% of those who would view your photos. If you are trying to decide between the Canon D20 and the Maxxum 7D for example, the anti-shake feature FAR outweighs any small benefit you could get from the additional megapixels on other models. (This camera's features really should be compared with camera's like the Canon D20, and not the entry level Canon Rebel XT line).
One other feature no one seems to have mentioned is the built in Depth of Field Preview button. This is a really convenient feature that allows you to check and see your depth of field before taking the shot. (Depth of field is simply how much of the background is your picture is in focus. For example, a close up portrait might have the background out of focus while a shot of the mountains will have everything in focus).
Overall, this camera will meet almost any level photographer's needs. Although the controls have a small learning curve, within less than an hour of shooting you will love them. Whether you have a lot of photography experience, or almost none at all, this is one digital SLR you should really consider.
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