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[galadriel]

Hi. I'm completely new to this forum. And I'm not sure whether this is actually the right one either. So let me tell what my problem is. For about 25 years (can this really be so long already?) I've been using my good old Minolta Dynax 7000i. And I love the thing to bits. Now, with personal websites etc., I was ready to do the jump to go digital. Good friends of mine therefore decided to give me a NIkon digital two years ago, which was okay but I very much missed the free use of different objectives. Before X-mas it did its last breath and after being sent to the manufacturers it came back as "sand-damaged beyond repair". Honestly, I didn't roll it in the sand, but I remember taking pictures of a sandy beach in a heavy storm. Anyway, the thing is dead and I still don't have a digital camera.

But I seem to remember there is a digital Minolta model that can take the objectives of my Dynax 7000i. Is my memory right or is this just a wishful thinking? (I have to admit, I don't really read a lot of photo magazines and technical stuff. I seem to be one of these people who just either love or hate a camera and just want it to work.. And my Dynax works and works and works...) So if anyone can help me, I'll be really grateful.

 

[dirk]

Hi Assja,

welcome to The Sony-Minolta Forum!

You can use all Minolta AF and Sony AF lenses on all digital SLRs of Minolta, Konica-Minolta and Sony. This means the following DSLRs might be of interest for you:

Dynax 7D
Dynax 5D
Sony Alpha A100
Sony Alpha A700

and all future Sony DSLRs.

Minolta went out of photo-business, Sony took over all patents and the AF-lens mount. This is why the Minolta AF lenses fit to sony DSLRs with all functionalities included.

Most of the "new" Sony lenses are the old Minolta lenses, just with a Sony label on it

Hope that helps..

 

[peter1972]

Hi Assja

Welcome to the forum.
Saddly Minolta is out of the camera business but you're not completely out of luck though. Sony has bought Minoltas camera division and they make digital camerabodys that will fit your old lenses perfectly.

Currently two bodys are being made: The Alpha 700 (top-of-the-line model for semipros and entusiasts) and the Alpha 100 (consumer model with lots of advanced features). The Alpha 100 are being replaced by the Alpha 200 wich has been announced recently. That means that you could probably get a good deal on the Alpha 100. Maybe you cold buy a secondhand Konica Minolta Dynax 5D or 7D though they are out of production and are not supported by the manufactorer any more.

Remember that since the digital sensor is smaller than the film negative, the lens' field of view will be smaller. In Sonys case you have to multiply your lens focal length by 1.5. For ex&le a 50mm lens has a field of view like 75mm lens on digital bodies. This is good if you like telephoto (a 300mm lens will be 450mm) and bad if you like wideangle shots (24mm will be 36mm, so you will most likely need a new wideangle lens).

Regards
Peter

 

[randy_k]

On my first trip to East Africa I used my 7000i and got some fantastic pictures. Later I got a 700si which was, regrettably, stolen in Paris in what was supposedly secure storage at a hotel. That was truly a nice camera but I replaced it with a Minolta 7 so I'd have a film camera. It seems like only a few weeks after I bought the 7 the 7D was introduced. I bought a new 7D for a trip to India and used it on a number of trips since then including on one to South Africa's Kruger National Park this last summer. Not only did it perform well, it behaves so much like the old 7000i/700si/7 that I don't have to think about it. Just shoot. And is uses all the existing accessories with exception of the old 3200i and 5400 HS flashes.

The up side of digital is that you can do those throw-away shots that you hate to do with film. In Jaipur India we saw a guy climbing a traffic light pole as we drove by. I took several shots and later that evening while reviewing the pictures we realized he had a light bulb in his mouth and was climbing the pole to change a l& in the signal. (Only in India!) I wouldn't have shot that on film. As it was, after two weeks in India we took slightly over 5,000 pictures between two cameras. It would seem that there must be a lot of shots to dispose of but there's so much to see in India that almost all the pictures are worthwhile.

The Sony Alpha 700 is a direct descendant of the Minolta 7D with the menu structure and features being very similar. The A200 is intended to be the "entry level" SLR competing with the likes of the Canon Rebel. The A100 will probably be renamed and positioned more like the old 5D. Minolta never targeted the bottom end Rebel-type product. Sony originally did the sensor work for Minolta so it seemed logical they would continue the line since they did want in the high-end SLR market.

If you find a good used 7D there are affordable aftermarket warranties available. In the USA the Mack warranty covers problems the body might develop. I had the lens mount fixed on my 7D under my Mack warranty and Sony did the repair handled through Mack. I got a repaired and cleaned camera back. I don't know what is available in the UK but I assume such a service is available.

 

[wayne]

You need a trip to your local camera shop. Sony are now making minolta mount slr's

wayne (another 7000i lover)

 

[robertwuthrich]

Is this a forum or some primitive kind of publicity from Sony?

 

[jim_maxxum_7d]

I have been a user of Minolta film cameras for many years, the last one being the Maxxum 7000. I still have it but don't use it any more. I purchased the Minolta 7D digital and have had it for a couple years now. I used several of my maxxum lenses on the 7D but have purchased a full range of Tamron lenses (as low as 11mm to as high as 500mm). I love the features and feel of the camera. When Sony took over Minolta's camera line, the Alpha 100 was a good camera but nothing compared to the new Alpha 700. The 700 has the look and feel of the 7D but with even more features. My best friend just purchased one and is enthralled with it. Check it out.

 

[dirk]

and Sony announced already at PMA last week, that they will offer a fullframe DSLRS available before christmas 2008.

Since Sony apha DSLRs are using the same lens-mount, the minolta lens mount, this are good news for everybody.

So, Robert, you will have still a lot of fun with your Minolta gear this year!

By the way: we will switch the URL soon. I do not want to disclose the new urls before have a finished the works there.

But everybody will get an e-mail with all relevant information after the witch, incl. the new url.

See you tomorrow here again...