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Why Sony / Minolta at all?

I decided to get an SLR based on the extremely sharp pictures my girlfriend could get with her Yashica. A buddy had an x700 so for no other reason than that I went looking for a Minolta AF SLR. I started with an 7000i. Sold it and bought a 7xi, bought another used 7000i as a backup. Sold the 7000i and bought a Maxxum 7. Now it's all about the lenses. Oh yeah, and somewhere along the line I did pick up a old Mamiya 645 1000S. I do love my Minoltas though!
 
I used my Dad's X-700 since highschool and when I went to college, I switched to Nikon and have been shooting (F3, F4, F80S, FM3A) for many years. When Maxxum 7 came out a few years ago, I told my shooting buddy (he uses the 800si) what a sexy camera that was. I really wanted to switch to Minolta; however, I was hesitated to do that because I didn't want to get rid my whole Nikon system.

I have always admired my friend's 800si with the unique flash mounting hotshoe. I mount my flash on a bracket when I shoot wedding. The Nikon flash hotshoe always come loose after a while and I have to tighten it regularly. Why can Nikon design a better flash mount like Minolta? I had enough of Nikon! When the price of Maxxun 7 came down to $399 at adorama recently, it was so clear that it was time to switch.
 
I had a Pentax SLR for 25 years but I wanted a digital camera as i am very interested in web images plus I needed a new hobby too. I bought magazines and read reviews. Then I picked out a shortlist of 3 within my budget and went to a store and handled them. I chose the Minolta F300 and I am very pleased with it. I got it on Christmas eve when to my amazement they had £50 off all 5MP cameras. I paid £250. I'm practising with it and learning a lot.
 
Thanks, Gerry,

... for sharing your entry into the world of Minolta Photography.

I sometimes forget my history of experience with so many other brands and the comparisons I made on my way to Minolta since I've been a Minolta Photographers for such a long time now!

It's pleasing to know that Minolta still has the power to pursuade on a competitive basis!

Please share images - there's a great gallery space here at Minotla Info, so upload some stuff you are proud of or have questions about or whatever.

I have one at the moment - they apparently pre categorize images and do not sort by photographer geesh!, so how would you find anyone? My secret? Put your own names into the [keywords] field or you cannot find your own pictures again when you search for them! ;-)

<http://www.minoltainfo.com/photos/details.php?image_id=185>

peterblaise-2004022709-01-v8-powered-bicycle
Virginia, USA, Minolta AF 37.5-150mm f/5.4-11.9 lens, Minolta Capios/Freedom/Reva Zoom 150 camera, auto focus, auto exposure, hand held, FujiFilm Superia ASA 1600 Press color negative film for prints, developed and scanned on FujiFilm Frontier SC-2000, 768 x pixel 85% JPG.


Click!

Love and hugs,

Peter Blaise Monahon
Minolta Vivitar Tamron Fujifilm Ilford Kodak Adobe Hewlett Packard et cetera Photographer
peterblaise@yahoo.com
http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltaphotography/ and http://www.minoltaphotography.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mindofminoltaphotographyclub/
 
As a Minolta enthusiaist I just joined up here. I see that it usual (and fun to read) to tell a little story about one's history with Minolta. My choice for the Minolta camera wasn't entirely free. After a nice vacation in France I came home with about 50 very bad pictures (I had used a very old compact camera and didn't know anything about taking pictures). My dad (once a good amateur-photographer himself) told me it was time to buy a decent camera and learn at least the basics of photography. No son of his should show pictures of such poor quality to our family, he told me. So together we went to our local photostore where the owner still remembered my dad from years before and they started talking. In the mean while I was already looking at some second-hand camera's and I liked the Nikon F601 (it was cheap and came with lens and a small flash). My dad interrupted his conversation with the owner and told me that if I bought the Nikon I would have to enter his house through the backdoor for the rest of my life. Together with the owner of the store they convinced me that the Minolta lenses were better, but what really convinced me was that my dad offered to pay for the camera if I bought a Minolta. So I came home with a second hand 5000 with 35-70 f4 en 1800af flash. Soon after I cought te photography-virus and after three months I already bought the 800si. I traded it in in 2002 and bought the Dynax 7, but after it let me down during a wedding I decided that the Dynax 9 would be best for me and I wasn't wrong, because up till now it has been the greatest camera I've ever owned.
 
A guest accidently dropped it and it shattered to pieces. The flash (5600 HSD) and camera were both unusable. Suddenly I understood the need for the pro model camera's made out of metal (wouldn't have saved the flash though) and I realised that the time had come for me to such a camera. Luckily I had my backup camera in my bag (a Minolta 9000Af with the 4000 flash) so I could continue.
 
I think most of us have noticed K-M will market its long waited DSLR with APS-C size 6MP CCD sensor and AS function (on selective lenses) by this fall.

What I'm worrying is its positioning. While Nikon D70 is doing well and Canon will be announcing another competitive one, how KM will differentiate itself? IMO, only AS is not enough. It's just too bad KM does not have its own R&D on sensors while Canon has its own CMOS and Nikon has LBCAST. It's not on their own to decide on which sensor to be implemented. That explains why KM only can roll out a 6 MP one, as the only available sensor they can test on is 6 MP ones.

I guess the niche only lies in the past investment of lenses by us.

I'm at the edge of buying a D70 or Sigma 10D. If I make this decision, I will probably trade in my lenses for new compatible lenses.

I'm not saying goodbye to Minolta because I still have two digicam: D7i and Xi. For film camera, I'll only keep the Contax G2.
 
I received my x-370 along with some lenses and accessories that belonged to my grandfather after he passed away. My job takes me to all corners of the globe and I drag that camera everywhere. That camera has sparked my interest in photography and I am adding accssories to it as I go along. I do all the research on it possible, so I can be a better photographer with it. I will never get rid of that camera, because of it's sentimental value, and the fact I get really good pictures with it
 
Hello there,
I did a good bit of research before buying a camera, and after seeing everything out there on the Maxxum 7 I made my decision. I then began shopping around and found Maxxum 7 bodys and they were all in the $900-$1000 range. While in the midst of that, I landed on a great deal on the 70 for just under $500 (with tax) including the 28-100 lens. I didn't know much about the 70 at the time, but after checking it out, I couldn't pass it up. So there we are.
I hope to eventually upgrade to the Maxxum 7d, will have to save up some coin for that though ;)
 
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