Why Sony / Minolta at all?

[peterblaise]

... wait ...

 

[Travis]

Wait...for what.....Godot. Unless you work for Minolta and know something we don't.....wait is not much help

 

[Uksnapper]

> Ive been very happy with the Dimage7 series of cameras ,their only faults are a poor functionality with Metz(my chosen brand) flashguns and barrel distortion.I would say that for the money they are superb value for money and if you pick up a second hand one at a reasonable price you can have it to compliment your existing film system I believe that the existing lenses may not be adequate for use with CCDs and anyway at this point in time a full frame sensor seems unlikely. Why do you want a digital body like the 35mm slr anyway,they do not fit the face unless of course you have no nose. The only 35mm slr that is ergonomic in any way is the Rollie 3003 and 2003. I believe its in Minoltas ,indeed all traditional slr manufacturers interest to start afresh ,as with the D7 and the Sony 828,my next purchase, with a camera that is designed for the photographer to use rather than around an optimum film path.The two approaches are not compatible.

 

[reyjessie]

I hope Minolta has a good idea of what its customers are going through, waiting for a DSLR.

I love my Minolta equipment. But times are changing, and if the company doesn't change, it certainly will fall behind further.

Has anyone tried writing the company people a letter and asking about a DSLR? Maybe that would provide some answers, at least.

 

[iberger]

>Putting a Minolta SLR mount on, say, an A1 body might not be too big a technical challenge; but I'm not sure you'd like the result. The problem is that most digital sensors, so far, are smaller than a 24x36-mm 135 frame. As a result, they use only the central portion of the image projected by lenses made for 35mm film use, effectively making longer lenses out of them. With a typical magnification factor of about 1.5, you might not mind having your 200mm lens become a 30mm (especially on a body with anti-vibration), but you might very much mind having your 24mm lens start acting likie a 36. >

Also, 35mm bodies are big and heavy because of the film size and need for mechanical transport. ;Their lenses are big and heavy in order to cover 24x36mm. My 7i weighs about as much as the equivalent zoom lens (28-200) for my Canon SLR.

The Olympus E-1 is the first digital-from-the-ground-up SLR I know of, and it is as heavy as many film SLRs, but a bit smaller. Its lenses, however, should be a lot lighter because each is half the focal length of its 35mm-camera equivalent. And consumer versions of that camera body should be lighter, too.

 

[Travis]

Some SLR bodies (professional/high spec end) are heavy, because they have to to take a lot of use, may be dropped etc. They also have to have a thought the lens viewing system. You can make a 35mm that weighs very little. ie a compact.

If anybody can come up with an all round digital system with a pro-quality zoom from 15 to 500mm then we'll buy that and chuck our lenses in the bin and the internchangable lens argument is over.

But for now, digital SLR is the best quality you can get in that format. Why, because the lenses are the best, and it doesn't matter what bells and whistles your camera has, if the lens is not high quality, then you can't get sharp well resolved pictures.

As for the problem with CCD being 25% less the size of 35mm, it hasn't stopped professional photographers migrating to Nikons, Canons etc. They have just bought a wider lens to make up the difference.

The argument is being settled in the shops. People are buying DSLRs. Minolta is getting a bad name amoung SLR buyers because it is the only manufacturer not bringing out a DSLR. If I were buying a film SLR system now, I would not buy Minolta for fear that I couldn't switch. That is what the vendors will be telling customers.

It would be good to hear someone at the top of Mionolta making some kind of statement. It's obvious that thousands of users of the Minolta SLR system are getting very wound up.

 

[hung]

>In a way, I am glad that Minolta don't have a DSLR right now. It will surely be pricey and beyond my reach...Do people like Aunt Jane and Uncle Jack really buy a p&s digital camera because there are available US$3,000 DSLR and lens system from the manufacturer? But you are right, Minolta top people should step out and announce their road map. It will be most reassuring to people like us who have several minolta slr bodies and lots of minolta AF lenses.

Hung

 

[Travis]

This is the reponse I got a year ago from Minolta about a digital SLR. I suggest we get him to look in this forum to see what people are thinking.


Thanks for your e-mail concerning the possibility of a digital body for
existing AF system lenses and accessories.

Recent announcements from Canon, Fuji, Nikon and Sigma have sparked a great
deal of interest in this type of product. This is good news for the
industry, so long as customers are prepared to make the investment required
in a camera of this type.

Please be aware that because these cameras utilise image sensors that are
smaller than a 35mm exposure area, there will be a magnification factor on
the focal length of the lens and a drop in optical quality caused by the
lens not being matched to the exposure area.

Minolta does have a very serious commitment to the digital marketplace,
this has been witnessed by the sudden impact of Minolta DiMAGE cameras and
film scanners. Minolta did not make as quick a transition to digital as
some manufacturers and as such has not had the experience that others have.

Cameras such as DiMAGE 7 are a platform to test technology on, we gain
experience on optical requirements, metering, operating firmware and
systems as well as all other factors that a digital camera relies upon.

When Minolta manufactures a digital SLR it will be based upon the Dynax 7
body, for obvious reasons.

I would like to form a database of interested parties for such a product. I
would also like to know what your expectations of a digital SLR are,
together with what equipment you have and what you would like to
additionally invest in.

Please copy and paste the section of this e-mail below and answer as many
questions as you can.

Thanks,
Paul Genge
Sales and Marketing Assistant - Digital
Minolta (UK) Limited

 

[robin]

I don’t know whether Mr. Paul Genge is aware or not that both the Canon EOS 1Ds (11.1 mega pixels) & Kodak DCS Pro 14n (13.89 mega pixels) have full 35mm frame CMOS image sensors (no more magnification factor on
the focal length of the lens and a drop in optical quality ). These two pro digital cameras were introduced in September 2002, at Photokina.

 

[Travis]

Robin,

Looking back that reply was sent to me in August 2002. A year later and Minolta still hasn't moved on with the DSLR, but has updated the Dimage. Why they couldn't add the ability to interchange lenses must be beyond most of us. The new camera even looks more similar to the SLR's, with the dynax grip etc.

Anway, I encourage people to e-mail photohelp@Minolta.co.uk

Perhaps his attention can be drawn to this forum and the concern raised here.