Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D Review: Digital Photography Review

Compared to...

Studio scene comparison (vs. Nikon D70)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position within minutes of each other. Lighting: 2 x 800W studio lights with dichroic daylight filters bounced off a white ceiling reflector. All crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F). Camera settings:

Konica Minolta 7D: Minolta 50 mm F1.4, Aperture Priority (F9),
ISO 100, JPEG Large/Extra-Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer
Nikon D70: Nikkor 50 mm F1.4 D, Aperture Priority (F9),
ISO 200, JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer

Konica Minolta 7D	Nikon D70
ISO 100, 0.8 sec, F9	ISO 200, 1/2 sec, F9

4,556 KB JPEG (3008 x 2000)	2,718 KB JPEG (3008 x 2000)

There's an obvious difference in the tone curve between these two cameras (the 7D image more contrasty) but color balance is remarkably similar, both rendered reds and blues similarly (these are the two colors most often 'shifted' in our test). There's really very little difference between these two cameras when it comes to resolution and detail. We did note in our D70 review that this camera uses a sensor with a 'lighter' anti-alias filter, and that does show through with slightly crisper fine detail but it's very subtle.