Somebody please tell me why I stick with Minolta!!

That's exactly one of my biggest concerns. I will primarily use the camera for landscapes / scenics where I can afford to play with the settings and take shots via trial and error. But what happens when you are hiking down a trail and suddenly come across a brown bear? Certainly, first and foremost you hope that the bear doesn't come after you. LOL After you establish that you are safe, then you gotta start shooting before the bear runs off. You miss a shot like that because you are busy fiddling with controls, then you kick yourself over and over again. I am sure that I would be able to use the P-mode with the 7D and get a decent picture, but it would be just as easy to select a portrait mode or action mode (whatever is needed) to get the same picture while managing to compose the scene just a little bit better.

Thanks for your thoughts about the automatic program modes!!

Wade,

Since I read through the whole thread I feel compelled to reply even though you apparently have made a decision. I too am deciding whether or not to go digital and if so which Minolta, 5D or 7D.

In answer to your original question, why wait for Minolta "to get it right." By implication you were considering a brand other than Minolta. Two main reasons for me to stick with Minolta: 1. existing Minolta lenses (mentioned several times above); 2. many controls at your finger tips rather than searching through menus. And then there's the many other pluses (e.g., AS, larger display, etc.)

As to 5D vs. 7D I think both ovenglove and ddaiddai above have given good advice. The 5D probably is best for you given your ease of use preference. I grew up using a hand held meter and therefore the interelationship of film speed, aperture, and shutter speed are now second-nature. Therefore, the absence of the program modes button (I have it on my Minolta film camera) is not a big problem for me, however, I concur with ovenglove's ideas concerning how this relates to sports action photography.

I doubt you would ever regret getting the 7D. But I beleive that in extreme conditions the missing modes can assist in capturing that one off shot.

One thing thats worth remembering though is that whilst you are running away from that bear the 5D is way lighter!!

Iain

In extreme conditions, the modes are no longer useful; they only do their magic when the scene is as the mode expects. When you reach an extreme condition is when your skill takes over; that is precisely when you will lose your shot if you rely on modes.

--
Dave Patterson
---------------------
Midwestshutterbug.com

Sounds to me like you are a perfect candidate for a digital point-and-shoot.

--Mike

Since you will shoot more "rolls" in a month with digital than you probably to in a year with film I'd expect you to pick up the "scene modes" pretty quickly.

Something like "flash night portrait" is a matter of popping up the flash and holding a button in. Plus you have the exif information so you can see where it went wrong after the fact and the LCD during shooting.

Andrew

Wade Ritchie said:

But what happens
when you are hiking down a trail and suddenly come across a brown
bear?

Click to expand...

The one time that happened to me, my camera was in my backpack, not around my neck. If it had been at the ready, it was too dark under the forest canopy to get a sharp image with a long lens without taking the time to setup my tripod. IF I happened to have the right lens on the 7D, I might have had a chance at a snapshot-quality image if I quickly dialed up to ISO 1600 with the help of antishake (assuming the bear stayed still long enough to avoid subject blur).

Now, assuming that all of the above worked - I'd rather quickly dial up ISO 1600 and take that shot in program mode than "fiddle" with also trying to select the right "picture mode".

Wade Ritchie said:

Certainly, first and foremost you hope that the bear doesn't
come after you. LOL After you establish that you are safe, then
you gotta start shooting before the bear runs off. You miss a shot
like that because you are busy fiddling with controls, then you
kick yourself over and over again.

Click to expand...

After my wife got done kidding me about missing a shot of a bear despite having a couple thousand $$ of gear on my back, I consoled myself with knowing that - best case - that $$thousand in gear could have generated a snapshot.

Wade Ritchie said:

I am sure that I would be able
to use the P-mode with the 7D and get a decent picture, but it
would be just as easy to select a portrait mode or action mode
(whatever is needed) to get the same picture while managing to
compose the scene just a little bit better.

Click to expand...

How would choosing a picture mode allow you to compose the scene better than shooting it in program mode ? If you've really got that little time, you're just not going to get a "good" shot.

• Dennis

--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

I'm glad to hear you like the 7D (as I noticed in your articles "Catch the Rave!" and "The Tale Told by Two Pictures").

Your enthusiasm for this camera helps some of us that are still "sitting on the fence" about a KM DSLR.

Thanks for writing about it.

--
JimC
------
http://www.pbase.com/jcockfield

personally. i dont think minolta is ever going to cater to you personally. and you should realize this fact. the idea of you not eager to learn HOW by experimenting and making mistakes is foolish on your part. do you really think scene modes will make you a great photographer? i HIGHLY suggest you read a couple photography books and just go out and SHOOT in manual mode, learn by using the features, NOT by letting the camera do the thining for you.

i realize that some of us have more experience, for instance, when i go shooting i use full manual mode, spot metering, and manual focus... and the zone system. and i feel SO much more satisfied with my shots, then if i let the camera do the thinking for me.

take the first step and use the semi-auto program mode so you at least feel that you have SOME control of the camera, then work yourself away from it. its a much better feeling.

just my 2c.
--
Minolta Maxxum 7, 7D
http://www.students.dsu.edu/shockeys

Sorry but thats rubbish.

I dont know about you but I can't beat an 8 bit cpu let alone the number of bits in the 7D.

What does bits have to do with rapidly evaluating a situation from experience and knowledge? In normal situations, the programs work wonders. I have several friends with D70's and P&S cameras who pretty much always use nothing but programs. And when conditions turn extreme, their pictures turn to mud.

And then I know some pros who pretty much always live in A mode, and when conditions turn extreme, you can't tell it from their pictures; they still look great.

You trust your 8 bits, I'll trust what I see actually happens, and learn how to actually use a camera without hesitation. Not that there's anything wrong with sticking to programs; just do it for the right reason and don't use rubbish reasons.