MInolta Dimage 7 or 7i

Michael Belliveau · Mar 20, 2002

Good day,

I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and photographing constantly.

I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos. I am 19 and on a very limited budget so price and quality matter. I need to know if upon the release of the 7i , will the dimage 7's price drop with any signifigance, I would love to get the 7i but I really can not spent more than $800-850. I will appreciate any response, help , advice. Including on wheather the D7 is a more practical choice than the 5 Mpixel Sony.

Truly thankfull
Journeys through China--MLB

Mike Roberts · Mar 20, 2002

Michael Belliveau said:
I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone
for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and
photographing constantly.
I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be
flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos. I am 19 and on
a very limited budget so price and quality matter. I need to know
if upon the release of the 7i , will the dimage 7's price drop with
any signifigance, I would love to get the 7i but I really can not
spent more than $800-850. I will appreciate any response, help ,
advice. Including on wheather the D7 is a more practical choice
than the 5 Mpixel Sony.

It may drop a bit, but the stocks will quickly disappear. In fact, I am sure that Minolta and the retailers will be trying to soft land their stocks so that the day the D7i hits the shelves there are no more D7s around.

There will be folks, such as myself, who are likely to upgrade if they get a good price for their D7. Hint, hint.

Mike Roberts

Michael Belliveau · Mar 20, 2002

Mike Roberts said:
I sm looking for a hint of a good price.

I can buy it new with delivery for $720.US model

Journeys through China

Mke Roberts wrote:
"There will be folks, such as myself, who are likely to upgrade if

Mike Roberts said:
they get a good price for their D7. Hint, hint. "

--MLB

John Stavick · Mar 20, 2002

Michael Belliveau said:
Michael Belliveau said:

I sm looking for a hint of a good price.

Click to expand...

I can buy it new with delivery for $720.US model

If you can get it for that price, BUY IT!

The 7i will not be available till shortly before June. I would think you would want to get familiar with it before your trip.
BTW, Do you need anyone to steer the boat for you?

Adam Trachtenberg32146 · Mar 20, 2002

One thing you might want to consider is battery life. The Sony gets many more pics on a charge, so if you're going to spend time away from A/C....

John Stavick said:
Michael Belliveau said:

John Stavick said:

I sm looking for a hint of a good price.

Click to expand...

I can buy it new with delivery for $720.US model

Click to expand...

If you can get it for that price, BUY IT!
The 7i will not be available till shortly before June. I would
think you would want to get familiar with it before your trip.
BTW, Do you need anyone to steer the boat for you?

Jurjen · Mar 21, 2002

Hi Michael,
Just a different point of view:
Is a digital cam the right thing to bring along in your case?

It seems to me that you will be spending a lot of time in rather primitive conditions. Finding power (220/europlug!?) to recharge batteries might easy become a problem. Further digi cams are more vounerable for wet and dirty conditions and are very expensive compared to conventional camara's.

For 1/3th of the money you can have Dynax 5 with a 28-80 mm zoom and 20-30 rolls of fuji slide film. No need to bring along spare batteries as long as you don't make excessive use of the flash.

Plus your grand children will be able to enjoy the pictures you will take along your journey same as I enjoy my grandfathers photo's. Something that might be questionable with digi pics even 20 years from now...

Jurjen

Michael Belliveau said:
Good day,

I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone
for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and
photographing constantly.
I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be
flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos. I am 19 and on
a very limited budget so price and quality matter. I need to know
if upon the release of the 7i , will the dimage 7's price drop with
any signifigance, I would love to get the 7i but I really can not
spent more than $800-850. I will appreciate any response, help ,
advice. Including on wheather the D7 is a more practical choice
than the 5 Mpixel Sony.

Truly thankfull
Journeys through China
--
MLB

Russ Meyer · Mar 21, 2002

John Stavick said:
Michael Belliveau said:

John Stavick said:

I sm looking for a hint of a good price.

Click to expand...

I can buy it new with delivery for $720.US model

Click to expand...

If you can get it for that price, BUY IT!
The 7i will not be available till shortly before June. I would
think you would want to get familiar with it before your trip.
BTW, Do you need anyone to steer the boat for you?

Are you sure about that availability date or just speculation based on "late spring"?

--Russ Meyer http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=450591

Russ Meyer · Mar 21, 2002

Michael Belliveau said:
I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone
for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and
photographing constantly.
I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be
flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos

I too will be visiting China from May 7-28 and will be taking a trip down the Yangzee.

I REALLY want to take a 7i on my trip. If not, I'll just use my ol' trusty DC-4800. I can't see buying a 7 for a 3 week trip knowing that the 7i is what I really want. If I can't get one before the trip, I will be holding off buying a new one till next year.
--Russ Meyer http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=450591

Michael DeBruyn · Mar 21, 2002

jurjen said:
Hi Michael,
Just a different point of view:
Is a digital cam the right thing to bring along in your case?

It seems to me that you will be spending a lot of time in rather
primitive conditions. Finding power (220/europlug!?) to recharge
batteries might easy become a problem. Further digi cams are more
vounerable for wet and dirty conditions and are very expensive
compared to conventional camara's.

For 1/3th of the money you can have Dynax 5 with a 28-80 mm zoom
and 20-30 rolls of fuji slide film. No need to bring along spare
batteries as long as you don't make excessive use of the flash.

Plus your grand children will be able to enjoy the pictures you
will take along your journey same as I enjoy my grandfathers
photo's. Something that might be questionable with digi pics even
20 years from now...

Jurjen

Sage advice, Jurjen, although I wouldn't necessarily be overly concerned about the longevity as a file burned into a CD could last a long time. I know, not the same as a print, but the CD version wouldn't just fade away to nothing.

Michael

Michael Belliveau · Mar 21, 2002

Hi this is Michael,

I appreciate all of the responses, I am going to go digital because of the ease of transfering the pictures as well as the number of pictures I can take. I will put up with batterie issue.

Mainly I am curious as to whether the D7i would offer any advantage that outway the cost difference to the D7. Given the practice I could get with the D7 in the next two months, does purchasing it now outway waiting for its price to fall further when the D7i is released.

Where all of you happy with the D7 before hearing about the D71.

With Sincerity,

Michael Belliveau

Just wondering, any ideas on getting a good deal on the D7 ( new or used)

Thanks Again, this forum is exremely informing and pleasent!

--MLB

John Stavick · Mar 21, 2002

Russ Meyer said:
Are you sure about that availability date or just speculation based
on "late spring"?

I am only quoting info that Minolta has released. They said it will be available before June of 2002. That leaves a pretty much open time frame. They may be out by end of April, who knows for sure?

sandy b · Mar 21, 2002

One of the parts and service teks where I work regularly goes to hong kong, singapor and shanghei, and always buys his digital camers and digital video at a huge savings, you can get them with an extended american warranty over there too. Just something to think about if your stopping in one of those places.

Russ Meyer said:
Michael Belliveau said:

I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone
for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and
photographing constantly.
I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be
flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos

Click to expand...

I too will be visiting China from May 7-28 and will be taking a
trip down the Yangzee.
I REALLY want to take a 7i on my trip. If not, I'll just use my ol'
trusty DC-4800. I can't see buying a 7 for a 3 week trip knowing
that the 7i is what I really want. If I can't get one before the
trip, I will be holding off buying a new one till next year.

--
Russ Meyer
http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=450591

Adam Trachtenberg32146 · Mar 21, 2002

I consider the new focusing system to be the biggest upgrade over the D7, but there's no way of knowing whether it'll significantly outperform the D7's focusing unit until the camera is actually released, or at least made available to reviewers. It's just a guessing game.

As far as price goes, I wouldn't expect the D7's price to drop substantially from its current level--$50-100 at most. I think the two months of practice (and fun!) would easily justify that amount.

Michael Belliveau said:
I appreciate all of the responses, I am going to go digital because
of the ease of transfering the pictures as well as the number of
pictures I can take. I will put up with batterie issue.

Mainly I am curious as to whether the D7i would offer any advantage
that outway the cost difference to the D7. Given the practice I
could get with the D7 in the next two months, does purchasing it
now outway waiting for its price to fall further when the D7i is
released.

Where all of you happy with the D7 before hearing about the D71.

With Sincerity,

Michael Belliveau

Just wondering, any ideas on getting a good deal on the D7 ( new or
used)

Thanks Again, this forum is exremely informing and pleasent!

--
MLB

Michael Belliveau · Mar 21, 2002

Sandy,
Do you think the price difference would warrent the wait and loss of practice.

with smiles
Michael Belliveau

sandy b said:
One of the parts and service teks where I work regularly goes to
hong kong, singapor and shanghei, and always buys his digital
camers and digital video at a huge savings, you can get them with
an extended american warranty over there too. Just something to
think about if your stopping in one of those places.

--MLB

fnord77 · Mar 21, 2002

Hi Michael,

I own a D7, and while the quality is good, it is not the highest. For something truly important, I would use 35mm or larger film (I shoot large format too).

Seeing as you are on a tight budget, I think 35mm would offer the best price/performance ratio.

If it were me, I would buy a decent 35mm body (certainly not top of the line) and three PRIME lenses (non-zoom lenses) of focal lengths of 24mm (or 28), 50mm and 135mm (or around there).

I don't know anything about Minolta film products, but I am certain they have something that fits what I described above.

Your other options would be to buy a used Nikon FE2 or N8008 etc. and used Nikon AIS prime lenses if you don't care about auto-focus. The Canon rebel would be worth looking at too if you really want an autofocus camera.

The reason I say to avoid zooms is that prime (non-zoom) lenses almost always beats out zooms in terms of quality. The few zooms that can compare to prime lenses are VERY expensive. Look at http://www.photodo.com for lens reviews.
Also, a decent tripod and a cable release are good investments too.
It sounds like this will be a trip of a lifetime! Enjoy!

Regards,
Paul Callahan

Michael Belliveau said:
Good day,

I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone
for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and
photographing constantly.
I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be
flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos. I am 19 and on
a very limited budget so price and quality matter. I need to know
if upon the release of the 7i , will the dimage 7's price drop with
any signifigance, I would love to get the 7i but I really can not
spent more than $800-850. I will appreciate any response, help ,
advice. Including on wheather the D7 is a more practical choice
than the 5 Mpixel Sony.

Truly thankfull
Journeys through China
--
MLB

Maxven · Mar 21, 2002

Carrying a tripod around isn't always practical although nothing beats the stability it provides. I'd suggest getting a monopod. Either a very compact one or one that doubles as a walking stick.

Regards, Maxven

Paul Callahan said:
Regards,
Paul Callahan

Michael Belliveau said:

Good day,

I am going to depart for China in mid MAY and am going to be gone
for 1 year or more. On my journey I will be writing and
photographing constantly.
I will spend a bit of time in the Yangzee river vally region to be
flooded in a few years -- so I want quality photos. I am 19 and on
a very limited budget so price and quality matter. I need to know
if upon the release of the 7i , will the dimage 7's price drop with
any signifigance, I would love to get the 7i but I really can not
spent more than $800-850. I will appreciate any response, help ,
advice. Including on wheather the D7 is a more practical choice
than the 5 Mpixel Sony.

Truly thankfull
Journeys through China
--
MLB

Click to expand...

jtjtjt · Mar 22, 2002

Michael:

You are not getting any bargain in HongKong or Singapore for camera. I travel there all the times and I can assure you that you are at bargain haven in this country if you search for the right price. You may find a newer models there on items like camcorder etc., not the digital camera. Plus sales people at 80% of the camera stores in HongKong are as bad as those at NewYork's camera shops---have you tried to call them? And Shanghai??? Sandy must be joking. Items imported to China has to pay tariff--in big time.

Why wait for 7i? Maybe you should wait for 7m, or 7q. My advice is that if you need it now---buy it now. If you need it for May, buy it before you leave. Price always drop. If you buy it when you don't need it then you are wasting money. If you don't buy it when you need it then you are a fool. Value of the good is when you need it. For a long run, what is the difference for 7 or 7i? The difference of their resale value is probably $20 on year 2005----between $140 and $120. How much does your momory worth for the first two months in China? Can you shoot 1% better pictures when the autofocus get faster? My medium format do not have autofocus, not even a built in meter. Still--no picture from all the high tech, gaget can came even close.

I hope that it solve your concern.

Michael Belliveau said:
with smiles
Michael Belliveau

sandy b said:

One of the parts and service teks where I work regularly goes to
hong kong, singapor and shanghei, and always buys his digital
camers and digital video at a huge savings, you can get them with
an extended american warranty over there too. Just something to
think about if your stopping in one of those places.

Click to expand...

--
MLB

Michael Belliveau · Mar 22, 2002

Paul Callahan said:
Hi Michael,
I own a D7, and while the quality is good, it is not the highest.
For something truly important, I would use 35mm or larger film (I
shoot large format too).

Does anyone else feel that way?

Wouldn't the cost of film outway the savings initially. And most importantly is the photo quality that divergent.

Thanks again, this is so very informative: this is a big descision for me

With many thanks
Michael Belliveau--MLB

John62128 · Mar 24, 2002

I,m selling mine completly

with hs 5600 flash, and b300 teleconvertor, hoya ir filter, and hoya uv filter and 3 hoya close up lenses, and 2 batt packs 1800nihm for €1100.-
shiping cost are yours must be around $950
john

Michael Belliveau said:
I appreciate all of the responses, I am going to go digital because
of the ease of transfering the pictures as well as the number of
pictures I can take. I will put up with batterie issue.

Mainly I am curious as to whether the D7i would offer any advantage
that outway the cost difference to the D7. Given the practice I
could get with the D7 in the next two months, does purchasing it
now outway waiting for its price to fall further when the D7i is
released.

Where all of you happy with the D7 before hearing about the D71.

With Sincerity,

Michael Belliveau

Just wondering, any ideas on getting a good deal on the D7 ( new or
used)

Thanks Again, this forum is exremely informing and pleasent!

--
MLB

--John smeets http://www.pbase.com/john1minolta D7 and Olympus B300

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