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HELP!! Minolta Cameras trashed by camera store

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Riaan Jutte said:
I book a studio for two hours every Saturday, and shoot at least
500+ photos in those two hours. I work with mostly prof. adult
models who can assume a different pose every 3-5 seconds and
quickly switch outfits. I mainly shoot for adult content providers,
where quantity counts higher than quality.

On my last shoot with Edita, a Czech Penthouse model, I shot 600
photo's for two sets. Here are two examples from that shoot:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
Really nice to get the "Porn King's" advice on the best camera to shoot

naked women. This confirms what I have heard about the Netherland's

love of skin and that the D-60 photographs it so well. Glad to hear that

the D-7's are not being used for this smut.
 
My D7 has been abused pretty badly by me on numerous back country trips, skiing, rock climbing, etc. I have a few external dings to show for it. It's been a little tempramental from the start, occasionally hanging in shooting mode, requring turning power off then on again (not to take the batteries out), but otherwise, has worked well. I agree that it doesn't feel as durable as an E-10/20, but the trade off in size and weight were worth it to me. There still is no other camera in this range which comes close to even the original D7 in features, control, and lens quality, which is surprising, given the 1.5 years that have passed since it came out. I may just armor it by wrapping the whole thing in duct tape and keep on shooting!
-David
SUE OBRIEN said:
I have found the dream camera that I want, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi.
I called a large camera store and he told me that 2 out of 4
Minolta digital cameras come back due to flaws or problems. Has
anyone heard anything like this? He seems to be pushing Canon and I
have a Canon G2 which doesn't have enough zoom and an Olympus
C2100uz, which has the zoom but not enough pixels. I have read all
the reviews and checked the boards but haven't found anymore
problems than anyother camera has. Any advice is welcomed!!
Click to expand...
--
David

http://fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid= {F351C88E-FEF7-4892-9F30-9FD2DDD1593C}&tio=0
 
I have now taken over 14,000 pictures with my 7i since I bought it in June. (That's an average of about 1 picture every 10 minutes for every waking hour since I bought the camera!) I just fixed the first problem I have had with the camera myself. (The rubber zoom ring was slipping. No big deal. Took 5 minutes with the instructions on Bryan's web site.) It's a great camera. I paid $1000 for mine, and it was worth it. I don't even regret the fact that you can get one for less than $800 now, or that you can get a 7Hi for what I paid for my 7i. I'd trade even, though. :-)

If you're serious about photography, buy one. You'll love it.
 
Second that Tim. Although I am not a pro, I am very impressed with the quality of Minolta cameras, lenses and accessories. It takes great pictures. I own the Dimage 7Hi, D5, Maxxum 7 & Minolta lenses and 3600 HS(D) flash. In my opinion, I rank Minolta up there with my Honda Accord, and you know how legendary Honda is for their reliability.

Regards,

José
Tim M said:
Riaan Jutte said:
My D7 "crashed" more often than my Windoze computer, which takes
some doing. Only way to get it going again was to remove the
batteries. Sometimes it would completely blow out a photo that
looked good in the viewfinder for no reason. It twice corrupted my
1GB MicroDrive causing me to lose all the pictures of my holiday.
Battery usage was ridiculous, I still own a barrel full of
rechargables from my D7 days - quite handy for my eTrex, remote
controls etc.

I had a big brand loyalty towards Minolta, as I cut my teeth on
35mm Minolta's, starting with the X700, and later the 5000i which
used those "Creativity cards" - remember those? I also owned the
Dynax 9 and recently traded in my Dynax 7 kit on the D60. I nearly
gave up on Minolta with the Dynax 9 when I dropped it 2 feet onto a
carpet and it split open, spilling it's guts and dying on me. So
much for Minolta's "pro" body.

I enjoyed the Oly E-10 tremendously, and it rekindled my interest
in digital photography. Never had 1 single problem with it.
Fantastic camera. The only reason I upgraded to the D60 was because
the E-10 couldn't keep up with my work pace in the studio (500+
shots average per 2 hours).
SUE OBRIEN said:
I have found the dream camera that I want, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi.
I called a large camera store and he told me that 2 out of 4
Minolta digital cameras come back due to flaws or problems. Has
anyone heard anything like this? He seems to be pushing Canon and I
have a Canon G2 which doesn't have enough zoom and an Olympus
C2100uz, which has the zoom but not enough pixels. I have read all
the reviews and checked the boards but haven't found anymore
problems than anyother camera has. Any advice is welcomed!!
Click to expand...
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon D60, 50mm f/1.4, 70-200mm L f/4, 550 EX
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Chas said:
This salesman sounds like the one quoted in another thread who said
that he had "more Minoltas coming back than going out". Now that
sounds like a generous return policy! BTW, I love my new 7hi and
haven't returned it even once... chas
Click to expand...
The fact that there are many discusions by camera sales people about Minoltas reliabilty make me wonder if there is not some truth to it. I know a couple of local dealers in my area who no longer sell Minolta products because of this. At the store I work for we had about a 25% return on Minoltas Dimage 7's, but I have only seen (1) 7i and no 7Hi's. Must complaints were about the poor battery life of the camera. A few (the (1) 7i falls in this catagory) had bent pins in the compactflash compartment. One Minolta that we did have more returns then sales was the Maxxum 400si, if I remember correctly. I had to send in about 3-4 floor models plus the many returns from customers.
--
Canon D-30, EF 20-35, EF 24-85, EF 50mm f/1.8 Gen. 1, 70-200L f/4
Leica M2, M6 TTL, Summicron 35mm f/2, 50mm f/2, 90mm f/2, Elmarit 135mm f/2.8
 
Leica is still best said:
The fact that there are many discusions by camera sales people
about Minoltas reliabilty make me wonder if there is not some truth
to it.
Click to expand...
Not me ... you provide ample explanation below.
varex2a said:
I know a couple of local dealers in my area who no longer
sell Minolta products because of this. At the store I work for we
had about a 25% return on Minoltas Dimage 7's, but I have only seen
(1) 7i and no 7Hi's.
Click to expand...
Sounds pretty damning about the D7, especially compared to the D7i and D7Hi, right? Well, the store won't like a return, and will call many returns "low quality", despite ...
varex2a said:
Must complaints were about the poor battery
life of the camera.
Click to expand...
Which has what to do with quality?

Nothing.

--
Jesper
 
Claymore said:
Clifford wrote:

Really nice to get the "Porn King's" advice on the best camera to
shoot naked women.
Click to expand...
As I see it the only difference between a "porn" photographer like myself and a "combat" photographer like you is that I prefer my models to be alive. Oh well, each to his own.
Claymore said:
This confirms what I have heard about the Netherland's
love of skin and that the D-60 photographs it so well.
Click to expand...
Yes, the D60 DOES do quite a good job with skin tones, doesn't it? Glad you pointed it out.
Claymore said:
Glad to hear that the D-7's are not being used for this smut.
Click to expand...
1) There is no need to refer to the female body as "smut".
2) The original D-7 was "studio-impaired".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon D60, 50mm f/1.4, 70-200mm L f/4, 550 EX
 
SUE OBRIEN said:
I have found the dream camera that I want, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi.
I called a large camera store and he told me that 2 out of 4
Minolta digital cameras come back due to flaws or problems. Has
anyone heard anything like this? He seems to be pushing Canon and I
have a Canon G2 which doesn't have enough zoom and an Olympus
C2100uz, which has the zoom but not enough pixels. I have read all
the reviews and checked the boards but haven't found anymore
problems than anyother camera has. Any advice is welcomed!!
Click to expand...
Hi,

I have had several digital cameras in the past (Canon A50, Canon S10, Nikon Coolpix 990, Canon G1, Canon Ixus 330) and since two months the Minolta 7i.

I have never had any problem with the digital camearas but now with the 7i it starts. In the past two months I got some strange err messages while I just started working (the camera was not hot). And since a week my camera can't flash anymore and gives err messages when I try to flash :-(

I love the 7i but IMHO it is not as stable as the other cameras I had.

Jan.

I
 
Riann, sorry, that post was actually made for John, my mistake.

Keep Snappin!!
Riaan Jutte said:
On my last shoot with Edita, a Czech Penthouse model, I shot 600
photo's for two sets. Here are two examples from that shoot:

WARNING! NUDITY!

I used a soft-focus effect with this one:
http://www.pbase.com/image/6313389/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/6313420/original.jpg

However, sometimes I DO feel an artistic urge, and I've been known
to actually take up to 2 MINUTES to set up a shot! :-)
burn1out said:
Don't mean to burst your bubble but it is actually one shot every
14.4 seconds. 60seconds x 60minutes =3600 seconds x 2 hours = 7200
seconds divided by 500 = 14.4 seconds based on 8 hours a day. As
far as a months time you were correct with your math.

Maybe it was a typo :)

I would say that he is probably making some serious cash! or at
least should be :)
John Stavick said:
Riaan Jutte said:
the E-10 couldn't keep up with my work pace in the studio (500+
shots average per 2 hours).
Click to expand...
How many D60's do you go thru in a year? At the rate you posted
here...you are putting 40,000+ shots a month on it. You have got to
be seriously tired or rich at that rate. That's a shot about every
4 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon D60, 50mm f/1.4, 70-200mm L f/4, 550 EX
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
 
Hi Sue,

The D7 line of cameras is a fine line of digital cameras. All you need to do is to follow the posts of galleries on this forum and you will see the excellent work being done by the members of this forum.

I also have to admit that for many people, the D7 line of cameras are difficult for them to use. There are a large number of digital camera buyers who tend to want everything to be done automatically for them. Basically they want point and shoot with the wide angle and zoom that the D7 series lense provides. They can't handle the different focusing modes or experience out of focus shots because of hand shake. Their expectations for the EVF are that it should be good as a high resolution 30 inch monitor and have perfect color or they can't figure out why it switches to B&W in low light. The camera has a lot of advance features that the point and shoot photographer doesn't really understand or really care about.

I think we live in a world of instant gratification and eveything is expected to be handed to us without any effort. The D7 line takes some effort and experience to get truely great shots. I've enjoyed working with this camera and the opportunity it has given me to learn more about digital photography. If I get a good print out of my D7i, I know that I had something to do with it and it wasn't just a monkey pointing the camera and pressing the shutter. I guess I've always wanted to do my own developing and now I can.

I know the camera is a compromise, but for its price it is an extremely good compromise. I still can't see the prices for DLSRs as being anything near reasonable, particularly when you consider that if you don't have lenses you have another major cost. I really enjoy my D7i and the only really attractive feature that the D7Hi has over the D7i is the 64mbyte buffer. Given that, I stay with what I have. If I was buying today, I would buy the D7Hi.

Good luck in you choice and get what suits you best.

Jim

--
Photography should be fun

http://www.pbase.com/jcollins
 
Riaan Jutte said:
Riaan Jutte said:
Clifford wrote:

Really nice to get the "Porn King's" advice on the best camera to
shoot naked women.
Click to expand...
As I see it the only difference between a "porn" photographer like
myself and a "combat" photographer like you is that I prefer my
models to be alive. Oh well, each to his own.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
Riaan, another difference, "combat" photos help save lives. I can't
help wondering how many child molesters, rapist and murderers have
been inspired by your work. Such as Westerfield, here in San Diego,
(a porn addict) who kidnapped a 9 year old girl from her bedroom. He
bruteally raped her, killed her and threw her body in a field for the insects
and animals.

You will say,-- you only take the pictures and don't care how they are
used, because "that's where the money is".
What a legacy for a photographer to leave behind.
As you say, "To each his Own."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Riaan Jutte said:
Riaan Jutte said:
This confirms what I have heard about the Netherlands
love of skin and that the D-60 photographs it so well.
Click to expand...
Yes, the D60 DOES do quite a good job with skin tones, doesn't it?
Glad you pointed it out.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
It was also nice that you pointed out --- you were interested in
volume instead of quality.
-------------------------------------------------------
Riaan Jutte said:
Riaan Jutte said:
Glad to hear that the D-7's are not being used for this smut.
Click to expand...
1) There is no need to refer to the female body as "smut".
2) The original D-7 was "studio-impaired".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon D60, 50mm f/1.4, 70-200mm L f/4, 550 EX
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
--
Clifford
http://www.imageevent.com/cdbrown
-----------------------------------------------
D-7, Nikons (5), Contax (3), Leica (4), Hassy (2) Canon (3) + 52 others.
 
Claymore said:
Riaan, another difference, "combat" photos help save lives. I can't
help wondering how many child molesters, rapist and murderers have
been inspired by your work. Such as Westerfield, here in San Diego,
(a porn addict) who kidnapped a 9 year old girl from her bedroom. He
bruteally raped her, killed her and threw her body in a field for
the insects
and animals.
Click to expand...
Clifford,

I can appreciate & respect your viewpoint, but keep in mind it is just your own opinion, and hasn't been proven as far as I know. I can also easily make a blanket statement in a similar fashion as yours, for example, I can't help wondering how many murderers, snipers, terrorists etc. have been inspired by your combat photo's to do violent acts upon innocent civilians. Most people have a choice to ignore porn, they seldom if ever have a choice to ignore war.
Claymore said:
What a legacy for a photographer to leave behind.
Click to expand...
All in all, I would rather have my kids remember me as someone who appreciated the female body, and tried to express this through photography, than someone like you who participated & promoted violent acts of war through photography.
Claymore said:
You will say,-- you only take the pictures and don't care how they are
used, because "that's where the money is".
Click to expand...
I never said this, it's your words. But let's examine this anyway. I always assumed that one of the basic ideas of a business was that you sell a product, and what the client does with it is his business. (Except for weapons, of course).
Claymore said:
It was also nice that you pointed out --- you were interested in
volume instead of quality.
Click to expand...
True, but why do you assume that high volume sets like mine can't be of good quality? Before a shoot I put a lot of effort in to ensure that the model, sets & lights are perfect, which enables me to shoot at a high speed.
 
Have you wondered why a store would carry a product it criticizes? My guess is it's either a personal prejudice on the part of the clerk, or he makes more commission on another brand. Pay attention to the ussers, not the sellers. Berge
 
I dont know if the 7Hi is a lemmon or not, but I do know that most stores want to sell whats in stock. Everything else is then garbage.

Also most sales guys hardly know more than the model name. I usually ignore their blah blah altogether.
SUE OBRIEN said:
I have found the dream camera that I want, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi.
I called a large camera store and he told me that 2 out of 4
Minolta digital cameras come back due to flaws or problems. Has
anyone heard anything like this? He seems to be pushing Canon and I
have a Canon G2 which doesn't have enough zoom and an Olympus
C2100uz, which has the zoom but not enough pixels. I have read all
the reviews and checked the boards but haven't found anymore
problems than anyother camera has. Any advice is welcomed!!
Click to expand...
 
Sue...if you haven't found a place to purchase the 7hi yet, I highly recommend buydig.com. I just bought a 7i from them. It was the cheapest price on the internet. $720 (even lower now) plus 24.95 shipping. Camera was here in 4 days. Perfect in every way. Was very satisfied. They have a good price on the 7hi also:

http://www.buydig.com/cgi-local/shop/web_store.cgi?cart_id=65120380.1035828115&page=outlet_frontpage_db.html&details=yes&exact_match=on&pro_id=MIDIMAGE7HI&search_request_button=yes&accy=&as=

BillyBob
 
SUE OBRIEN said:
I have found the dream camera that I want, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi.
I called a large camera store and he told me that 2 out of 4
Minolta digital cameras come back due to flaws or problems. Has
anyone heard anything like this? He seems to be pushing Canon and I
have a Canon G2 which doesn't have enough zoom and an Olympus
C2100uz, which has the zoom but not enough pixels. I have read all
the reviews and checked the boards but haven't found anymore
problems than anyother camera has. Any advice is welcomed!!
Click to expand...
Hi,

Did you try to buy your camera at Adorama???

Anyway, the early Dimage 5’s a few issues, I had a bad one too but, the new 7i simple rocks.

Here are my reviews, hope they help…
http://www.congiano.com/Photography/photography.htm
 
When I first got my Dimage 7 it was bad and we took it back---wouldn't recognize its own card and think there was another issue but can't remember. With trepidation we brought home another and it is fine. I installed the upgrade and sent it to my daughter because I like it so well I had to have the 7HI ---no problem on this one either. Some years back when my husband bought me the Maxuum 800si it stopped working right away (a matter of days) Same thing again we returned it for another and the next one was fine. It is my feeling (and I DO hope I am right about this...that if it's a good one it's a good one and if it's bad it will show up right away. Also had a Dell computer 450 was bad from the start. Now I have a Dell laptop and its fine. Maybe its bad handling- who knows I wouldn't worry unless it happened to me twice, then I'd definitely choose another.
 
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