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Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D (Alpha-7 Digital / Dynax 7D) review

Started Mar 10, 2006 | User reviews thread
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picturesq1 New Member • Posts: 3
Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D (Alpha-7 Digital / Dynax 7D) review

I have been shooting with "Minolta" since 1983 and am a second generation photographer. I held out on going digital and continued to use film with my indistructable "tank" 9xi and my backup 700si. I had superiour performance from my 9xi and expected my first 7D to outperform it. I found that the autofocus was sluggish, and the knobs to be cumbersome & a contstant hassle (Interesting that KM went "oldschool" in design for the 7D while Canon & Nikon adapted the design model that the 9xi had). As I expected this device to be fantastic, I also bought the touted 17-35 lens "built for the 7d and their "new and improved" 5600 HS flash. After my initial investment of just over $2.5k US for those three items and mutliple batteries and verticle grip, etc. - - I was slammed with something that I NEVER heard of in over 2 decades of shooting; BACKFOCUS!!! I had to resort to manual focus on every shoot and it got to the point that I sent it in for repairs from KM and had to go purchase a 2nd 7D for a wedding that I was shooting that weekend as they did not want film for their wedding. WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS!!! Another investment of just about $1k US and more BACKFOCUS issues (talk about being smacked down!). I purchased my first 7D from a reputable establishment in NYC and my 2nd 7D from Samy's in Santa Ana, CA. It has been nearly four months and my first 7D has been back to KM now a 3rd time (still there right now as I type this) because they OUTSOURCE their technicians for repairs (but only till the 31st of this month as they'll all be out of a job) and my 2nd 7D just got back from KM a 2nd time for BACKFOCUS issues and is now starting up again. Amazingly enough - several digital reps with KM said that they experience problems with their 7Ds and have to open up their D.O.F. to 14 or greater to achieve clear photos. After 23 years of being an avid KM user, having been sponsored by Minolta in 1996, I today invested $3k in all new CANON gear this afternoon and am ebaying ALL of my KM gear; bodies, lenses (KM, Tamron, Sigma, etc.), flashes, everything! If KM feels that can abandon their professional market, why should we in any way feel we should stick to a manufacturer that SELLS OUT. And to all the folks that are either buying 7Ds, or keeping yours, be informed that Samys Camera WILL NOT purchase ANY KM gear whatsoever! I spent 2 1/2 hours today working with them, proving to them that my gear is immaculate & with all warranties and manuals & the best that they would do for my entire lot was $500 and they were not sure about that. Also, Sony's tech/support department is in India and if anyone has dealt with off-shore technical assistance (Dell & many others), you will receive text-book answers, and very muddled, incoherent and completely unqualified answers and lack of help. BE FOREWARNED that KM is DEAD in the professional market. KM's product has NO RESALE value whatsoever and will continue to plummet to the point of a used 20 year old, manual focus, wind up film camera. If you equate KM with the great depression, you are 100% accurate! Keep in mind that Pentax is out of business, Olympus partnered with Panasonic & Samsung is a latebloomer. If you are a professional photgrapher, your selections are becomming slimmer and slimmer down to the "Big 2" now - since KM has bailed out of the market. They lost just under 70 million US in '05 and they bailed. Kodak lost $1 Billion dollars and are still marching on to the beat of their drum to stay in the market.

Problems:

BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS! BACKFOCUS!

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D (Dynax 7D / Alpha-7 Digital)
6 megapixels • 2.5 screen • APS-C sensor
Announced: Sep 15, 2004
picturesq1's score
1.7
Average community score
4.6
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