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

I have used this camera for a few weeks after upgrading from a panasonic FZ20. I liked the Panny, but it's complete inability to capture shots in low light, combined with it's handling limits (menu driven, too slow and clunky to change settings), persuaded me to switch to a DSLR even considering the significant cost of lenses, etc. I looked closely at the market offerings for about 3 weeks. At first, I was sure I wanted the Canon Rebel XT. Who can argue with Canons name, the excellent 8 MP CMOS sensor... well, after handling one in the store, that idea was well out of my mind. The camera is too small and the grip is way too small for anyone but a woman with small hands. The screen is too small (1.8 inches), the viewfinder is not big or bright enough, and changing settings is not as easy as it should be on this type of camera.

So I started looking at the other offerings. To make a long story short, it came down to choosing between the new Nikon D50 or a refurbished 7D from ebay. I bought the 7D for it's excellent ergonomics, image stabilization, feature set, size, viewfinder, large screen, etc. I figure that soon KM will release a new version, but what the heck, it's better to have it in my hands now and be shooting, right?

It's an excellent camera. Fast, comfortable in my hands, great controls, great screen, great viewfinder. Images take a lot of USM in processing, but that's a good thing in my book.

My only complaint is that sometimes the focus area selector gets changed accidentally.

I wish it had 25 megapixels, no noise at ISO 3200, 10 FPS shooting, 3 inch screen, 1.0x viewfinder... but since that is probably ten years off, this camera will do just fine for now

Problems:

None.