plesbit
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Contributing Member
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Posts: 560
Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D (Dynax 5D) review
Compared to similar offerings from Canon, such as the EOS300D and the EOS350D, this camera looks a little light on megapixels. However, I thought there must be a reason why KM felt only 6MP would do in both this and their higher level Dynax 7D - and why Nikon agree in the form of their D50 and higher level D70 cameras.
It basically comes down to CCD size. Bigger CCD's capture more detail and generate better pictures. The Canon's use a smaller CCD.
On a recent holiday I travelled with a lot of friends and we swapped pictures so I now have pics from nearly a dozen different digital compact cameras. My Sony DSC-V1 cost nearly twice what all the others did and it shows in the resulting images. However the pics from the KM 5D blow it away. Zooming in on the level of fine detail captured by this and simply absent from the Sony was so noticeable that even my cameraphobic wife was forced to use words like "wow" when I showed her some comparisons.
The only problem was that, despite assurances from Sigma, the Sigma lenses I used with my 35mm SLR do not function fully on the digital body. They are fine in daylight but do not work with the flash at all. I am currently investigating what needs to be done to rectify this problem.
Problems:
The above problem is more to do with Sigma so I won't mark down the camera for that.
The are some minor annoyances in the way certain menu options are set up by default. I recommend taking the time to sit down with the manual and configure it to your liking.
One slightly frustrating thing I have found is that nowhere, no matter how much you look, does the camera give even an estimate of the amount of memory card used and how many shots are likely to be fitted on what remains. This, to me, is a surprising oversight. Otherwise I have nothing but praise.
[Edit: Oh yes it does and it was staring me in the face all along!]