Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D (Dynax 5D) review
I had wanted a DSLR for a long while and after spending months of considering Nikon D70 and Canon 350D, I came across Minolta 7D. I immediately fell in love with the camera but didn't get it due to the size (I've got rather small hands).
When I heard the 5D was coming out I decided to wait and I finally got it two weeks ago. The camera feels superb in the hand and the build is very good for an entry DSLR. The kit lens is more than good enough for me.
As a complete beginner I initially found the camera difficult to use (due to my lack of knowledge) and I was confined to mostly using the AUTO mode. However, I downloaded a copy of Gary Friedman's highly recommended ebook and after reading the first few chapters I can now control the various settings to produce very decent shots.
I needed a camera that would not require lots of button click to change a setting and the 5D is really good on that. I've been taking lots of shots of the same scene(s) in different ISO and other settings. It's just so easy and the large LCD on the back allows me to see the result easily.
The AS works surprisingly well.
This camera is a must for any beginners wanting to enter the DSLR world. As for experience (Minolta) photographers, you might want this little gem as a backup camera. You definitely will not be sorry for having one.
Love of my life: my mother, my wife, my daughter and my KM 5D.
Problems:
The display on the back does not reflect the true quality of the images due to the LCD not having the same brightness range as the image sensor. I deleted a lot of pictures thinking that they weren't any good. This is actually mentioned in Gary Friedman's ebook. Following Gary's advise I kept images that didn't look great. When I later viewed these images on my PC they were truely very good. This may be a bad point to most people but I am actually quite ok about it. At least I know that anything appearing decent on the display would mean the result must be superb.