Minolta Digital SLR ????????????

steve wilkes said:

Minolta are only interested in consumer P&S, they told me so.

Click to expand...

So, let me check the facts here.

Minolta, a cutting edge camera-maker and leading innovator for 75 years and running, who happen to be based in the most technologically advanced country in the world. Is choosing to release a new line of SSM lenses for a product line that shall remain only film. Oh yeah, except for the point & shooters out there, who they do deem worthy enough to spend the time with their R&D deptartment developing new digital technologies that continue to win award after award for innovative design ideas. I don't know man, doesn't quite add up to me.

Steve, I can assure you I'm as fed up with the silent wait as you are man, but I think I'd have to ask how much your source actually knows if this is his opinion on Minolta's stance on their DSLR development..
---Sol

[text snipped]

steve wilkes said:

Dont believe any rumours you hear about a Minolta DSLR, these guys
are clutching at straws....a few weeks ago there was a crazy German
saying a Minolta DSLR was coming out in a line in an Ebay ad he
placed. Within a few days this was all round the usenet as fact &
that he was a respected German journalist. It was not & he was a
wannabe photographer nutter..........

Click to expand...

I hear you but Minolta is pretty tight lipped about this so it could go either way (DSLR or not)

steve wilkes said:

Minolta are only interested in consumer P&S, they told me so. Still
many people believe in a god without any evidence of existance
whatsoever, so if you want to believe in a minolta DSLR go ahead, I
guarantee PMA 2004 will go by with no Minolta DSLR.......

Click to expand...

Maybe this is wishful thinking but you should know by now that Minolta will introduce a few of their much-awaited SSM lenses within the next few months. I think they are already selling it in Japan. Why on earth will they come out with these high-quality and pressumably high-margined products if there is no DSLR?

For Minolta to survive, they have to come out with a DSLR. It will help sell their top-notch SLR lineup too. If I am a newbie starting out with a film SLR, why would I choose Minolta if there is no likelihood of using my lenses should I decide to go with a digital SLR down the road?

Anyway, I'm walking the talk here by expanding on my Maxxum lens collection by picking up a 20/2.8. I love the summer it is an excellent time to take pictures (film or digital). There are a lot of new and exciting slide films to try out. I also joined a local digital photography club (most of the members shoot with the 10D). Just missed a glamour photoshoot, I'm pretty sure my Maxxum 7 + 85/1.4 and Fuji Astia or Kodak 100GX can give these guys a run for their money.

Happy clicking,

José

steve wilkes said:

nigel alan jones said:

dear Sir or Madam,

I was wondering if you could help me i have had Minolta Cameras now
for some years. I have a Dynax 7 and a Dynax 9. The question i have
for you is that i have my own Website for Aviation Photography and
i see that Canon have been bringing out a lot of Digital SLR
cameras( Like the D1, D60 and know the D10) for 35mm camera users
and are very good i was hoping that you someone could help me and
tell me if Minolta will be bringing one out very soon ( I have seen
on the japan minolta site a picture of a camera ever A9 or X9 )
This is something which i require and need for my photography
otherwise i will need to switch to canon which i don't want to do
because of the lens i have if someone could help me with this it
would be most grateful i did not have much look from Minolta Uk.

I hope you can help with this inquiry and i hope to hear from
someone soon and thank you for your time.

Yours Faithfully,

Nigel Jones

Click to expand...

--
Steve
If I was a horse they'd shoot me......
10D/Minolta Dynax 7/ETRSI/5X4 & kodak Instamatic.

Click to expand...

--

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices. You'll want to sell it before then! As I see it, Minolta resale value will only drop. If you have a 5600Hs(D) or 3600HS(D)flash, keep it. Just in case you decide to buy a Dimage 7hi.

I have been selling cameras for 10 years, and my prediction is that Minolta may join Olympus and Kodak in the 4/3 system. If they get into DSLR's at all. Look at it this way: the Maxxum system is not compatible with the MD lensmount, and when Minolta introduced APS SLR's they created a new lensmount again. Minolta also knows that their share of the pro SLR market is miniscule at best. From their perspective, they have little to lose from leaving Maxxum shooters twisting in the wind. The SSM lenses may just be a testbed for 4/3 system SSM lenses. Or, they may be designs that Minolta has had kicking around their R&D for the last 5 years.

The Mind of Minolta seems to be elsewhere. Makes me glad I sold all my Maxxum gear last year.

Thoughts? Flames?

.

nigel alan jones said:

dear Sir or Madam,

I was wondering if you could help me i have had Minolta Cameras now
for some years. I have a Dynax 7 and a Dynax 9. The question i have
for you is that i have my own Website for Aviation Photography and
i see that Canon have been bringing out a lot of Digital SLR
cameras( Like the D1, D60 and know the D10) for 35mm camera users
and are very good i was hoping that you someone could help me and
tell me if Minolta will be bringing one out very soon ( I have seen
on the japan minolta site a picture of a camera ever A9 or X9 )
This is something which i require and need for my photography
otherwise i will need to switch to canon which i don't want to do
because of the lens i have if someone could help me with this it
would be most grateful i did not have much look from Minolta Uk.

I hope you can help with this inquiry and i hope to hear from
someone soon and thank you for your time.

Yours Faithfully,

Nigel Jones

Click to expand...

--
In the end, it's all about light!

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices. You'll
want to sell it before then! As I see it, Minolta resale value
will only drop. If you have a 5600Hs(D) or 3600HS(D)flash, keep it.
Just in case you decide to buy a Dimage 7hi.

Click to expand...

Dan L168319 said:

The Mind of Minolta seems to be elsewhere. Makes me glad I sold
all my Maxxum gear last year.

Thoughts? Flames?

Click to expand...

Dan L168319 said:

In the end, it's all about light!

Click to expand...

My question: Where did you go from here? Selling all your Maxxum gears in such a hurry, not paying attention or being patient? If, and I think they will, Minolta create a DSLR, where would you be? Elsewhere! Your probability of regrets will come very soon if they do. Most of us know that Minolta has a great 70 years of reputation and can/will stand through this DSLR competition. I don't think Minolta will lose so easily. Minolta is probably still working hard at its best not to make any flaws for its new DSLR. Maybe that's why they do not show off or present their new products yet. We will just wait and see.

My recommendation to all Minolta users: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a little longer while you save up enough to buy the Maxxum DSLR system, but don't sell your Minolta stuff. Sell only the accessories you don't need in hand. Happy clicking!

Dan L said:

. . . The Mind of Minolta seems to be elsewhere. Makes me glad
I sold all my Maxxum gear last year . . .

Thoughts? Flames?

Click to expand...

If the Mind of Minolta turns out not to have been elsewhere, will you feel less glad that you sold all your Maxxum gear last year?

As you may recall, the original D7 announcement came as a surprise. In the digital arena, other than for its RD175 DSLR (and RD3000?), Minolta was known as an obscure player with mostly simple point-and-shoots. The D7 was a huge step after a long dry spell.

I predict that the next Minolta DSLR will be a similar abrupt surprise. Frankly, I prefer this approach to Pentax's other extreme.

If I were Minolta, I'd do one of three things:

1. Wait until it is feasible to design a full frame DSLR at a reasonable price yet with innovative features.

2. Join the 4/3 consortium.

3. Both 1 and 2, but not necessarily in that order.

I really can't see any advantage of current 4/3 system. Honestly speaking if Minolta launches a DSLR, I will buy immediately together with the newest scanner. There is a lot fun to shoot with film
--
Mark K
http://www.pbase.com/mark_k

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices.

Click to expand...

I've already been finding good deals on some used gear ... prices have further to drop ... maybe I'm buying while the "gettin' is good" (if they do introduce a DSLR Who knows ? It's all speculation.

As for having regrets for bailing out too soon, I seriously doubt that anyone has regrets about switching from Minolta to Canon digital. Aside from losing out on the great usability of a 7 or 9, Canon certainly has good lenses, including IS lenses and perspective control lenses and USM ... things some Minolta users have been griping about for years. And even if Minolta does come out with a DSLR (assuming it has a Maxxum mount) Canon users have both small frame and full frame models available, and will probably see another 4 or 5 DSLR models before Minolta ever gets around to it's second DSLR body ! Not to bash Minolta ... as I said, I'm still buying up Minolta AF gear (200/4 macro and 17-35G were my recent acquisitions). Just that even if they do come out with a DSLR, you can go running around yelling "Told Ya' So" all you want, and I don't think folks who switched are really going to be all that upset.

Dan L168319 said:

I have been selling cameras for 10 years, and my prediction is that
Minolta may join Olympus and Kodak in the 4/3 system.

Click to expand...

That's been my thought ever since I first heard about the 4/3 system. But now I'm not so sure. My original thinking was: A Maxxum mount DSLR would sell to current Maxxum users (those who haven't bailed out while waiting and those who can afford it when it does come out). There's nothing in the Minolta lineup that's going to get any Nikon/Canon users to switch. So Minolta has to be able to make a profit selling a DSLR to a subset of it's shrinking existing customer base.

The 4/3 system, on the other hand, offers something that Canon and Nikon don't have ... or at least it offers the promise ... good image quality from a half frame sensor that lets you carry a smaller, lighter outfit around. Photographers already compromise on image quality ... 35mm is "good enough" for many applications and a lot more portable than medium format or large format. So if the 4/3 system can be "good enough" then photographers will gladly carry smaller lenses - for less weight and lens speed. It remains to be seen just how good it is (and whether that's good enough) ... I'm thinking photojournalists in particular. (The dust reduction system looks like it will appeal to photographers, too). So the only competition is with Olympus.

And as you mentioned, Minolta already messed around with a DSLR in the past and used APS-sized lenses then. Past comments have indicated that "they" (some folks at Minolta) think the DSLR based on 35mm is just a fad while digital technology improves and the market figures out what it wants.

Why am I having second thoughts ? You can already get great image quality from a 10d with a 1.6X multiplier ... and a huge lineup of lenses, including used lenses. So the 2X multiplier doesn't look all that advantageous. Then again, with the 4/3 system, you know you're "locking in" to the sensor size, while Canon offers no promises for the future ... as sensors get cheaper, maybe they'll only offer full frame (figuring resolution will be good enough that you can crop).

Why might Minolta not be introducing a Maxxum DSLR ? The new 5400 dpi scanner ... something to "soothe the savage beasts" (Maxxum users). If Minolta goes 4/3 and never introduces a Maxxum DSLR, it might steal a little market share from Canon/Nikon (while fighting Olympus) but I'm betting it will lose the majority if it's existing customer base (when & if they eventually switch to digital).

Dan L168319 said:

The Mind of Minolta seems to be elsewhere. Makes me glad I sold
all my Maxxum gear last year.

Click to expand...

The Mind seems to have too little resource to do anything with its ideas

• Dennis

Sol said:

But I think I'd have to ask how much your source actually
knows if this is his opinion on Minolta's stance on their DSLR
development..

Click to expand...

Well how about a senior manager in the Minolta technical section UK !!!!! Thats who I got the reply from, to my enquiry about a DSLR .......mind you the way the mind of Minolta works they will be the last to know !!!!!

--
Steve
If I was a horse they'd shoot me......
10D/Minolta Dynax 7/ETRSI/5X4 & kodak Instamatic.

Dan I've had all my Dynax gear in & out of a box to sell down at the local photo store a few times now, I might just write it all off & keep it & go to Canon anyway, cant bear to part with the dynax 7......

Dan L said:

I have been selling cameras for 10 years, and my prediction is that
Minolta may join Olympus and Kodak in the 4/3 system. If they get
into DSLR's at all. Look at it this way: the Maxxum system is not
compatible with the MD lensmount, and when Minolta introduced APS
SLR's they created a new lensmount again. Minolta also knows that
their share of the pro SLR market is miniscule at best. From their
perspective, they have little to lose from leaving Maxxum shooters
twisting in the wind. The SSM lenses may just be a testbed for 4/3
system SSM lenses. Or, they may be designs that Minolta has had
kicking around their R&D for the last 5 years.

The Mind of Minolta seems to be elsewhere. Makes me glad I sold
all my Maxxum gear last year.

Thoughts? Flames?

.

nigel alan jones said:

dear Sir or Madam,

I was wondering if you could help me i have had Minolta Cameras now
for some years. I have a Dynax 7 and a Dynax 9. The question i have
for you is that i have my own Website for Aviation Photography and
i see that Canon have been bringing out a lot of Digital SLR
cameras( Like the D1, D60 and know the D10) for 35mm camera users
and are very good i was hoping that you someone could help me and
tell me if Minolta will be bringing one out very soon ( I have seen
on the japan minolta site a picture of a camera ever A9 or X9 )
This is something which i require and need for my photography
otherwise i will need to switch to canon which i don't want to do
because of the lens i have if someone could help me with this it
would be most grateful i did not have much look from Minolta Uk.

I hope you can help with this inquiry and i hope to hear from
someone soon and thank you for your time.

Yours Faithfully,

Nigel Jones

Click to expand...

--
In the end, it's all about light!

Click to expand...

--
Steve
If I was a horse they'd shoot me......
10D/Minolta Dynax 7/ETRSI/5X4 & kodak Instamatic.

Fincantieri said:

I believe Minolta will have to lauch a real DSLR because other
companies have proven their best in making a DSLR. Minolta has a
great reputation on creating the first great SLR system - Maxxum
7000.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I couldn't let this pass without comment. I suppose your qualifier gives you room for debate but I think the Nikon F series predates the Maxxum 7000 by a few years. They've kept the same basic lens mount for 44 years to give users an upgrade path and a range from sub-$200 amateur bodies to high end pro cameras with interchangable viewfinders.

Fin Phan said:

Just think about it! If you are the Minolta company with a good
reputation for many years, you wouldn't let others just stomp you
down and destroy your reputation! Minolta is like a snake ready
for its attack! They will do something better and more
exciting....they always have!!!

Click to expand...

Unless they are more concerned with their stockholders and continue to concentrate on amateur P&S where the profit is.

Fin Phan said:

Look at the DiMAGE 7hi today....why did Minolta built this? Why
not launch a DSLR along with Canons, Sigmas, Nikons, or Olympus? I
think Minolta created the 7hi to show that it is compared to some
of the systems of Nikons, Canons, etc. But Minolta will have
something new in the future in years to come. Just be patient my
friends....Keep your lenses and take some pictures.

Click to expand...

Because a simple P&S design costs far less to develop than a DLSR. Minolta has done a good job milking the D7 design with only a few minor upgrades since the oriiginal camera came out.

Personally I'd love to see a next generation D7. I have no illusions that it can compete against large sensor DSLR but it's a pretty darn good camera for the money and mine (original D7) has been very useable. If Minolta could build a successor that didn't feel like a toy they'd have a lock on the amatuer market that wants a DLSR but can't justify the cost.

steve wilkes said:

steve wilkes said:

But I think I'd have to ask how much your source actually
knows if this is his opinion on Minolta's stance on their DSLR
development..

Click to expand...

Well how about a senior manager in the Minolta technical section UK
!!!!! Thats who I got the reply from, to my enquiry about a DSLR
.......mind you the way the mind of Minolta works they will be the
last to know !!!!!

Click to expand...

Steve, no offense intended, but who are you that they would tell you what they do or don't have planned until they are ready to make any offical announcement of a new product? Minolta, same as all manufactures, keep very silent on any product developements untill they are ready to introduce them. If Minolta does have a DSLR under developement, which I actually believe they probably do, AND if the senior manager you spoke to actually knew about it, he wouldn't tell anyone outside the company about it anyway or he could easily get fired for that. I happen to be very friendly with one of the local Minolta reps in my area and even he tells me that they don't get told about new products until the company is ready to make an offical announcement about any new product. Until Minolta in Japan is ready to comfirm or deny a DSLR I wouldn't believe any information one way or the other from any other source.

steve wilkes said:

--
Steve
If I was a horse they'd shoot me......
10D/Minolta Dynax 7/ETRSI/5X4 & kodak Instamatic.

Click to expand...

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices. You'll
want to sell it before then! As I see it, Minolta resale value
will only drop. If you have a 5600Hs(D) or 3600HS(D)flash, keep it.
Just in case you decide to buy a Dimage 7hi.

I have been selling cameras for 10 years, and my prediction is that
Minolta may join Olympus and Kodak in the 4/3 system. If they get
into DSLR's at all. Look at it this way: the Maxxum system is not
compatible with the MD lensmount,

Click to expand...

so what? is the Canon AF mount and system compatible with their older manual FD lenses? And are the older Pentax screw mount lenses going to work with the D*ist? and what about Olympus's older manual lenses - think they will work on the E1? In fact, the only company that kept the old mount at all was Nikon and really as I see it there was no point in doing that. Because they insisted on keeping the old mount from their manual focus lenses to work when AF came out they were pretty much the last ones to have an AF SLR film camera and after all that wait their customers could use their older lenses but they lost over half of the feautes available to them on the AF camera bodies.

If you are judging Minolta based on the fact that the Maxxum system won't work with the older MD lenses you are really missing the boat. And if you have been selling cameras for 10 years you should be much more aware of this.

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices.

Click to expand...

Bring it on baby, this is an all-win situation for me. If I'm patient I will have that Minolta DSLR (IMO, this is an emphatic Shaq O'Neil slam-dunk!!!). If by remote chance Minolta decides not to come out with one, heck bring on those fire sale prices. Maybe I can pick up a used mint-condition Maxxum 9 for US $ 500 and/or 300/2.8 G for US$ 1,000. Just like the great investor Warren Buffet during the bear stock market in the seventies, 'I feel like an oversexed man in a brothel."

Happy clicking with your Minoltas,

José

--

Jose,

The Dynax 9 is a great camera to own. I've owned mine since not long after it was launched and have enjoyed using it. The last year it has seen very little use but that should pick up again this year. The Dynax 9 was certainly one camera in which what ever brand you shoot with you cannot fail to be inpressed by.

I look forward to finding out how the camera performs with the new SSM lenses.

Emmanuel

José B said:

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices.

Click to expand...

Bring it on baby, this is an all-win situation for me. If I'm
patient I will have that Minolta DSLR (IMO, this is an emphatic
Shaq O'Neil slam-dunk!!!). If by remote chance Minolta decides not
to come out with one, heck bring on those fire sale prices. Maybe I
can pick up a used mint-condition Maxxum 9 for US $ 500 and/or
300/2.8 G for US$ 1,000. Just like the great investor Warren Buffet
during the bear stock market in the seventies, 'I feel like an
oversexed man in a brothel."

Happy clicking with your Minoltas,

José

--

Click to expand...

Emmanuel said:

Jose,

The Dynax 9 is a great camera to own. I've owned mine since not
long after it was launched and have enjoyed using it. The last year
it has seen very little use but that should pick up again this
year. The Dynax 9 was certainly one camera in which what ever brand
you shoot with you cannot fail to be inpressed by.

I look forward to finding out how the camera performs with the new
SSM lenses.

Click to expand...

I totally agree that the 9 is one of the best cameras in its class. I could have used one today at Niagara Falls with all that mist. I will definitely buy one along with the Elite 5400 if Minolta decides not to come out with a DSLR. I'm kinda spoiled now with my existing high-quality Maxxum lenses and I don't want to restart with a new manufacturer and spend more money.

Are you thinking about getting one of the SSM lenses? If so, which one? You will have to bring your 9 to the shop to get it retooled. I wonder if there is going to be an SSM for 24-70 or 24-85?

Best regards,

José

Emmanuel54656 said:

Emmanuel

José B said:

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices.

Click to expand...

Bring it on baby, this is an all-win situation for me. If I'm
patient I will have that Minolta DSLR (IMO, this is an emphatic
Shaq O'Neil slam-dunk!!!). If by remote chance Minolta decides not
to come out with one, heck bring on those fire sale prices. Maybe I
can pick up a used mint-condition Maxxum 9 for US $ 500 and/or
300/2.8 G for US$ 1,000. Just like the great investor Warren Buffet
during the bear stock market in the seventies, 'I feel like an
oversexed man in a brothel."

Happy clicking with your Minoltas,

José

--

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--

José B said:

Bring it on baby, this is an all-win situation for me. If I'm
patient I will have that Minolta DSLR (IMO, this is an emphatic
Shaq O'Neil slam-dunk!!!). If by remote chance Minolta decides not
to come out with one, heck bring on those fire sale prices. Maybe I
can pick up a used mint-condition Maxxum 9 for US $ 500 and/or
300/2.8 G for US$ 1,000. Just like the great investor Warren Buffet
during the bear stock market in the seventies, 'I feel like an
oversexed man in a brothel."

Happy clicking with your Minoltas,

José

Click to expand...

-- LOL!!! Jose, your killing me, man! Ditto, on the waiting for surplus sale.
Sol

Dan L said:

I have been selling cameras for 10 years, and my prediction is that
Minolta may join Olympus and Kodak in the 4/3 system. If they get
into DSLR's at all. Look at it this way: the Maxxum system is not
compatible with the MD lensmount, and when Minolta introduced APS
SLR's they created a new lensmount again. Minolta also knows that
their share of the pro SLR market is miniscule at best. From their
perspective, they have little to lose from leaving Maxxum shooters
twisting in the wind. The SSM lenses may just be a testbed for 4/3
system SSM lenses. Or, they may be designs that Minolta has had
kicking around their R&D for the last 5 years.

Click to expand...

The two may not be mutually exclusive. Perhaps if Minolta finds that selling SSM 4/3rds lenses is a profitable business, they may go for it. If nothing else, it would diversify their revenue stream.

digital_ray_of_light said:

Dan L said:

I have been selling cameras for 10 years, and my prediction is that
Minolta may join Olympus and Kodak in the 4/3 system. If they get
into DSLR's at all. Look at it this way: the Maxxum system is not
compatible with the MD lensmount, and when Minolta introduced APS
SLR's they created a new lensmount again. Minolta also knows that
their share of the pro SLR market is miniscule at best. From their
perspective, they have little to lose from leaving Maxxum shooters
twisting in the wind. The SSM lenses may just be a testbed for 4/3
system SSM lenses. Or, they may be designs that Minolta has had
kicking around their R&D for the last 5 years.

Click to expand...

The two may not be mutually exclusive. Perhaps if Minolta finds
that selling SSM 4/3rds lenses is a profitable business, they may
go for it. If nothing else, it would diversify their revenue
stream.

My point is, given their history of more or less clean-slate designs, I would not count on Minolta to introduce a DSLR that is compatible with the Maxxum system. Minolta may decide that 4/3 will be more appropriate for a DSLR. It's all about installed base and target markets. That's assuming Minolta even wants to market a DSLR system at all. So far, we haven't heard a hint of a rumour regarding one. Which makes this whole thread a guessing game, albeit a fun one.

Click to expand...

--
In the end, it's all about light!

I would like to get the 28-70mm SSM and the 70-200 SSM but it all depends on Minoltas next Dynax cameras. If the next top of the range Dynax camera is a digital camera, I will certainly buy some SSM lenses. However, if there will be no DSLR for another year or more, I shall divert my funds to one of the existing DSLR systems but still maintain my existing film system. The Elite 5400 scanner will extend the usefulness of my film equipment for commercial purposes.

Emmanuel

José B said:

Emmanuel said:

Jose,

The Dynax 9 is a great camera to own. I've owned mine since not
long after it was launched and have enjoyed using it. The last year
it has seen very little use but that should pick up again this
year. The Dynax 9 was certainly one camera in which what ever brand
you shoot with you cannot fail to be inpressed by.

I look forward to finding out how the camera performs with the new
SSM lenses.

Click to expand...

I totally agree that the 9 is one of the best cameras in its class.
I could have used one today at Niagara Falls with all that mist. I
will definitely buy one along with the Elite 5400 if Minolta
decides not to come out with a DSLR. I'm kinda spoiled now with my
existing high-quality Maxxum lenses and I don't want to restart
with a new manufacturer and spend more money.

Are you thinking about getting one of the SSM lenses? If so, which
one? You will have to bring your 9 to the shop to get it retooled.
I wonder if there is going to be an SSM for 24-70 or 24-85?

Best regards,

José

José B said:

Emmanuel

José B said:

Dan L said:

My recommendation: keep shooting with your Maxxum gear for a
little longer while you save up enough to buy a DSLR system. But
look to sell your Minolta stuff soon. When spring 2004 arrives and
Minolta doesn't announce a DSLR, you can bet that ebay will be
flooded with Maxxum/Dynax equipment at fire-sale prices.

Click to expand...

Bring it on baby, this is an all-win situation for me. If I'm
patient I will have that Minolta DSLR (IMO, this is an emphatic
Shaq O'Neil slam-dunk!!!). If by remote chance Minolta decides not
to come out with one, heck bring on those fire sale prices. Maybe I
can pick up a used mint-condition Maxxum 9 for US $ 500 and/or
300/2.8 G for US$ 1,000. Just like the great investor Warren Buffet
during the bear stock market in the seventies, 'I feel like an
oversexed man in a brothel."

Happy clicking with your Minoltas,

José

--

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--

Click to expand...

Amother nail in the Minolta (non DSLR) coffin.......

http://www.sigma-photo.com/Html/news/80-400os.htm

Sigma are not even bothering with a Minolta mount on their new lenses, my dynax stuff is going in the box again for transport to the dealers......

nigel alan jones said:

dear Sir or Madam,

I was wondering if you could help me i have had Minolta Cameras now
for some years. I have a Dynax 7 and a Dynax 9. The question i have
for you is that i have my own Website for Aviation Photography and
i see that Canon have been bringing out a lot of Digital SLR
cameras( Like the D1, D60 and know the D10) for 35mm camera users
and are very good i was hoping that you someone could help me and
tell me if Minolta will be bringing one out very soon ( I have seen
on the japan minolta site a picture of a camera ever A9 or X9 )
This is something which i require and need for my photography
otherwise i will need to switch to canon which i don't want to do
because of the lens i have if someone could help me with this it
would be most grateful i did not have much look from Minolta Uk.

I hope you can help with this inquiry and i hope to hear from
someone soon and thank you for your time.

Yours Faithfully,

Nigel Jones

Click to expand...

--
Steve
If I was a horse they'd shoot me......
10D/Minolta Dynax 7/ETRSI/5X4 & kodak Instamatic.