QuietOC
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Veteran Member
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Posts: 6,838
Re: I am thinking of buying a Minolta Film SLR (AF models)
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I am not a fan of the tv remote like controls on the early AF models. The viewfinders are nice and big even on the lower models.
Minolta SLRs released after the 9 support lenses with built-in AF motors: 9Ti, 7, 5, 4, 3, 70, 50, 40. A few 9's were also converted.
I've been using a Maxxum 70 for a year or so, and I like the controls, but I am not happy with image quality. I accidentally took a picture with ISO 16000 on my A5000 the other day, and it didn't look much worse than the Ektar 100 I just had developed. I haven't loaded another roll because it seems to be just a waste.
A good portion of the roll ended up blurry, and I wonder if some of that is mirror/shutter shock. I use manual lenses on the A5000 all the time without such issues. The Maxxum 70 is a really light body with a low end shutter. Maybe springing for a heavier body with a higher end shutter might reduce that problem.
A working 7 is still fairly inexpensive. I wish the 7 didn't crop the viewfinder image so much. It is larger and a little brighter than the pentamirror bodies. I am not a fan of the multiple dials--more ways to accidentally change something. The one I tried had a broken aperture mechanism so I returned it.
The little 5 is pretty well liked. The AF and metering system are downgrades from the 70, but it has a better shutter mechanism, and there is a small battery grip for it.
Or forget about motorized lenses and get something like the 600si or one of the higher si models.