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Full Circle - a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D after 17 years

Started 10 months ago | Discussions
ibbz
ibbz Regular Member • Posts: 192
Full Circle - a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D after 17 years
  1. Well after what? 17 years I’ve come full circle.

just bought a lovely KM 7D again!

it was my first DSLR which I bought in 2005. (Was a Dynax 5 SLR user before that - being my first foray into Minolta AF SLR’s

about 5 years ago i went back to Minolta - I bought a Minolta Maxxum 7 SLR and have been using it and loving it - (after forays into Fuji and Olympus mirrorless) (most of those years I was using a contax G2 and medium format) I bought a nice selection of lenses with it (24, 50 f1.4, 85 f1.4, 100mm macro and the beercan. Plus a Helios 44-2 with the M42 adaptor.

About  2 years ago I bought a Sony A900 but recently sold it as it was too big and heavy plus I wasn’t keen on the colours. So yesterday I saw a 7D for £65 and bought it. It’s arrived today and I’m feeling so much nostalgia - it looks and feels great plus a nice companion to my Maxxum 7 SLR.
I prefer the colour and rendering on this rather than the disappointing A900. I shoot mostly travel and portraiture in available light at base ISO the latitude of the 7D isn’t great but not an issue for me as my photos are all blue sky and well lit - i shoot BW film for any other condition. On 35mm I only shoot colour in E6. i shoot mostly with my 50mm f1.4 and want a standard lens of similar performance and speed for the 7D - any recommendations?

thanks

Canon EOS 7D Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D (Dynax 7D / Alpha-7 Digital) Nikon Coolpix A900 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Sony a9
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John KM/linhof Regular Member • Posts: 476
Re: Full Circle - a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D after 17 years

When the 7D came out I just had to have one but really couldn't justify the expense. Then with all the "back focus" complaints (a co-worker returned 2 for this issue and finally gave up and went with Nikon) I decided to wait till the Sony A100 came out. Interestingly I had sent a Maxxum 9 in for repair and they wouldn't do it but did send me, for free, a new A100 body for all my AF lenses, as a consolation prize (they kept my Maxxum 9).

Get a Minolta AF 28mm f/2 then you can use it on both. BTW I find the colors produced by my Sony A850 to be great and I have a "matching" Maxxum 9, both are more simple, to me,  analogue in operation. Digital is fine too, but I prefer it in the Fuji X-Pro1 and XE-1 than my Minolta/Sony cameras that remain more "film like" in operation. We all have choices.

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Linhofbiker

 John KM/linhof's gear list:John KM/linhof's gear list
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Fujifilm X-Pro1 Fujifilm X-E1
ibbz
OP ibbz Regular Member • Posts: 192
Re: Full Circle - a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D after 17 years

Thank you!

ive had a few digital cameras inc the Fuji XE2s and Olympus OMD EM5ii Panasonic GX7 and some others over the years (inc compacts)

but my main camera had always been a contax G2 until I foolishly sold it a few years ago - now prices have shot up and it’s unaffordable (I had all the lenses bar that 16mm)

However I always had a soft spot for Minolta and had always wanted the Maxxum 7. Hence I bought one after selling the Contax (and foolishly selling my Fuji TXii ((XPan ii) again for peanuts)

the 7D is the best feeling and handling digital camera I’ve ever used - the design is perfect with all the buttons I need and with a lovely reassuring ergonomic feel in the hand. It’s also a very handsome camera - more so in a subtle way than it’s sister 35mm 7 - it also helps that the photo quality is very nice indeed!

Mine will be a keeper - as being the last ever medium to high end Camera produced by both Konica and Minolta I think it may have a special place in a class hall of fame in the future.

my current camera collection is very humble - the two Minoltas, an Olympus Pen F half frame with 38mm zuiko and that’s it. I am hoping to get a Sony A68/77ii or 99/99ii at some point - if only for the low light performance and video and a 4x5 LF such as an MPP

thanks for the lens recommendation - I was considering the sigma 30mm f1.4 but the Minolta I have read is superior !!

ibbz
OP ibbz Regular Member • Posts: 192
Re: Full Circle - a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D after 17 years
3

What an absolute joy it was to use my Maxxum 7D today - went for a walk with the Minolta 50mm f1.4 and the Helios 44-2 and took some snaps of graffiti - and some portraits of my son and missus.

Wonderful and better than I remember it to be! The RAW files were very easy to work with and the colours are very special indeed!

I saw a Sony 35mm f1.8 for sale on eBay for a bargain £70 so bought it - collecting it tomorrow. Reviews say its very nice indeed.

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