Best A mount upgrade from Maxxum 7D

Hi,

perhaps only adding to EXX's reply: the 7D has been my first DSLR and I decided to get it to continue using my existing Minolta AF lenses from former 35mm film SLR.

While I really liked the 7D, despite the quirks I had with it, I realized pretty quickly that the existing lenses weren't worth the concerns - however this applied to my (mediocre) zoom lenses, once purchased in a kit with the film SLR.

Now the time has advanced quite a lot and even if the already mentioned last iterations in Sony's A-Mount line up are a bit dated now, they still mean huge advances over the 7D - and as such in their requirements concerning optical qualities of the lenses. IAW their 24MP (FF or APS-C sized sensor) will "shine" only when good optics are mounted in front. Perhaps you have some of those highly regarded A-Mount (Minolta) jewels - then yeah, it's worth to consider. But Minolta produced also quite some stuff, let's say, more budget friendly, which may not be worth the hazzle to take them as basis for further purchasing decisions into a system.

If you do get something like an A77 or A99 and have Sigma lenses in your collection, beware. Those later cameras have two focusing speeds in them. The high speed one can easily strip the gears in the Sigma lenses, so set it on the lower one in the menu - but even that may still strip the gears.
I'd never had any issue with gear stripping on the older A550 or A57 or A900, so it came as a surprise that the first thing that happened when I got an A77 was that it wrecked my 400mm Sigma lens I used for birds.
You can also pick up a second hand LA-EA4 adapter on Ebay, which will work with any e-mount camera, but you'd have to get the A7Mk2 or higher to have in-body stabilization. Or get the LA-EA5 adapter to get more features working with the latest  Sony cameras.
Interestingly, while the old Minolta lenses aren't as good as the later ones in terms of sharpness across the field, and in not having anti-reflection coatings on the back lens, it transpires that they can be superior in some ways. Check out Mr. Baz reviews of various Minolta lenses on YouTube. He shows that using those old lenses can deliver in photos a very smooth transition from out-of-focus in front of subject to in-focus on subject  to out of focus behind subject (eg. taking a picture of something in a field, or shooting down the length of fence posts), whereas the newer sharper lenses can have a very harsh transition.
Regards,
Renato

jrichards_ii wrote:

I am looking to upgrade from my Maxxum 7D to something from this decade. I had a 5D and 7D and want to retain all of my A mount lenses so I am wondering what is the best Sony camera for someone that enjoys taking sports photos of my kids and the occasional family travel photos.

Has to be the A99II or A77ii

followed by A99 or A77

I sold my A900 and bought a KM 7D for nostalgia reasosn as it was my first ever DSLR in 2004.

I love it and use it in conjunction with my Minolta Maxxum 7.