Customer Reviews

Minolta Maxxum 7 35mm SLR Camera (Body Only)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently upgraded from Dynax 5 to Dynax 7 (Or what you folks over sea call it - Maxxum:), and I really found all the features I missed in my Dynax 5. It's auto focus is very responsive and fast, metering really performs well in most situations, controls are intuitive and easy to use, big LCD provides a lot of things to tweak with, exposure memory for 7 rolls is really useful too.
I do not use Minolta lenses however, Sigma EX series are the ones to use if you want quality for affordable price.
Ah, and my favourite Sigma lens is the 24-70/2.8 EX DG, it really is awesome, and has 'D' mount for Minolta too :)
Theres only one thing about Maxxum 7 I do not enjoy...the weight...it really should have been heavier!

I bought this camera just recently and I am very happy with it. I was reading up a lot before I made the purchase and came to the conclusion that with the extreme amount of innovation, the Maxxum 7 is a professional level camera worth comparing to any other.
The 5th-generation autofocus is extremely intelligent; nine points, with the center sensitive to vertical, horizontal and diagonal subjects. It is the fastest ever to wear the Minolta name.
The rear of the camera contains the illuminated LCD panel that is easy to read and tells you everything you need to know about the camera's controls in just a glance. Especially nice is the fact that it records all the settings for up to 7 rolls of film. (So one can go back and see what went wrong.)
The "Navigation Display" LCD panel with a plethora of information also makes above-head camera shots more manageable.
The body is compact, well sealed & rugged. The Controls are optimally located. The two prominent knobs are very handy. One allows you to choose the different modes (A, S, M or full Program), while the other one allows for fast compensation settings.
The 9-point autofocus system, with dual-cross center sensor, can be controlled by a dial in the back with ones right thumb. The Maxxum 7 boosts an 8X viewfinder magnification with built-in diopter adjustment and a sensational 92% X 94% coverage. Another great feature is the Distance-integrated flash metering with remote high-speed sync at all shutter speeds & rear-curtain sync 14-segment honeycomb-pattern metering system solves the toughest of lighting conditions with ease. The Eye-start operation initiates autofocus & autoexposure systems with just a glance into the viewfinder. One might never use all the 35 programmable custom function settings, but the Maxxum 7 is so loaded with state of the art technology, that as an amateur one will anyway never ever use all the possibilities this camera offers.

Amazing, glorious camera that provides much more than even most expensive competitors.
The camera has metering preview !!! It shows the matrix with metered values for each segment ! It not just allows DOS preview it meters and shows the distances ! It allows change middle exposure films! It can synchronize the external flash at any speed up to 1/8000 !!!! It is perfection and professional body, so convenient, smart and cool. I proud to own this Minolta's baby!

This is by far the best camera I have ever owned in my life, be it point and shoot, film or digital. I'm in the Marine Corps and took this camera with me in Iraq and countless other places and it went through some of the most extreme weather imaginable and kept on working. The camera is not labeled as splash-proof, but it should be -- I accidentally dropped this camera in a puddle of water and pulled it out and it was still working. I never had it fail on me one time. The LCD display on the back is huge and amazingly informative. The backlight on the LCD is very handy as well. The autofocus is also amazingly fast and accurate. It's a professional quality camera with beginner level accessibility.

This is an excellent contemporary high-tech camera. I tend to shoot in aperature controlled mode, and it is very easy to change aperatures, to bracket exposures so you get three to seven shots in rapid fire with slightly different settings, and to see differing depths of field. Depending on the lens, it can also be relatively easy to modify the auto focus (so, for example, you move the center of the focus in front of or behind your subject to get the right part of the scene in focus), but note that some lenses will clutch and not be able to be hand-manipulated, leading to a need to switch to manual focus with those lenses in some cases.

What really sells this camera, though, is the wireless flash. Do not underestimate how much this can improve your flash pictures. It is very easy to use -- I literally have shown my 3 year old, who was very curious, how to do, and got some good shots of him in the process. If you buy this camera, you should buy at least one of the Minolta "D" flashes.

As you take bracketed shots in continuous focus mode, the camera does a good job of remaining in focus. For those of us with glasses, there is a diopter adjustment in the viewfinder that adjusts the viewfinder to our own current prescription. On manual focus, this has a real impact on my photos, where my focus was previously a bit soft much of the time.

I end up with a couple of minor complaints -- the selector button that lets you choose which sensor to use in focusing is placed right where my nose can hit it, and I've had to learn to take care not to accidentally change the setting with my nose. Also, I'd like to see the new anti-shake technology that is being incorporated in Minolta's new digital 7 incorporated into the 7. I suspect it is just time until this happens.

All in all, an extraordinary camera.

There's no way you're going to find a better camera in this price range. This beauty does it all. It has all the bells and whistles of camera's costing twice as much. The autofocus is super fast and the body is solid yet lightweight. Easily a match for the Maxxum 9 or Nikon F5.

The best autofocus period. Out performs nikon & canon. Can focus in near darkness. It really performs better than expected. I like the information lcd on the back. I like it better than the F100. Judging from what I have experienced it should be very dependable.

I have tried several cameras trying to find a camera that was,
easy to use,that had pro features but also not very heavy.This camera has suprised me by meeting these needs and more.The camera is sturdy enough for most people,except for extreme weather(below 0,pouring rain,sahara desert conditions).the maxxum7 makes up for this with alot of useable features that are easy to get to and easy to remember.My results have been great and the exposure meter has been very reliable. The camera
is easy to hold and fits great in my hands. I bought the vertical grip and it makes the handling even better.Minolta lens selection is good and most are very sharp.minolta not only makes there own glass but they also build there own lenses.I know this sounds like a minolta ad but I was very taken by this camera and
the minolta system fits my needs (they just added there version of ultra-sonic lenses).See for yourself if it is the right choice,but if you ask me I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the camera and the system.

I purchased the Maxxum 7 to replace the Minolta 650, and cannot begin to compare the two. Although I will probably never use all the features, I can't wait to put it through it's full paces.

I got this camera new before Minolta bugged out of the camera business. Minolta was always a trends setter and the other big 2 scrambled to catch up. Minolta was terrible in the marketing department because all I remember was Canon commercials, I never saw a Minolta one = too bad. The Maxxum 7 is a super camera and out-of-this-world with the vertical control grip. It's plastic structure belies it's capabilities and it's what the Maxxum 9 (armored/combat camera) should have been. I'm still learning what this thing can do! So many intuitive switches make it like a semi-automatic camera for the enthusiast . One cannot go wrong if they get this camera if they have access to the old 1980s Maxxum lenses from a pawn shop and/or the new-in-the-box Sony ones also. Just baby the camera as Sony is hard to deal with when it comes to Maxxum repair work, along with other things they make new. When I was at a bridal show awhile back, someone thought it was a digital camera as it has a LCD screen on the back of the film door! ::Funny!:: I also have a 7D w/ the hard to find vertical control grip in my stewardship and the Maxxum 7 compliments it quite well and
Jesus has been good to me in this regard:Thanx Lord!
You can't go wrong with this film camera!
AWESOME! AWESOME!! AWESOME!!!
Get some black and white film and have fun...