Customer Reviews

Minolta Maxxum 5 35mm SLR Quartz Date Kit with 28-80mm Zoom Lens

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Since purchasing the Maxxum 5 aproximately two weeks ago for a Photojournalism class, I have discovered a few annoyances with the camera. First, if one has the inclination to shoot infrared film... forget it. The film reader inside the camera will fog your film, says the manual. Also, after shooting 40 exposures, the film will automatically rewind... whether there's more film in the camera or not. But the most frustrating feature of this camera is the flash shoe. The Maxxum series apparently uses a flash docking system that is precisely opposite to normal flash mounts, making equipment crossover all but impossible. While a basic flash for other cameras will coast you as little as [dollar amount], flashes for the Maxxum 5 will run you between [much more expensive]. So far, I have been unable to find an adapter that won't risk frying the camera's internal circuitry. Furthermore, Minolta decided to omit a port for a hard-wired flash to be attached, which would bypass the entire mess of flash difficulties.

On the positive side, the camera has an incredibly high shutter speed (1/4000th), along with many, many options including a fully manual mode that's pretty easy to work with. Continual film advance is impressive at 3 frames per second and the Eye Start feature (which auto focuses the camera on the subject ahead ONLY when the camera is being held and up to your face) is just really awesome. The onboard flash is quite powerful and the lens mountings seem very solid. Film loading is incredibly simple, and the camera can be set to leave a tab of film out after rewinding for ease in the event that you're developing your own film. Film rewinds in about 8 seconds, the same amount of time it would take you to expose a roll of 24 on continious advance, expediting rapid film turnover for rapid photography, if necessary. The ring that runs around the manual focusing meachanism makes manual shooting very smooth and natural, and illuminated viewfinder autofocus indicators make fully automatic shooting facile.

In short, this is an outstanding camera that beats out almost all others in its class; if not all. The Maxxum 5's primary drawbacks lie in its specialties that may cost you a small fortune to compensate for... if you're able to correct them at all.

It has the best features in it's class - Nikon N65/N75/N80, Canon EOS Rebel etc - you can compare side-by-side.
It can produce excellent results.
It's the lightest around which is REALLY important and nice.
Once you know your SLR a bit, having a zoom 75-300mm will be a very rewarding experience. You might find yourself using only the zoom afterwards.
Suprisingly Minolta does little publicity compared to Canon,Nikon though their products are so good.
My 2 cents advice for SLR beginners-
1.Read the manual for some length at least, before starting to shoot.
2.Try not to use the All-auto(default factory-set) mode as soon as you can.Use S(125 speed is a safe choice) or A mode.
3.Specially for portraits use ISO-100 film for best clarity.
4.All cameras of this type have a small built-in flash which may disappoint you indoors. You can buy a Minolta flash afterwards or try using ISO400 film indoors.
5.The auto light-meter of all these cameras underexposes a little bit. Try to apply compensation of + .5 to 1.5 depending on situation.

This is a terrific camera. I have been toying around with 35mm point and shoots for the past several years. I have never been satisfied with the results. I finally decided to get rid of them and buy an SLR. I did research for about three months and could not find another camera to match this one in terms of cost and amenities. It can do just about everything the amature photographer wants to do. I have used Minolta SLRs years ago and found the cameras to be totally dependable. Minolta still makes a great product. This camera is easy to use and not intimidating. Read the manual after you shoot a few rolls of film to get used to all of the bells and whistles to use this camera to its fullest potential. The metering is fabulous. The eye-start mechanism is totally awesome for focusing. This is the best feature of the camera. You should buy this camera

Thanks, Minolta!!!!!

I bought the Maxxum 5 couple weeks ago. It is a great camera with lots of features that easy to use. The manual is easy to understand. I was amazed by the first roll. The photos were sharp and crystal clear. If consider buying a SLR, this is the one you may want to put on top of your list.

I researched the various SLR cameras available on the market and Minolta offered the most features for the price. The size and weight also felt right for my grip. I have never owned anything but an inexpensive point and shoot camera. When I started using the camera I was a little intimdated by all the bells and whistles but after taking near professional quality pictures at a baseball tournament in San Diego I was sold on this camera. I was able within 2-3 rolls to take pictures of the baseball players sliding into a base, the pitched baseball in the air on the way to the batter, etc. I couldn't believe how easy it was to use and the quality of my pictures with no training. I did read the owners manual several times and it helped me get better with each roll of film. Buy this camera - you cannot go wrong!!

I love it! I shopped around for about 6 months before deciding on this camera, and I am confident I made the right decision. In comparing this cameras features and price to comparable models (Canon, Nikon, etc.) it's a sure winner. It was even recommended to me by the employees of actual camera shops, not big box stores (with teenagers trying to tell me they've been photographers for years, yet couldn't explain any of the features). You can't go wrong with this one!

I love this camera. It's very light, easy to use but yet gives you lots of manual options. I love the autofocus which is actived when you put your eye up to the viewfinder. The factory lens is pretty good. On a number of occasions having perfect strangers take our pictures have yielded very decent photos. I like this much better than the Nikon N65 which I felt was cumbersome to use and produced noticably inferior pictures in my hands. I also like the fact that I can carry this camera and a canon ZR 10 video all day without fatigue.

Before i purchased this camera six months ago i did A LOT of comparison shopping online. I ended up with the maxxum 5 because of two primary reasons, both of wich have proven true since my purchase. One, for the money, i couldnt find a SLR with better statistics. Two, minolta has a great reputation for user friendly cameras. Non photographers like myself can dabble in real photography and still have the option of also using the camera in fully atomatic mode. It can take three pictures per second, it has a really fast autofocus system, it has a all the great little bonuses like multiple exposure, depth of field preview, red eye reduction, an plenty more.
I highly recommend this camera in the $200-$450 range. Unless your looking for something alot smaller or you're a professional that wants something to take super highspeed photographs or pictures of the sun or something, you'll love this camera.
Side note- the first one i bought wouldnt work. It started heating up when i put the battteries in and wouldnt turn off. I went back to the store and exchanged it. It was no problem for me but then i diddn't have to deal with shipping.

I researched for cameras for over 2 monts. I was deciding between the Nikon n65, pentax ZX-60, and the Canon rebel 2000. I found this one to clearly be the best of the 4. For one it had a metal lens mount unlike, the canon rebel and pentax zx-60. Its better than the n65 because it has manual ISO setting, higher max. shutter speed, and higher flash synch. For these reasons and more I decided to get the Minolta Maxxum 5. To top this off it also has a great line of lenses. All this at an amazing lw price of 300 dollars.

I got my first roll of film developed and I am very impressed with them. They all came out sharp, colorful and correct lighting and best of all no red eyes!

I am also very satisfied with the built in flash that the Minolta Maxxum has. I thought I would need to buy an additional flash, but not so. I took several pictures in my house with low lighting and the whole picture came out bright unlike some cameras that only whiten the face of the person and the background is dark. This camera/flash does not wash out a person's skin tones, they appear natural. I have now noticed that my other pictures taken previously to owning this camera made everyone look like ghosts!

This camera is very easy to use, although I have not experimented with all the features yet. The automatic focus is extremely fast which I need to capture those special moments of my two children.

Before purchasing this camera I was using a point and shoot Olympus but it broke. I occasionally used my manual Vivitar but find it very annoying to use for everyday because of the focusing. Now I have both cameras in one which is great and my pictures will be all on one roll.

This is a great camera at an excellent price with many, many features. The only thing I would like to purchase for this camera is a 70-210 or 75-300 lense.

You will not be disappointed!!