Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus SLR Camera

by Konica-Minolta

Product Details

Product Manual [3.56mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 2.4 x 3.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 16 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000JFIE
• Item model number: 99811676
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,471 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus provides the superior picture quality of an single-lens-reflex camera (SLR) with the easy-to-use automatic controls of a point-and-shoot camera. It's a good choice for both advanced photographers and beginners who want better-quality pictures.

The picture quality of point-and-shoot cameras pales in comparison to those produced with an SLR camera, which gives you better optics, a through-the-lens view that lets you accurately frame your photos, and manual options for full control of your exposure and focus. If you are used to point-and-shoots, this camera makes the transition to SLRs easy; however, you'll have to refer to the manual to get the hang of using the extensive menu of advanced settings. In our tests, the HTsi Plus offered the full range of advanced controls--it let us set the aperture, exposure, and focus manually. The HTsi Plus also made it easy to switch into full automatic mode, in which we just pressed the shutter button, and the camera performed the focusing and exposure for us.

The Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus is quite lightweight for an SLR and includes both a pop-up flash and an external flash shoe. It includes five preset exposure modes including portrait, landscape, and macro; burst mode; aperture and shutter priority modes; and a self timer. For serious amateurs or professionals, the HTsi Plus offers all the standard SLR functions, although we found its aperture setting method (you have to push the aperture preview button and turn the camera's selection wheel) a bit disorienting at first. The HTsi Plus's 28-80 zoom lens gave us a good range for everything from portraits to landscapes. We especially liked the automatic exposure bracketing and multiple exposure functions; these features are useful in getting the right shot and exercising your creativity.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Built-in flash
• Easy to use
• High-quality optics

Cons:

• Menu selection somewhat hard to figure out
• Unconventional aperture-selection method

Amazon.com Product Description

Minolta's Maxxum HTsi Plus is an ideal AF SLR camera for both beginner and amateur photographers. Controls for beginners are located on the top right side of the camera body, and the function dial for the more advanced operations (for experienced photographers) is positioned on the top left. The ease of use, comfortable handling, high performance, and creative control modes makes the Maxxum HTsi Plus the best choice for demanding consumers and comparison shoppers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

264 of 268 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with my choice..., July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus SLR Camera (Electronics)

My choice came down to Minolta HTSi Plus or Canon EOS Rebel X or 2000. Features are VERY similar. I preferred the HTSi Plus' feel and viewer displays, so I choice Minolta's body. (FYI, I worked with the 28-80 lens for 3 weeks, then decided to upgrade to a 28-200mm for more flexibility.) The features allow tons of growth/learning by the photographer, while still taking great shots right out of the box. It's designed so that the photographer can take as much control over the shot as they want, with the onboard computer handling whatever the photographer doesn't feel comfortable with: From focus to aperture and fstop settings. Variety of optional presets allow immediate creativity while the photographer learns more about lighting, angles, film, and composition with each shot. No, I don't work for Minolta. I just love their camera.

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars None better at this price, January 13, 2000

By 

David Booker "musicman" (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus SLR Camera (Electronics)

I bought the HTsi+, Minolta 28-80 and 70-210 and the 5400HS flash. It is a wonderful combination. The camera is the perfect combination of sophistication and simplicity. I have not yet had a bad photo or incorrect exposure. If all you want is a "point and shoot", it'll do that. If you want absolute control of the camera, you can do that. In between are enough modes and settings to keep a very advanced amateur satisfied. The flash is amazing. It has a guide number of 152. It follows every movement of the lens, zooming instantly. It can also be used off the camera and is triggered by the HTsi's built-in fill flash. I was a little worried about the heavy use of plastics in the camera. I have pleasantly surprised - plastics have come a long way. I do not hesitate to recommend this camera.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Camera!!, July 29, 2007

By 

Thomas H. Hjelmgren "tommy boy" (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus SLR Camera (Electronics)

I highly recommend this camera to anyone. I love this camera. It is very light and extremely easy to handle. It takes great pictures that look professional and i'm very new to photography. It has all kinds of settings that are easy to use and make photography fun. You can choose from completly manual to completely automatic which is nice for specific situations. I've read a lot of reviews saying that the auto-focus is slow however this is not true, it's not fast by any means but it most certainly isn't slow either. This is one of the best cameras out there for all levels.