Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D

[dmacgee]

KM Finally entered the DSLR market in the Fall of 2004 with the Maxxum 7D. The DSLR that Minolta users had been waiting for.
Initial reviews looked promising. I purchased mine in July and have been impressed with the camera.

One of the biggest selling features in my opinion is the integrated Anti-Shake. This feature has allowed me to many handhold shots that I would have used a tripod for before.

The LED screen is large and easy to read, and can automatically orient itself if whether you shot landscape or portrait. The screen and the viewfinder offer you plenty of information.

Controls are easy to use and can be customized. Users can also set three custom shooting modes. The camera can also be set up to emulated the equivalent of ISO3200. Shooting MR - Minolta's version of RAW I average 107 pictures on a 1GB CF card, write speeds are fast and the Li ION battery life is reasonable between recharges.

Photos from the camera are excellent and with the lens I had I couldn't tell the difference between the digital and the film. I would suggest investing in the available vertical grip especially if you're shooting portrait, it is also a handy power source using either 1 or 2 NP-400 batteries or 6 AA (IMHO recommended by this writer.)

Overall, a slight learning curve from the Marxism Tis that I was using but not too much. The only drawback I had was the weight compared to the Tis, after using it for a few weeks I didn't have a problem.

I've probably missed something but I thought I'd get it started for the KM users out there.

Dave