Product reviewsMinolta Maxxum 7 / Dynax 7 35mm SLR Film Camera Body Only

Camera for the Collector: MINOLTA MAXXUM/DYNAX/ALPHA 7 35MM FILM CAMERA

If you're somewhat of a collector and enjoy occasional shooting with a film camera, get yourself a Minolta Maxxum 7 and lens. For under $200 you can get your hands on one of the most innovative 35mm film cameras ever produced.

Dating back to early 2000 many great and (not so great) reviews are available on the internet regarding this 35mm film camera. Innovative features of the Maxxum 7 such as Advanced Distance Integration (a flash related feature which both the camera and lens must support) are found on SONY's current digital cameras. Keep in mind Minolta developed the first successful AF camera the Maxxum (Exxon Crossed XX) 7000 with interchangeable lenses. Minolta's first AF lenses from 1985 may be mounted on SONY A-mount cameras while SONY A-mount lenses may also be mounted on the Maxxum 7.

A tremendous advantage of Minolta owners is that all of the Maxxum lenses get the benefit of IMAGE STABILIZATION when mounted on Sony A-mount digital cameras. Building lenses with IS was a marketing decision, allowing a company to resell a lens without any real improvements except for IS. Sony must offer lenses truly superior to the Maxxum lenses.

The Maxxum 7 does not have IS and it was the first Minolta camera produced outside of Japan--in Malaysia. Initial production was somewhat of a disaster. Flaws in early production were covered under warrantee. Today, those early production cameras should be avoided. Yet, even though I own the Maxxum 9 (probably the best film camera ever made) I won the bid on a like new Maxxum 7 now in my collection. Immediately shot a roll of film. Love the camera.

The professional level Maxxum/Dynax 9, introduced prior to the 7, was the last 35mm film camera Minolta produced in Japan. That said, the original Maxxum 9 did not have ADI as in the Maxxum 7.

For the very serious collectors, LIMITED EDITIONS of the Maxxum 7 (or alpha 7) and Maxxum 9 (or alpha 9) were later produced in Japan and may be available at three to five times the cost of the standard models.Read full review...

The Cadillac of 35mm SLR

I love all of the features, the layout of the controls, and the logic of operating them. I can't think of a feature I need that this camera does not have. The shutter can expose at 1/8000 if you're using high speed film to adequately freeze action. It has about a gazillion options in how you're gonna shoot, like layering infinite exposures on the same frame before advancing the film, flash timing and multiple remote flash options, EV adjustment in 1/2 or 1/3, exposure bracketing of 3, 5, or 7 frames, spot metering, the smartest autofocus I've ever let do the work, 'eye start' so the camera is fully prepared to shoot the moment you bring it to your eye.

In my opinion, nothing beats analog film photographs on silver halide enlargements. This is what you see in the art galleries. Just think of what Ansel Adams had to work with.

This body/lens system is super nice. Everything you see from Sony in SLR has been built on this Minolta foundation. All lenses made for Sony alpha work on this body, and all lenses from the Minolta system now interface with the new Sony cameras. Since the Minolta stuff is all discontinued, you can find GREAT deals on ebay from sellers who don't really know what they have to sell.Read full review...

Minolta Maxxum 7xi 35mm film camera

I own a bunch of Nikon, Pentax and Konica cameras and have 50 years of experience as a serious photographer under my belt. I recently picked up a mint 7xi on ebay. What a revelation! For the very first time, I have become convinced that Program is a reliable method of exposure. Just hit that big fat "P" button, and then choose your f-stop or shutter-speed with the two command dials. How can you miss with 14-segment metering? So, you are now in either Pa or Ps. If you have any experience at all, you will know how much depth-of-field you will want, what f-stop will provide the best optical quality with your chosen lens and what shutter-speed you need to stop the action or prevent camera-shake problems. One caveat: watch out for high-contrast lighting situations. Spot meter the highlight areas and expose for that in landscape photography. It's not the camera's fault; film has only so much latitude. Once I got into Minolta SLRs, I was quite thrilled to find out what great optics are floating around for these latter-day cameras. By all means, get a hold of a first-edition 28-85mm Minolta zoom. Also, check out ebay's Minolta auto-focus lens section. Cameta Camera of Long Island, NY is currently auctioning off Sigma 28-105s for Maxxum that are going for a song and provide heartening quality for the price. The Quantaray (made by Sigma) 70-300mm Tech 10 is also a real sleeper. It's a good idea to have a monopod for use with this one. I've also had excellent results with the Minolta first-version 35-70mm f4. Very sharp, small, affordable and has a macro function at 70mm. It's a good way to indulge your close-up desires without breaking the bank. Pick up a set of close-up lenses (+1, +2,+4) and maybe even go for a +10 separately. You might have to pay around $20 for this last mentioned item on ebay. Just think of all the glee you'll experience in not having to shell out for a Micro NikkorRead full review...

Minolta Rocks.!

Have always found Minolta to be an excellent company for cameras and lenses. I was greatly saddened when I found out that they had ceased producing cameras last year. Already own digital cameras and do like them loads for their convenience and the fact that I don't have to wait for a photo place to develop pictures for me. Just had to get to my printer and have all the pics I needed.
But.... there is still something about a regular camera that speaks to my 'romantic soul'. Minolta's Maxxum 7 epitomizes this. It is that sense of adventure you get when you press that button and 'see'--not with the factual eye of a computerized digital that shoots an 'actual' copy of what is in front of the lens but with the eye of a romantic hoping that what inspired you to take the shot in the first place---an impression, a shadow, the light, the angle----will come through in the photo when it is finally developed.
The 7 is perfect because I am not a professional but an avid amateur. I sometimes like the mistake I make with a shot as the faults make the picture more interesting to me. Not on par with experts ---yes--- but very interesting and full of potential. It allows me to take more shots that I would otherwise not risk if not for the 'fail-safe'features offered by the camera.
There is real nothing I dislike about this camera and have bought another one for my niece's use as she just graduated from University with a cum laude in Fine Arts that she got in part through using an older Minolta model I had given her father for her thesis photos. Can you imagine what she could do with a camera like this?Read full review...

Just when you thought it couldn´d get any better.......

You had the Maxxum 700si, the 800si, still kept the 9xi around for those racing / hummingbird / Speedy G shots that require 1/12000 shutter speeds (a 35mm Nikon? Nope. Only a 35mm Minolta) -- and then, Minolta Sevens begin to be really affordable. You´ve wanted one ever since seeing that huge rear lcd that shows all settings in HUGE NUMBERS (you´re getting older, and tend to surreptitiously pull out the reading glasses when you think nobody´s looking). But a guy who owned one said it´s plasticky, kind of like a Canon, and that you don´t want. On the other hand, it does offer 35 different settings through its menu, it is rather compact, has the great Minolta exposure meter (this is the company that makes those excellent hand-held and stationary light meters and luminosity meters, after all), speedy and spot-on auto focus and the build quality responsible for the fact you find a lot of repaired "other" cameras, but hardly any Minoltas. AND, their lens are not only of excellent quality (which is why Sony is now continuing to build them under their own brand) but also dirt cheap on Ebay, compared to the other makes.
Hmmmmmmm. And then a Minolta Maxxum 7 body comes along on Ebay, anywhere between $235 and $300, and you grab it. It´s anything BUT plasticky, it fits right into your hand, beautifully, it is as solid a piece of Japanese technology as could be imagined, it looks great and once you start shooting it, you can´t stop grinning. Digital is fun, but a really great 35mm SLR is just about the optimum. Beautifully exposed, tack sharp photographs that never digitally degrade, gorgeous photos you´re proud to show, and such a plethora of amazing accessories -- who can beat a Minolta 5600HS flash? A Minolta AF 100mm Macro lens? -- that the old dslr, as much fun as it was for the last few years, is relegated to the kids and dog department.
See one on Ebay? Buy it. You can´t go wrong.Read full review...

Top of the line 35mm SLR -- Outstanding performer!

The wide range of user adjustable functions make this camera perform in ways any user is sure to be pleased with. It was the last of the Minolta pro-quality SLR(s), and as such has the best feature set and overall performance of the first SLR auto-focus camera manufacturer's (Minolta's) acclaimed film cameras. Senior support technicians at Minolta bent my ear about this model when I called for a replacement 800si owner's manual in early 2006. They were adamant about the Maxxum 7 having the best autofocus performance, sensors and precision of any camera Minolta had produced. The dual crosshair center sensors and autofocus algorithms are indeed quick and precise, and with any of the select high-speed motor assisted lenses, this camera can focus very nearly as quickly as your eye can with spot-on precision. It has been a joy to use. I've been a Maxxum 7 owner for almost a year now and can highly recommend this camera to prospective SLR buyers still viewing the detail and imaging of film as the medium they wish to use.

The shutter speed range from 1/8000 of a second to 30 seconds still bests all but the most expensive professional level digital SLR(s), which cost many times what this camera sold for new. It has an unusual feature with a data panel button that indicates exactly the number of rolls of film the camera has shot (or wound actually). Since it is really available only used any longer, simply ask for the data that can be pulled up from the left-hand button under the panel door which will provide a reading in the form dn1-XXXX, where X(s) tell interested photographers in the 7 a clear measure of use the camera has had. While a few of the last retail Maxxum 7 bodies could be purchased at around $499 at camera shops selling Minolta products, the common selling price of the bodies circa 2001-2004 was typically in the $600 to low $700 range. Last summer and fall, the cameras claiming to be new and like new on ebay often sold between the $499 and original Minolta pricing, once it became clear availability of a new body from camera shops was probably not an option.

Keep your eyes open for this camera if you already have Minolta lenses and are looking for their best ever film SLR body. It's absolutely outstanding! My recommendation? Ask for the data reading that will identify the true condition of a body you're interested in, rather than trusting a seller's subjective and occasionally misleading description of what is available. Low use Maxxum 7(s) can still bring a premium price, and some sellers are all too willing to try to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers. After purchasing two different Maxxum 7(s) on ebay, one of which claimed to have had only two rolls of film shot while the second said no film had been loaded whatsoever, then opening cameras with 20 and 28 rolls of film shot, respectively, I promptly sent the second unit back to the seller and stewed a bit about the extra $40 to $50 I was required to invest to win an auction that was misleading about the first camera's use and condition. I subsequently found one brand new body and a second one I was told was new but a display model which had served the camera shop owner's curiosity for how the Maxxum 7 would perform with a few rolls of his favorite film. Ultimately, I have been as pleased with this camera as I could ever have imagined, which is why I now own multiple bodies with every intention to keep a main and back-up unit for many years to comeRead full review...

Maxxum 7 - The Best 35mm SLR Ever Built, Bar None

The Maxxum 7 is as 'state of the art' as has ever been achieved in a 35mm Film SLR. Since the world has moved on to Digital, it will likely remain the Ultimate 'state of the art'.

I bought mine in 2004, while they were still available New, and shot many superb rolls of film with it. In early 2007, in a financial pinch and having clearly moved on to Digital myself, I reluctantly sold it. That was made a bit easier by the fact the Digital I had moved on to, is the Sony Alpha 100 - a reasonably direct descendant of the Maxxum 7, which carries forward many features developed for the 7, and will take all of the Maxxum lenses I have accumulated.

My experience with the Maxxum 7 was Excellent. It would do everything I could set it up to do, and was always capable of much more. I never had any problems with it. The most notable features are the Autofocus system - always very quick and dependable - and the Matrix Metering system, very accurate.

There is a running joke among Maxxum 7 owners in the Minolta users groups, that the 'Program' exposure mode is actually 'P for Professional' mode. I can attest that the metering really IS that good.

Maxxum 7's have proven themselves as quite durable cameras, having been engineered and built when Minolta was still on top of their game - well before the long slide that led to their departure from the camera business in 2006. I know of many 7's that are still going strong with over 100,000 exposures on them. That's more than a lifetime of shooting, for all but a few of us - and fewer still can ever put that much shooting in on just one camera. So if you get a Maxxum 7 that has been reasonably cared for, and continue that reasonable care, it truly should last you a lifetime.

And with over 16 Million Maxxum-mount lenses made by Minolta, from 1985-2006 - plus the millions of Maxxum-mount lenses made by Tamron, Sigma, Tokina, and others - and the Maxxum-mount now being continued by Sony - there should never be a problem finding Lenses.Read full review...

Minolta Maxxum 7/a-7 is a amazing 35mm Camera!

IMO probably one of the best 35mm cameras out there. I love it! So many features. fast frame rate. Great image quality, depending on glass. All in all its a great camera!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: alab815

Great camera the Heiniken of 35mm film cameras

Possibly the best 35mm film camera ever I have owned a few including Nikon and Cannon. This is a camera designed for photographers all the controls are available where you want them and the displayed information including the data readout of previous films is exceptional. The fact that there are loads of high class lenses available at little cost which are also useable on Sony Alpha DSLR makes owning a Dynax 7 cost effective. I recently bought a replacement unit for one which I sold several years ago and have regretted selling ever since. Which I suppose sums the position exactly. So if you drive an Alphs DSLR/DSLT and have lenses available and hanker after the nostalgia of film then this is the camera to buy. In my opinion it's better for normal use than the Dynax 9 and the Vertical Control Grip is a particularly useful addition as in addition the the normal usefulness of such a grip it allows the use of AA Batteries.Read full review...

My new gadget!

I love film cameras, this one is easy to use large assortment of lenses. And is for amateurs and professionals as well. Lots of accessories complete this gadget!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: knobuyuki777