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#302436 - 23/09/2007 07:03 Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR?
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Oh, great collective empegbbs wisdom,

It so happens that Elaine has a Minolta traditional, film-based, Minolta SLR and a couple of lenses (28-80 and 100-300 AF zooms). Being film-based, we don't use it that much anymore, so the idea is to get a reasonably-priced digital SLR but keep using the lenses. Does this make sense? Do the old Minolta lenses still work with a Minolta digital SLR? Any recommendations for a suitable digital camera frame?

The "analog" camera is a Minolta alpha 7700i, (that's the Japanese name for it, seems it was called Maxxum 7000i in the US, and Dynax 7000i elsewhere), seems it was released in 1988.

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#302437 - 23/09/2007 11:19 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: julf]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14491
Loc: Canada
Quote:
Oh, great collective empegbbs wisdom,

It so happens that Elaine has a Minolta traditional, film-based, Minolta SLR and a couple of lenses (28-80 and 100-300 AF zooms). Being film-based, we don't use it that much anymore, so the idea is to get a reasonably-priced digital SLR but keep using the lenses. Does this make sense? Do the old Minolta lenses still work with a Minolta digital SLR? Any recommendations for a suitable digital camera frame?

The "analog" camera is a Minolta alpha 7700i, (that's the Japanese name for it, seems it was called Maxxum 7000i in the US, and Dynax 7000i elsewhere), seems it was released in 1988.


Minolta is now called "Sony".

If you are comfortable purchasing stuff from a company with Sony's record, then they do happen to have a couple of digital SLRs in the marketplace, which work with pretty much any Minolta lenses.

Check out this site for more information:

http://www.dpreview.com/

Cheers

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#302438 - 24/09/2007 05:34 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: mlord]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Quote:
Minolta is now called "Sony".


Ouch! That is not good news. I had already sworn that I had bought my last Sony. But I might have to relent

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#302439 - 24/09/2007 12:50 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: julf]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Quote:
But I might have to relent


Bung it all up on eBay, and buy something else?
_________________________
-- roger

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#302440 - 24/09/2007 17:42 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: Roger]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Quote:
Bung it all up on eBay, and buy something else?


Tempting, but Elaine is somewhat attached to the old Minolta. She dragged it, and those lenses, all over Nepal, across Mongolia and Siberia, and over the Atlantic in a freighter...

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#302441 - 24/09/2007 19:21 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: julf]
siberia37
old hand

Registered: 09/01/2002
Posts: 702
Loc: Tacoma,WA
If she's really attached to the lenses you could get an olympus 4/3rds SLR and get one of these adapters so she could use them on the new camera. But really though, those lenses aren't worth it. Maybe if she had really long telephotos, or rare zooms, or nice primes. But zooms? Not worth it.


Edited by siberia37 (24/09/2007 19:24)

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#302442 - 25/09/2007 13:14 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: siberia37]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Well, the adapter seems to be for pre-AF lenses, but Elaine's stuf seems to be AF. Telling her the lenses aren't worth much made her respond "But I paid $500 for the longer one, and when I dropped the shorter one on the floor on the transsiberian railway trip, it was still worth repairing it for $100 instead of replacing it. And they were actually selling them in the GUM in Moscow in 1998, along with other really posh luxury products, so there!"

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#302443 - 25/09/2007 15:24 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: julf]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
My advice: buy a used Konica-Minolta-branded D-SLR rather than a new Son-branded model. The older ones are "only" six megapixels, but that will more than do the job and keep things happy, while also letting you avoid spending money on anything labeled "Sony".

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#302444 - 25/09/2007 15:42 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: julf]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Quote:
Quote:
Bung it all up on eBay, and buy something else?


Tempting, but Elaine is somewhat attached to the old Minolta. She dragged it, and those lenses, all over Nepal, across Mongolia and Siberia, and over the Atlantic in a freighter...

It seems that the attachment, then, is primarily emotional. For the number of lenses involved (2), I'd probably also recommend just getting rid of the lot, and starting over. I just looked at adapters to use Minolta lenses on Canon or Nikon bodies, and they don't exist (aside from a few one-off hacks). If you stick with something that lets you use your current lenses, would you feel like you're going to be restricting your options for future expansion?

I'm sort of in the same boat -- I have a Nikon film SLR that's just sitting around, and only two lenses (roughly equivalent to the lenses Elaine has, even). I've been looking at a DSLR, but... do I stick with Nikon, just because of the lenses I already have? Personally, I don't think that's enough of an investment to justify staying locked to Nikon -- even though I've dragged them around the world, too.

So, once it comes time to look seriously at a DSLR (I'm still in drool mode, at the moment), I'll probably take a close look at a Canon, as well. Fortunately, though, I do really prefer Nikon's controls, and feel of the body, to that of Canon, so Nikon is still my leading choice, anyway -- that I'll be able to still use my old lenses is just a plus.

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#302445 - 25/09/2007 16:35 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: canuckInOR]
siberia37
old hand

Registered: 09/01/2002
Posts: 702
Loc: Tacoma,WA
Quote:
that I'll be able to still use my old lenses is just a plus.


If your Nikon Lens don't have electronically controlled aperture then you can use them on an EOS camera with an adapter. In manual focus stop down mode only.

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#302446 - 25/09/2007 18:01 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: canuckInOR]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Quote:
I've been looking at a DSLR, but... do I stick with Nikon, just because of the lenses I already have? Personally, I don't think that's enough of an investment to justify staying locked to Nikon -- even though I've dragged them around the world, too.


Of course not. You stick with Nikon because they simply have better bodies. Canon do have some nice features on many of their cameras, but none of them are enough to make me lust after any of their models as I do for a Nikon (even the previously exclusive lure of the full frame sensor couldn't sway me). I don't have anything invested in glass for either brand.
_________________________
Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#302447 - 25/09/2007 18:33 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: hybrid8]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Quote:
Quote:
I've been looking at a DSLR, but... do I stick with Nikon, just because of the lenses I already have? Personally, I don't think that's enough of an investment to justify staying locked to Nikon -- even though I've dragged them around the world, too.


Of course not. You stick with Nikon because they simply have better bodies. Canon do have some nice features on many of their cameras, but none of them are enough to make me lust after any of their models as I do for a Nikon (even the previously exclusive lure of the full frame sensor couldn't sway me). I don't have anything invested in glass for either brand.

Well, that's why I later wrote:

Fortunately, though, I do really prefer Nikon's controls, and feel of the body, to that of Canon, so Nikon is still my leading choice, anyway


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#302448 - 26/09/2007 14:45 Re: Recommendations on Minolta digital SLR? [Re: canuckInOR]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14491
Loc: Canada
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I've been looking at a DSLR, but... do I stick with Nikon, just because of the lenses I already have? Personally, I don't think that's enough of an investment to justify staying locked to Nikon -- even though I've dragged them around the world, too.


Of course not. You stick with Nikon because they simply have better bodies. Canon do have some nice features on many of their cameras, but none of them are enough to make me lust after any of their models as I do for a Nikon (even the previously exclusive lure of the full frame sensor couldn't sway me). I don't have anything invested in glass for either brand.

Well, that's why I later wrote:

Fortunately, though, I do really prefer Nikon's controls, and feel of the body, to that of Canon, so Nikon is still my leading choice, anyway




Totally agreed. I stick with Canon nowadays simply because of the Kbucks of Canon glass that I have now.

Like Avis, Nikon definitely tries harder.

cheers

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