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 p.1 #17 · Minolta 70-200 2.8 G (samples added) | |
Micah Levy wrote:
First let me say it's nice to see such an in-depth review of a minolta product.
I would now like to ask for some advice. Everyone is telling me to sell off my maxxum 5 and switch to cannon or nikon before I buy a digislr. I like the minolta set up, and I don't mind only having new stuff to buy since the used minolta market is small. would you suggest an opinion between the 7d, 5d and waiting for the next one. I max out around 700 - 800 $$. Is the extra bucks worth it for the 7d. Thanks for your input....Show more →
If you were a new user and didn't already own a Minolta camera, I would probably recommend a Nikon/Canon. I guess it depends on what you want from the camera and how many lenses you already own that will work with the KM 7D/5D.
In favor of the Nikon/Canon argument, you have a very wide array of lenses to choose from, and probably every top pro shooter uses one of these two systems, so you know neither of them are going to go away anytime soon. Plus, no one can say the image quality from either Nikon or Canon isn't top-notch.
If, on the other hand, you have a half dozen Minolta lenses, you might well want to stick with the KM brand, especially of those lenses are G-series glass and you've invested a lot of money in them. With the 7D/5D all of those lenses will gain the advantages of the Anti-shake in the camera body (something I never turn off unless I'm tripod mounted) and that's a HUGE bonus. I owned two Minolta lenses before I bought the 7D and they were each over twenty years old, but each of them became immediately stabilzed when mounted to the new camera. Pretty cool. I've since replaced one of those two and bought three others, so I'm in it for the long haul. If I ever need to buy a $50 el-cheapo lens, it will still use the AS, as will the $6000 600mm f/4.0 APO G.
There are other, less tangible features that you may consider. I love the ergonomics of the Minolta. I have never liked the control layout (or lack thereof) of the Canon/Nikon camera bodies and the 7D's controls are all well-placed and easy to find without removing my eye from the viewfinder or going into the LCD menus. This, to me, is such an advantage that I can't begin to quantify it. There is no bigger waste of money than a camera you don't use because you're just not comfortable with it or you're intimidated by its operation.
Now, the 7D is currently KM's top DSLR, but I have to believe that another, higher-end model is in the works (although I have nothing to rely on, just a hunch) and when it comes out I'm hoping it will have a ton of professional-strength additions. Something like a 12MP+ sensor, 5FPS+ frame rate, even greater digital controls over the image quality/settings, etc. Of course, I coud be way off and they never release another DLSR, but it won't matter to me for a very long time, because I'm so happy with the 7D that I'm not planning on spending any more money for a new camera for many years. I'm really just hoping for a new camera so the naysayers will eat crow when they read the glowing reviews of a giant-killer from KM. 
Is the extra money worth it for the upgrade to the 7D over the 5D? Once again, it depends on what you have in mind. A friend of mine bought the 5D after using my 7D and reading the 5D's reviews. She's very happy with it, even though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of mine. The pictures are exactly the same, it's just a little more work to get there (not all of the controls are on the outside - there is more menu-diving to set things up). I would buy the 7D again, but I'm big on switches and dials, plus the bigger body of the 7D fits my long fingers better than the smaller 5D. The 7D is also a bit tougher, and I don't plan on babying this thing forever, so the extra strength is nice. (It is nice to keep it looking like new for a while, though.)
I hope this helps a little. I won't be offended if you decide to go Canon or Nikon. Well, not much.
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