Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D Digital SLR Camera Review | Hobbies

By DanFeildman
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If you're burnt out on cameras from Canon and Nikon, take into consideration the Konica Minolta Maxxum series of cameras. The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D features are under review in this article.

The Maxxum 7D is a midrange digital SLR that can incorporate optical image stabilization with any lens. It has an Anti-Shake system that is remarkable in that it can be utilized with all lenses and also has a well-organized control layout.

The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D comes in a practical matte black, much like most typical DSLRs. While conventional, it still looks good with its angular design. The body is solid and well-crafted, made of a hybrid of magnesium-alloy and plastic. The grip is comfortably contoured and feels secure, and without a lens, the camera weighs about 30 ounces, only an ounce or two heavier than average for this class.

Similar to the Olympus Evolt E300, the Maxxum 7D forgoes a separate status LCD and instead relies on the camera's main LCD to exhibit shooting settings. On this Maxxum, the large 2.5-inch LCD has room to display more settings than the usual status LCD, such as ISO, color mode, and image parameters, along with others.

The optical system of the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has noticeably been carefully designed to allow one to take great photos. The digital camera comes with a 6.1 megapixel resolution and an Anti-Shake mechanism.

The Anti-Shake mechanism prevents image blur created by camera motion. This mechanism is built in the Maxxum 7D's body and works by shifting the CCD. This enables it to function with all Konica Minolta autofocus (AF) lenses.

The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D's advanced AF system includes nine focus points.You can leave all of them active and let the camera choose which to use from shot to shot or you can select the active point yourself. You can also set the camera to automatically switch to continuous or tracking AF operation if it detects subject movement.

Extensive exposure options are available on the Maxxum 7D. These include all four standard exposure modes; three light-metering modes (14-segment honeycomb, center-weighted, and spot); ambient exposure compensation either in half-EV increments to plus or minus 3EV or in one-third-EV increments to plus or minus 2EV. The sensor's sensitivity can be set to auto or from ISO 100 to ISO 3,200 in 1EV increments.

Ok, now let's look at the user controls for the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D. As should be the case with a serious shooter's camera, most important features are controlled via dedicated external buttons, rather than being buried in the menu system.

Thumb and forefinger command wheels control exposure adjustments along with other shooter settings. The white-balance control consisting of a rotating switch surrounding a button that smartly accesses multiple menu choices is the fastest and most flexible to date.

You will find a dial on the camera's top-left side for setting flash or ambient exposure compensation. The same adjustments can also be made using the forefinger wheel, which seems to be more efficient. As a whole, control position and operating efficiency on this camera are among the best on any DSLR.

The Konica Minolta 7D's noted battery life is more or less plenty for a full day's shooting. If a long battery life is very essential, you can always buy extras through your camera store to take along with you.

The Nikon D70s allows your pictures to be stored in CompactFlash Type I/II memory cards cards. You can also use a MicroDrive if you wish. Pictures are easily transferred from the camera to the PC via the USB 2.0 interface.

There are only a few negatives to note in the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D. First of all, the camera has a slow start-up. You are also limited to one JPEG compression ratio in raw-plus-JPEG, and there is no way to steer clear of noise reduction processing in high ISO images.

I hope this review of the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has been helpful in your decisions on cameras. If you're looking for a respectable professional SLR camera to take shots with, then the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D should be at or near the top of the list. Make sure before you open your pocketbook to do your homework first. With that in mind, see you at the store!

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