Jun
26
Posted (1nspire) in Software on June-26-2008
by Dan Feildman

If you’re tired of cameras from Canon and Nikon, Look into the Konica Minolta Maxxum series of cameras if you find yourself tired of those from Nikon and Canon. In this review, we will note the features of the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D.

The Maxxum 7D is a midrange digital SLR. It offers optical image stabilization with any lens. It has a unique Anti-Shake system that works with all lenses and also has an proficient control layout.

The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D is finished in a businesslike matte black – similar to most standard DSLRs. Its angular styling, although conventional, looks good. The body, a hybrid of magnesium-alloy and plastic, is sturdy and well crafted. The grip is nicely contoured and feels secure, and without a lens, the camera weighs about 30 ounces, which is an ounce or two heavier than average for this class.

The Maxxum 7D omits the separate status LCD and instead relies on the camera’s main LCD to display shooting settings, which is an appealing design convention. On this particular Maxxum, the large 2.5-inch LCD has room to show more settings than the usual status LCD. These settings include ISO, color mode, and image parameters, to name a few.

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 caused by camera movement. This mechanism is in the Maxxum 7D’s body – it works by shifting the CCD – so it functions with all Konica Minolta autofocus (AF) lenses.

In addition, the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D’s sophisticated AF system incorporates nine focus points. You can designate the active point yourself or leave all of them active and let the camera decide which to use from shot to shot. You can also set the camera to automatically switch to continuous or tracking AF operation if it detects subject movement.

Many exposure features are to be had on the Maxxum 7D. These include all four customary 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.

The user controls of the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D are where they should be for the advanced photographer’s camera. The most significant features are controlled by means of dedicated external buttons, rather than being in the menu system itself.

Other shooting settings, including exposure adjustments are controlled with thumb and forefinger command wheels. The white-balance control is one of the quickest and most flexible available, consisting of a rotating switch surrounding a button that ingeniously accesses several menu choices.

There’s also a dial on the camera’s top-left side for setting flash or ambient exposure compensation, but those adjustments can also be made using the forefinger wheel, which I found to be more efficient. Overall, control placement and operating efficiency on this camera are among the best I’ve seen on any DSLR.

The Konica Minolta 7D’s advertised battery life is more or less sufficient for a full day’s shooting. If a long battery life is very important for you, you can always pack along some extras – buy them at your local camera store.

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 Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D review has been helpful to you. If it is you are seeking a decent professional SLR camera, the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D might be hard to pass up. Still make sure to do your own research when making a buying decision and after thatHappy Shopping!

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