Thursday, June 26, 2008

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D Digital SLR Camera Review

By Dan Feildman

If you're tired of cameras from Canon and Nikon, you may want to look into the Konica Minolta Maxxum series of cameras. In particular, in this article, we discuss the features of the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D.

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.

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 clearly been carefully thought out to make it possible to take great photos. The digital camera comes with a 6.1 megapixel resolution and an Anti-Shake device.

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.

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.

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.

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 Minolta 7D stores your photos in CompactFlash Type I/II memory cards. You can also use a MicroDrive should you choose. Pictures are transferred easily from the camera to the PC with 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 do hope this review of the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has been of help to you. If you're looking for a decent professional SLR camera to take shots with, then the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D might be tough to beat. Of course, do your own research first before shelling out your cash. Happy shopping!

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home