Minolta Maxxum 7 / Dynax 7 35mm Film Camera

The wide range of user adjustable functions make this camera perform in ways any user is sure to be pleased with. It was the last of the Minolta pro-quality SLR(s), and as such has the best feature set and overall performance of the first SLR auto-focus camera manufacturer's (Minolta's) acclaimed film cameras. Senior support technicians at Minolta bent my ear about this model when I called for a replacement 800si owner's manual in early 2006. They were adamant about the Maxxum 7 having the best autofocus performance, sensors and precision of any camera Minolta had produced. The dual crosshair center sensors and autofocus algorithms are indeed quick and precise, and with any of the select high-speed motor assisted lenses, this camera can focus very nearly as quickly as your eye can with spot-on precision. It has been a joy to use. I've been a Maxxum 7 owner for almost a year now and can highly recommend this camera to prospective SLR buyers still viewing the detail and imaging of film as the medium they wish to use.

The shutter speed range from 1/8000 of a second to 30 seconds still bests all but the most expensive professional level digital SLR(s), which cost many times what this camera sold for new. It has an unusual feature with a data panel button that indicates exactly the number of rolls of film the camera has shot (or wound actually). Since it is really available only used any longer, simply ask for the data that can be pulled up from the left-hand button under the panel door which will provide a reading in the form dn1-XXXX, where X(s) tell interested photographers in the 7 a clear measure of use the camera has had. While a few of the last retail Maxxum 7 bodies could be purchased at around $499 at camera shops selling Minolta products, the common selling price of the bodies circa 2001-2004 was typically in the $600 to low $700 range. Last summer and fall, the cameras claiming to be new and like new on ebay often sold between the $499 and original Minolta pricing, once it became clear availability of a new body from camera shops was probably not an option.

Keep your eyes open for this camera if you already have Minolta lenses and are looking for their best ever film SLR body. It's absolutely outstanding! My recommendation? Ask for the data reading that will identify the true condition of a body you're interested in, rather than trusting a seller's subjective and occasionally misleading description of what is available. Low use Maxxum 7(s) can still bring a premium price, and some sellers are all too willing to try to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers. After purchasing two different Maxxum 7(s) on ebay, one of which claimed to have had only two rolls of film shot while the second said no film had been loaded whatsoever, then opening cameras with 20 and 28 rolls of film shot, respectively, I promptly sent the second unit back to the seller and stewed a bit about the extra $40 to $50 I was required to invest to win an auction that was misleading about the first camera's use and condition. I subsequently found one brand new body and a second one I was told was new but a display model which had served the camera shop owner's curiosity for how the Maxxum 7 would perform with a few rolls of his favorite film. Ultimately, I have been as pleased with this camera as I could ever have imagined, which is why I now own multiple bodies with every intention to keep a main and back-up unit for many years to come

Have always found Minolta to be an excellent company for cameras and lenses. I was greatly saddened when I found out that they had ceased producing cameras last year. Already own digital cameras and do like them loads for their convenience and the fact that I don't have to wait for a photo place to develop pictures for me. Just had to get to my printer and have all the pics I needed.
But.... there is still something about a regular camera that speaks to my 'romantic soul'. Minolta's Maxxum 7 epitomizes this. It is that sense of adventure you get when you press that button and 'see'--not with the factual eye of a computerized digital that shoots an 'actual' copy of what is in front of the lens but with the eye of a romantic hoping that what inspired you to take the shot in the first place---an impression, a shadow, the light, the angle----will come through in the photo when it is finally developed.
The 7 is perfect because I am not a professional but an avid amateur. I sometimes like the mistake I make with a shot as the faults make the picture more interesting to me. Not on par with experts ---yes--- but very interesting and full of potential. It allows me to take more shots that I would otherwise not risk if not for the 'fail-safe'features offered by the camera.
There is real nothing I dislike about this camera and have bought another one for my niece's use as she just graduated from University with a cum laude in Fine Arts that she got in part through using an older Minolta model I had given her father for her thesis photos. Can you imagine what she could do with a camera like this?