cool design
Just love at first sight!
Retro style

Depth of
Field Checking
So Lound!

I never regret to choose it
All function You need
eccept You want to
turn Pro""

Customer Service

so Ugly in Thai,

Similar Products Used:

500 Si

Easy to use, I really like the classic disposition of the commands.
Very good to grip with the hand (really OK the VC 600 tho shot vertical photos)

Noise,...too much.

I started photographing with Minolta (X 300 s) , because in Italy Nikon and Canon are too expesive, after i used a X 700 with really good satisfactions, why to change switching on AF sistem? And I know my choise is right, in fact the Minolta's lenses are perfectly sharp.

Customer Service

In Italy very OK

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None

Lovely feel to it, quick change of modes
great lens options at prices that dont need a mortgage, 200th flash synch on basic flash
solid construction

a bit slow on focussing but fater then i can do it on manual, poor perception by pros , but they are biased usually for reasons thay cant qualify to my satisfaction , to nikon and canon

A lovely tool that is every bit as good as my canon a2 albeit with less features, certainly more robust.apart from my 7000i the beast camera i have used in 35mm

Customer Service

ONLY HAD 7000I repaired in 1989 had a horrifuc bill for a small problem

Similar Products Used:

minolta 7000, 7000i 7xi
9xi canon A2

Lightweight, compact, easy to use. Ideal camera for all around use and beginner to intermediate; especially for the infrequent user.

Battery goes away relatively quickly when flash is in use. Always carry a spare.

When it works, it is an excellent camera for beginner to advanced. The repair shops (2 professional shops in USA) have been unable to resolve problem. I would not recommend this product until such time as it is provided a better warranty or reliability.

Customer Service

This is the negative point that I have with this camera. It froze up on me once and wouldn't auto rewind and I lost some good shots on a trip to Thailand. The second repair that I had was the computer chip going out. It is now in the shop for the third time as that the display screen/film sensor doesn't work/display the shot #. Of course with this not working you can't even take a shot because it won't allow you to depress the exposure button....if it's too expensive for repair, then it's up for grabs or a deep six.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax, Cannon

None

None

I have never had a problem with this camera. Pictures are superb. Heavier than the 500si. Still learning how to use this camera features as I have only had it for about 8 months

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 500si

1. Good metering
(16 Honey Comb cell)
2. Very ergonomic
3. Easy to handle and use
4. Good features.

1. Not excellent metering at low light
2. Builtin Flash is not effective

1. Performance is excellent and very conservative
and ergonomic design. Quite good viewfinder and anti-impact design.

Customer Service

Never contact

Similar Products Used:

1. Contax 167MT
2. Pentax ZX-M
3. Pentax MX

A great camera. No fuzzy stupid logic like the older Xi series.
I particularly like the flash/natural light balance feature.
The body feel strong and solid. One button per feature...

The first one I had was defective on the first day. The second one is working fine for about 4 years now.

The autofocus is now a little slow comparing to competitors
There should be an indicator in the visor to remind you if you are using the spot/multizone/integral measure...

Customer Service

never used it...

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 5Xi

The best AF camera Minolta has built with the exception of the Maxxum 9. Outstanding features and the best ergonominics and ease of use and handling of any comparable modern 35m. Also, has one of the finest light meters around, offering center weighted average, spot, and 14 segment honeycomb matrix. In matrix mode it is hard to fool the meter, and in spot mode you can be as precise as you like. Program mode works remarkably well, a real surprise to a dyed in the wool manual camera user like myself. I use manual or usually aperture priority on most shots, but when going for fast candids it works quite well in program mode. Extremely comfortable in the hand, a natural, once you pick it up you'll know it well enough to use without the manual in minutes.

AF slow and hunts with slow lenses (what else is new). My wife's 28-200 Tamron hunts a lot and is sluggish, my Tokina 28-70 f2.8 focuses lightning fast. Only other issue is that I wish the DOF preview button locked it in that mode and then let you play with aperture as my old SRT 201 does. Also, wish it had the option to stop the film rewind with the tail out. All in all, very minor problems.

We originally bought one for my wife as she wanted us to take a photo course so that she could start going with me on my photo shoots. I relied on my trusty 22 year old Minolta SRT-201, but she wanted something more modern. I originally wrinkled up my nose at these lazy persons cameras, but agreed that the 600si appeared to be the best of the bunch. After over a year of shooting, I came to have great respect for the 600si, particularly the light meter. She could consistently get good shots in lighting conditions that were a total guess with the 201, plus the pop up flash really helped in a lot of conditions. I began seriously looking for a body after Minolta stopped production, and fortunately my local dealer had one new body still in the box shoved in the back cabinet. I snagged it immediately, and feel lucky to have found it. I still have a little adapting to do after so long using my old camera, but it is easier than I expected, and I'm keeping my old 201 and its prime 50mm lens (which has good bokeh)for those nostalgic days or when I feel the need for metal in the hand, but for all the real challenging shoots the 600si wins out (though it pains my "manual is better" soul to say it!).

Customer Service

Have not needed any for my body, but my wifes had the mirror fall off, something the dealer had never seen. It was fixed and returned rapidly by Minolta, so customer service was excellent.

Similar Products Used:

Most of the similarly priced and featured products from Nikon and Canon, and other Minolta models, all of whose chicklet

The 600si has every feature a mid/upper line camera needs, without adding useless fluff. All of the major controls can be selected using only the thump and pointer finger on the right hand without ever having to lower the camera from the eye.

Never

The 600/650si is an incredible camera. Add a vert. grip, a 5400hs, and a "G" lens and you have an incredible system. The pure simplistic control of advanced features is a big plus. No more hold button A, turn dial 1 while tapping button B just to make a selection. With a little practice you can control all of the camera's main functions with just two fingers while never lowering the camera from your eye. One key feature for the Maxxums...the same flawless metering system (14 segment), wireless TTL flash control, and predictive auto focus found on their $2000+ pro model is also available here. With the other systems if you want the best features, you can only find them on their best cameras. Minolta cares as much for the hobbiests pictures as they do for the pros. Can the others (Nikon, Canon, and Pentax) say the same...no.

Customer Service

Hands down, the best in the business

Similar Products Used:

Maxxum 7xi,9xi,700si,800si,9
Eos 1N, 3, A2E
Nikon F5, F4, N90s

When i decided to take up photography as a serious hobby i did lots of comparison shopping. I wanted a camera that had the "old time" feel. It had to be sturdy and of course i didn't want to break the bank.
The 600si won out. And even though it seems every pro shoots with a Canon or Nikon, I have NO regrets in my choice.
The metering, in any mode has never failed me. I personally use the spot mode about 75% of the time.
It feels great in the hand- not flimsy like some cheaper models. The controls are well placed and easy to operate. The view screen is bright and provides all your vital information. The depth of field preview is KEY! Continous focus is good -not great. I shot a wedding for a friend-12 rolls. Maybe i missed 5 shots because the focus didn't catch up. Did however catch all the Introductions perfect.
All studio/theatre work i do with & w/o flash has come out excellant. But Landscapes is where i love this camera the most. It's been banged around - in the rain - fog - sand - close to every condition possible. Right before my wife and i got to Venice - it took a major spill. It was the first time i actually thought - "this camera is toast." Well, the lense got wasted but the camera was fine. Got lots of great images and still am.
Now i'm going to get a 9 because i want the 1/3 stops instead of the half's. I also want the info encoded on my film. My discipline for taking notes is sometimes very poor. Plus i want something more rugged.

Sometimes the focus hunts and pecks too much in certain situations.

For the money- Consider it a Best Buy! If you are looking at becoming a serious photographer but can't afford the pro-lines - This is a great way to start.

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Tried varios Canon's and Nikons. Have a Canon AE-1 as my backup - My Dad's old camera before they came out wi