-- cheap
-- v. fast autofocus
-- depth of field preview
-- ergonomic design
-- bracketing
-- program modes for 'quick situations'
-- eye start can be turned off& on, unlike earlier models
-- useful 3 f.p.s.
-- useful custom functions [eg; leave film strip out]
-- available high speed sync. with specific flashes
-- pop up flash
-- respecable build quality [and a lot better than the 505si!]
-- 1/4000 shutter speed to 30s [plus bulb]

you can only find these if you really pick:
-- if you wanted to use some of the high quality older lenses, eg; 28-135, 70-210 [which are quite heavy] you may find the camera a bit small to cope with the load.
-- can go through batteries quite quickly [but there is a battery pack available that takes AA's]
-- no vertical grip
-- the 28-80 [d] lens that comes with it is not suitable for advance use or big enlargments but still useful for many users

I purchased this camera to replace my faulty 505si and never looked back. This camera has an excellent range of features that would support anybodies needs - except the very advanced or pro's who would probably look towards the 7 and 9. The auto focus is extremely fast and usually very accurate. minoltas 14 segment matrix metering is very reliable in all situations, though if you have used minolta equipment before [or when you get to know this camera] you will get even better exposures with the use of the exp. compensation. It has the added bonus of going down to 0.3 of a stop either way when bracketing, which is useful when using slide film. The dials may not be as easy to use first time but they are very conviniently placed and so moving around the camera becomes second nature very soon. The eye-start features is very useful if used in the right situations, eg; sports photos etc. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to buy into the minolta equipment and wants a body that packs loads of features but is dirt cheap [the quoted price included the lens, so it is even cheaper without the lens [[65 english pounds]] ]

Customer Service

never needed to use it

Similar Products Used:

505si
nikon F
nikon F4s
zorki

Very smart camera that makes me look good as a photographer. Incredible value Fast focus small and light many quality aftermaket lenses available cheap lots of features.

DOF preview missing. See the Maxxim 7 hand grip is a little small. No big deal- tradeoff for it fits in my pocket. Controls for avanced shots. I dont like the select a function rotate wheel, select another rotate wheel. By the time youve set it up you might have missed the shot. Luckily the camera is very good in standard auto.

I come late to the SLR party. I have a typical digital 2M camera that left me very unsatisfied with the quality of the pictures. It is only good in bright outdoor shots. Frankly it was a waste of $250. Minolta is pulling out of Canada so I saw the Maxxim 5 marked down to $150. What a steal! I was very happy to get an SLR for this amount. Digital is overrated. The quality of film is still much better unles you pay big bucks. I have a decent scanner that will let me take my pics digital. Scanners are cheap! Film is a mature technology and the quality shows. Digital cameras at this point are a money grab for what you get. On to my pictures. Im a new photographer with a good eye but no experience. The results from even my first roll had coworkers and family saying "Wow, look at those colors! You have such a good camera!" What am i sliced cheese? Its a basic SLR. I have taken shots of friends in dark bars, night cityscapes, sunsets, nature shots etc. 90% of my pics are very good. The bad ones are from camera shake, boring idea, general user error. One reviewer complained about blurry pics and dropped batteries. Im sure this is an old guy with romantic ideas of the old manual days and shaky hands. This camera almost never makes a mistake in auto using the spot metering/ spot focus as required. Read the simple manual! The basic 28-80 lens is fast to focus. Good indoors and up close. Get a Sigma or Tamron zoom and you are set for some nice work. The Sigma 28-200 APO is now my default lens. very nice. I have up to a 2000mm lens. Its small and light which is very important. It means you take it with you with no bad feelings about lugging it around. I stuff it in my coat pocket. I can pull it out for snap impulsive shots with high quality. The camera is fast enough that you dont miss many good moments. People i know that payed big money for a fancy digital bought bragging rights. Generally their pics are poor. They are convinced i payed a fortune when i show them my pics. Its the eye of the photographer that makes the shot. Tiger woods could whip most anyone with 3 walmart clubs and no putter. One day i might get the maxxim 7 and give the 5 to my mom. The small grip and light weight would be even better for a woman. Thats just being greedy. I dont need it for quality work. I love this camera. If it was bigger i would hug it.

Customer Service

Unknown.

Similar Products Used:

The more expensive and pathetic fuji finepix a201 with a puny lens. It gets dust while the maxxim 5 gets used.

Very light, relatively quick focus

Strap attachments get in the way of the film door, has a lifespan of around 15 rolls before it needs repair, mediocre kit lens

I purchased this camera for work with fast-action material and otherwise hectic environments. This came as a kit with the unimpressive stock 28-80 zoom lens, and its performance is acceptable. There's nothing amazing or astonishing about this camera, except perhaps the weight-- even loaded with batteries and film, it's still light as a feather. However, it's not very durable-- as it's good for about 15 rolls of film, at which point it will break down even after the most gentle shooting (won't turn on, the back won't open, won't respond to fresh batteries, etc.) It's an acceptable camera, but unless you've got deep pockets for repairs or a lifetime warranty (like ritz), I'd steer clear.

Excellent with the extra straps, battery shoe/grip and flash. Makes it feel more like a pro camera.

Not so great out of the box. Good only for home and garden shooting.

This camera is fantastic as a lightweight SLR with most of the features of a pro SLR. It's great for vacations and other situations where you do not want to lug a heavy camera around. Basically, it's a point-and-shoot replacement for people who want to advance to the next level with superior optics and more functions. To address most of the complaints from other posters: you MUST buy some of the optional accessories that go with this camera. The optional battery grip uses 4AA batteries and both significantly alleviates the power demands of the camera as well as improve the grip of this small camera. It's about $100. Buy it and use NiMH batteries. It also comes included with a handstrap that really helps you hold the camera. The second complaint is the AF in low light situations. The AF illuminator on the camera is just a basic one for small room indoor shots - like a P&S. You really need to accessorize your camera with one of the Minolta flash units. The 3600HS and the 5600HS both have powerful AF illuminators that allow you to take those outdoor shots. It's a great camera, but if you want pro behaviour, you're going to have to shell out the extra money for some of the accessories.

Like I said before, it is very light weight, making it easier to take with you and will not quickly become a burden. The AF is very good. I also like the fact you can turn ot completely manual and get the exact look you want or you can set it on automatic and it will do all the thinking for you. Even with the automatic it takes great pictures.

It goes through batteries kind of fast, depending if you turn it off between photos or not. Also I have had a few minor problems but they were easily fixed by playing around with it for a while.

It's a nice camera that takes good pictures and is easy to carry around with you. It's the camera I got when I was becoming serious in photography. I enjoy it very much.

Customer Service

None. I've been able to take care of everything myself.

Fast AF AF assist light Ergonomic design Easy to program Fast continuous film advance Pop-up flash 1/4000th sec shutter speed Light weight Metal lens mount Not shiny - Scratches do not show as much as with the EOS rebel Ti.

Strap is very uncomfortable

This is a winner. It is light, easy to use and handle and has fast max shutter speed, film advance and AF. I've read complaints about the AF assist and Slow AF in low light but even the Nikon F5 (a $2,135 pro camera) has a slow AF in low light. It beats all other cameras in its class hands down. If you pay attention the strap never interferes with the film door.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Leica R8 Nikon F100 Nikon F5 Minolta Maxxum 3,4 and 7 Canon EOS rebel Ti (Very overpriced) Canon Digital Rebel

AF AE Light durable body Full range of features and manual control/override at users discretion

Strap - always binds on the door DOF button is awkward to reach and viewfinder quite dark when viewing DOF

Historically Minolta has been the most innovative of the mainline camera manufacturers and any doubts in that regard are easily dispensed with if you try out this camera. The specs and flexibility offered by this camera cannot be matched within its price bracket and in fact they challenge some much pricier competitors. I had not touched a camera in may years (previously used a manual Minolta SRT101) and purchased this camera spontaneously after suffering price shock after looking at a digital. To be honest I had no idea how advanced SLR technology had become and I am still in awe (not to mention some advances in film e.g. Agfa Ultra). Most reviews reference the plastic body and wimpy size as a negative. Well, I managed to send my camera flying off of a table 4' onto concrete with a 75-300 mm D lens attached. The lens hood snapped off and had to be replaced. There was not a scratch on the camera or lens and no ill effects!! Others may have had less pleasing outcomes but my unintentional field test convinced me that it is in fact quite a durable camera. However, having said that I don't plan on any further tests. The AF is remarkably fast (perhaps this is why the new 645 medium format Blad uses Minolta's AF) and AE is difficult to criticize. Even in program settings it is hard to get a truly bad exposure. Full manual control is easy to use and when linked with an HS5400 you can really have some fun. The light body and well placed controls make the camera easy use although I admit that initially it felt odd. I would not hesitate to recommend this camera for a beginner intermediary or even a highly experienced phtotgrapher looking for a lighter and more compact camera which still gives most of the flexibility and features of the pro cameras.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta SRT101

Great handling and looks. All controls are easily accessible. I particularly like the easy to reach manual focus, spot AE/AF and exposure compensation/aperture buttons. The feature list is much more comprehensive then any other SLR of a similar price. Highlights include a 4000th shutter speed, spot metering, depth of field preview adn loads of custum features. High speed autofocus that, in the right conditions and with a 50mm lens will focus almost instantly. A fantastic price (£207), around £30 lower then it's competitors. Great, detailed manual explains all features of the camera thoroughly. The only thing i am not sure on is how to change a film half way through, and then load it up again at the frame you took it out at . Does anyone know if i can do this?

Autofocus is slow in low light, which was expected but still dispointing. Eye start is a right gimmick. I was really excited about it when i go the camera but found it unneccesary and hardly any faster then normal auto focus or continuous auto focus. The mode wheel is stiff adn seems to turn in the wrong direction.

After learning photography on a fully manual SLR, a decided to upgrade to an automatic with both automatic and manual features. I had to choose between the Minolta Dynax 5, Canon eos 300v (rebel ti), Pentax MZ5 (i think)and the Nikon F55. I quickly dispelled the Nikon which was too simple, lacking more creative features. It also handled like a brick. The pentax was too light and flimsy, and also lacked features. So it came down to the canon and the minolta. I really liked the canon's futuristic design, and the LCD and handling were both big selling points. However, it was the feature list, solid feel (despite what other people say) and fantastic handling that turned me towards the Minolta

Customer Service

No problems yet

Similar Products Used:

Centon K100, manual SLR. I have also tried the Canon, Nikon adn Pentax equivelants as well as the dynax 404 adn the dynax 7

Fastest auto focus in this price range. Straight forward functions. Solid build but keep in mind that I don’t know what the Maxxum 7 or 9 feels like. Makes you look like a pro even in full Auto Mode. Feature packed camera, in other words a camera that will grow with you should you really want to get into photography.

DOF (Depth of Field preview) a little to dark when trying to open up to a small F/stop. And of course the neck strap gets in the way when loading film. That’s the only negative things I can say about this camera.

This is the perfect camera for the beginner and intermediate photographer. I’ve been using the camera for almost 2 years now and have been very pleased. The first year I left it in Auto mode or using the preset functions like portrait, landscape, & sports sometimes. I was amazed how good the pictures looked even using while using the 28-80mm Minolta zoom lens and continually received complements from friends & family (use a good photo lab like Ritz and not Wal-Mart or Target). However during the last 7 months I really started getting into photography and purchased a 28-200mm Sigma lens along with a prime Minolta 50mm f/1.7 lens. Matched these up with UV & polarizing filters and my pictures keep getting better and better. Once I fully figured out and understand how to use this camera to it’s fullest I will upgrade to the Minolta Maxxum 7 and tackle that beast. But thanks to sticking in the Minolta family I’ll be able to use my current lens on my Maxxum 7 and only need the body which will save me some $$$. I have not had a single problem with this camera with reguards to quick dying batteries or have it all of a sudden stop working.

Similar Products Used:

Cannon Rebel 2000 & the other one. Nikon (I can't remember which model but in the same price range).

-Boasts many of the maxxum 7/9 capabilities, but is missing a glass prism for DOF preview (although it's still suprisingly bright). -Autofocus locks quickly, even on moving subjects -Viewfinder display a bonus; provides most info you need to know -Lightweight (I lug the camera on family vacations) -Metal lens mounts...a BIG plus for such a lightweight camera.

-Battery hungry...always carry a spare -Strap gets caught in film door (not a big deal, just a pain sometimes)

This is an overall good camera with suprising capabilities. It packs most of the features found in the more expensive Maxxum 7/9 at about half the cost (of the 7). A well designed camera for a beginner or intermediate wishing to learn more about photography without losing much loot. The jury is still out on the overall build quality. The composite/plastic body feels almost too delicate, and am careful not to drop it. I've read other testimonials on it's durability, but I haven't tested it yet.

Customer Service

I had problems within a week of purchase, but Minolta repaired without fanfare (and 8+ telephone courtesy) inside a week and a half.