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through an actual viewfinder
with my other cameras, so this does not bother me, but may bother some.
This camera is a great purchase. And Amazon has a great deal for this
camera and also a memory with purchase deal right now. For those of you
trying to make a decision, get this one. You will be so excited to use
this camera for basically any kind of photography that you can think of!
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This is an amazing Camera, November 13, 2005
Reviewer: Martin J. May "Marty"
Got this one about 4 weeks ago. I like it very much. Simpler interface
than the 7D. Takes great pictures in low light, especially when you use
the anti shake. Good high ISO pictures too.
Well worth the price especially due to anti shake feature. You can shoot
raw or Jpeg. Excellent camera. GEt one !
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An excellent DSLR, March 26, 2006
Reviewer: J. McNamara
I've been using my Maxxum 5D for about a month now and could not be more
impressed. It has excellent ergonomics, great features (like antishake),
and of course, produces high quality images. I moved up from a Canon point
and shoot and I really appreciate these features: 1) no shutter lag, 2)
long battery life, 3) great low-light performance, 4) interchangeable
lenses, 5) RAW format support. I am shooting only RAW these days and using
Photoshop Elements 3.0 to do the conversion to JPEG. While it is true the
camera will usually do a good job, with RAW you have a good chance to fix
that important picture where the exposure and white balance is just wrong.
On the lens front I'm using: 1) 18-70mm kit lens (wide but inexpensive),
2) Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 lens - great for portaits and low-light 3) Tamron
28-200mm XR - a good all-around and compact lens.
I look forward to many years of usage from this camera. I certainly hope
Sony picks up support for the Minolta system.
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Extraordinary DSLR Camera For Wannabe Pros (or real ones), March 19,
2006
Reviewer: Jonathan W.
This DSLR is as good as it gets in the "Pro-sumer"
(advanced amateur...wannabe pro) category. The Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D is
as good (or better) than all the others in its class (e.g, Nikon and
Canon) but comes with the anti-shake feature. It is also among the least
expensive in its class. Get it while you still can.
This camera is for experienced digital photography
enthusiasts, or technological savvy folks who are sure that's where they
are headed. You can set it to "auto" and point-and-shoot the Maxxum 5D
(also know as Dynax 5D internationally) and you'll get perfect shots
nearly all the time. But if that's all you want to do, this camera is not
for you.
By the way, it would be foolish to buy this (or any
other DSLR) camera as a starter camera (even if you have the money). This
camera is best for those with some experience who want to be creative and
view digital photography as a serious hobby or maybe even a part-time
source of income. Even though you can by-pass the hundreds of alternative
settings on the 5D, it would be a shame to have them an not use them at
least some time.
If you have any Minolta (aka Konica -Minolta)lens or
other accessories from your old film-based SLR, then this camera is a no
brainer, as they will all work in this camera too. By the way, there is no
reason to buy the higher end Konica Minolta 7-D, unless you are a pro with
lots of extra money. Its bigger, more expensive and has only one or two
more features than this one.
The big negative issue that you'll note elswhere in
these reviews is that the Konica-Minolta corporation will no longer be
making cameras over the coming year...though the multi-billion dollar
conglomerate will be around for many years to come to honor its
warranties.
I recently bought this camera and a [...] rebate was in place. You might
expect to see more of this as Konica Minolta gets out of the camera
business. But even now, given this camera's fine reputation, they are
getting harder to find.
It is likeley that Sony (who purchased rights to Konica-Minolta's camera
technology) will make this camera the basis of their new Sony namplate
DSLR model line in coming months since it is a winner. But even if they do
not, many third parties make lens that fit this camera and you can
purchase extra warranties from third parties as well.
If you buy this or any other DSLR, be sure to buy
several 512MB or 1-2 GB compact flash cards to take advantage of the
larger JPEG or "raw" image size it outputs (sometimes 5 shots at at a
time, since like the pros, you can click once to get multiple action
shots.) Tigerdirect always seems to have the best deals and rebates on
flash cards. You will also need a flash card reader. Don't mess with
connecting this or any camera directly to your PC.
Speaking of Mega-Pixels, anything over 6MP is overkill,
unless you are going to make nothing but room size posters.
If you'e never owned an SLR or DSLR before, they are
not pocket cameras (you should get one of those first by the way); So you
will need to be comfortable lugging the DSLR camera and at least one extra
lens (you will likely want a telephoto zoom - I recommend a 200 or 300mm
zoom) around.
The most innovative DSLR case on the market is
Lowepro's new slingshot 200 backpack. A must if you have more than one
lens, or if you have any other paraphernalia. The slingshot recenly won
several well-deserved ergonmic design awards. (I got a good deal on one
via the Amazon marketplace).
I hope all this input helps, whether or not you buy the
Konica-Minolta Maxxum 5D. Happy shooting!!
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