Created April 9, 1999 Last Modified: April 9, 1999
This document is a compilation of my thoughts and opinions about some Minolta Maxxum 35mm SLR Cameras. This is based on the responses that I wrote in 1997 to questions from a photographer about the choice of Minolta cameras.
Minolta Maxxum cameras:
Minolta has made a wide variety of Maxxum Model cameras over the years. They tend to fall into "categories" based on the first digit on the model number. I personally would not own any of the "3" series cameras, as they do not provide any manual control. Likewise, I would not want any of the "5" series cameras because they do not provide complete manual control, although they do provide some. The "7" series cameras are the most popular models, and they have always been the "level" that fit my needs. There have been some "6" and "8" series cameras form Minolta over the years. The 8000i from many years ago was more of a novelty version of the 7000i, with the white body and lenses. The recent models 600si and 800si seem to be very good models, but I do not have any personal experience with either. The "9" series of Maxxum cameras are the "professional" level, offering more traditional style of controls, sync cord attachment connectors, and add-on motor drives.
Of course, every time Minolta comes out with a new generation of Maxxum cameras, they make significant changes in certain areas:
7000:
The 7000 was the first generation Maxxum camera, and it started the entire autofocus movement.
I bought a 7000 many years ago, and it served me well for many years. It had a few weaknesses, and sometimes it was unable to focus in low light situations, but still liked it a lot. I eventually bought a second 7000 body, and I used both for a few years.
7000i:
The 7000i was the second generation Maxxum, the first to use the "i" designation for "Intelligent". It boasted a superior metering system and improved autofocusing system. I never actually owned a 7000i, but a very good friend of mine is still using one.
The flash mount was changed on the i-series of cameras, obsoleting all of the old flashes, OEM and aftermarket. The new flash mount offered better communication between the flash and the camera.
7xi:
The 7xi is a third generation Maxxum, and it has the top matrix metering system and autofocusing systems that they make. The xi series of cameras use the xi series of lenses that include "predictive autofocus" and "autozoom" features.
Just a few years ago, the 7xi was Minolta's top of the line camera, and it still is a good camera by today's standards. It has a *lot* of features, and it can confuse some people. (I bought a book to go with it, and I still have trouble remembering how to activate all of the features.)
700si:
The 700si made a number of improvements, primarily in the areas of controls and ease of use. It uses the same 14 segment honeycomb metering system made famous on the 7xi. The camera's ability to focus in low light is SO much better than the Maxxum 7000 I had been using for years, that I gave the old camera away after I bought the new 700si.
It can be used in fully automatic modes, and function as a point and shoot that even my sister can use, or you can control everything down to the tiniest detail of how it operates. It is a very smart camera, and a tough competitor.
There is some argument about whether the 700si is a new generation, or just a revision. The focusing is faster, and the low-light-level focusing is superior, but the 14 segment honeycomb metering is very much the same on both, so I consider it a revision rather than a whole new series.
BACKGROUND:
I started off with an old manual Minolta SRT-202 that I inherited from my father. Some years ago I got a Maxxum 7000, and I began stockpiling lenses. After a few years, I bought a second 7000, so that I could have a backup, and so that I could run color and B&W at the same time.
Since I had a complete 35mm system, I was planning on getting into medium format, and then bam! someone stole a bunch of my equipment, including my #1 7000, and 4000AF flash and my best lenses. I basically had to start over, rebuilding my stock of 35mm equipment.
I bought the 7xi and a few xi lenses, starting with the zooms to cover the ranges I wanted. I got the 28-105mm zoom and the 100-300mm zoom and the fixed focal length 50mm standard lens. Then I began to fill in the most important areas with fixed lenses, 85mm and 135mm and 400mm.
A few of years ago I bought the 700si for three reasons:
This last few years I have been spreading in both directions, focal length-wise. During the summer of 1997, I bought the 300mmf2.8 telephoto and a 24mm wide angle lens.
So that is what my background with Minolta cameras is.
7xi -vs- 700si -vs- 7000i -vs- 7000
COMPARISON:
There really is no comparison between the 7000 and the 7000i and the other two cameras. The newer generation Maxxum cameras are so far superior to the first two, that it is pointless to discuss. Either the 7xi or the 700si camera will focus SO much faster, and in lower light, than the either the 7000 or the 7000i that there is no comparison.
Therefore, the main thrust of this comparison will be the 7xi and the 700si.
The two cameras are relatively similar. The basic philosophy of the controls layout is similar. The thumbwheels act the same, and some major controls are inside the door on the right. However, the memory controls and the customization are much easier on the 700si.
When I got the 700si, my first impression (and an article I read confirmed) was that Minolta had done a really good job of surveying their current customers, finding out their opinions, and designing their requested features in. The 700si is (in my opinion) very similar internally to the 7xi, with a better set of controls and features.
In general I like the controls slightly better on the 700si, but that is something that is really individual, so you have to make that decision for yourself.
The built in flash on the 700si is pulled up manually. It still operates almost the same as on the 7xi, but it does NOT pop up automatically. That was a "feature" on the old one that really drove me crazy in a lot of instances. On the 7xi, if you wait a while between shots, it resets, and often automatically pops up the flash if it thinks it needs it. You can turn the flash off, but then when you want it you have to turn it back on. On the 700si, if you pull it up, it fires. Easy. Sweet. I like it MUCH better. My (NIKON) buddy Dennis always chuckles as I am swearing at the 7xi for autozooming and auto-flash-popping-up.
The fill-flash controls are much easier on the 700si, using a simple external button.
The 700si has a built in memory feature. You can dial-in all of the settings just the way you want, and set them in memory. Then if you reset or change things, you can go back to the memory settings. You can do this on the 7xi (and some earlier models) but that requires a $50 custom memory card, and it is rather complex. A real pain. The 700si has this feature built in. It is really nice to be able to set spotmetering, spot focus and whatever, and be able to change anything and simply bop right back to your spot settings in a snap.
Speaking of that, the 700si has a spotmeter button on the outside so it is much easier to go into this mode. In addition, you can use it as a momentary thing to make the camera act like a spot meter even in a normal metering mode. As a serious amateur you should appreciate this. It helps you scan and meter a scene using the camera. This is good for the "zone system".
On the 700si you can turn the automatic eye-start feature off. Some people won't care at all, but some people *HATE* the eye-start and demanded to be able to override it. Again that is personal taste. I like the fact that the cameras turn on and begin to focus and meter as soon as it detects my eye arriving at the eyepiece. The camera is focusing at the same time the operator is so grab shots are quicker than with older models. On the other hand, when I carry the camera low, and it brushes against my pant leg, sometimes you hear the camera starting to autofocus or autozoom. It depends upon how you carry the camera and whether you care. It is just one more control that lets you modify the 700si operating characteristics to your personal tastes.
The 700si has a depth of field preview button that can be very useful to a serious amateur. However, I must confess that I never use it. (This is a side effect of too many features) I use my experience to decide speed and f-stop for the situation.
The 700si has the ability to do multiple exposures built in. This was one of my complaints with the 7000's and others. On the 7xi you can do multiple exposures, but again it requires a separate $30 card, and you must install it and blah blah blah.
Supposedly, you can do many exposures on one frame with the 700si, but I don't remember how. It seems that two was easy, more was hard. I read an article once about a guy with a 7000 that got multiple exposure shots by marking the film leader and reloading in *EXACTLY* the same place. That takes a lot of planning and care. The 700si has it built in. It isn't a feature most people use very often, but it is a good thing.
The 700si has a built in frame count down feature. Once you get below ten frames remaining, it counts down the number remaining in the led display inside the viewfinder. This is a good feature if you notice it. It can be really nice to get some warning before the camera starts to automatically rewind right in the middle of something important.
That leads me to rewind speed. The 700si has two speeds of rewind. One is fast and the other is quiet or something like that. Obviously that is not a big deal to me, but in some cases it could be important. If you do weddings, a quiet rewind could be very valuable.
The 700si also has a choice of release modes. There is a focus priority mode that is the standard. It won't allow the picture to be taken until it senses that it is in focus. It can be changed to a release priority mode. This just gives you additional flexibility. I am certain that you have had occasions with your 7000 where it wouldn't fire because it thought it was out of focus. That can be so maddening. Still, I leave mine in focus priority, and I try to be careful.
The 700si has an optional "kung foo grip" that you can put on the bottom for vertical operation. It puts duplicate controls so that if you do a lot of vertically oriented shooting you don't get the fatigue in your hands so bad.
One thing that I do think is clearly superior about the older 7xi is the film loading. It is a little bit different, and it is easier and more natural on the 7xi. Not that the 700si is hard, but I always take a couple extra seconds on the new one.
That summarizes the differences that I know of between the two cameras.
Which one should you buy? I recommend the 700si. It is a more refined version of the 7xi. If your budget can handle it, I would say that you should get the better one. You are the only one who can make the final decision, but I say go 700si. The newer camera will have a longer "shelf-life" and be less obsolete forever. The additional controls may not play a real active role in your photography now, but as you grow and improve, the added creative possibilities will start to be more useful.
I have owned the 7xi for years, and I have several of the specialty cards for it. I must confess that I never use any of them because they are too complicated to use easily. Having simple controls will encourage you to experiment and therefore improve your photos and your skills.
If you do get a used camera, make sure that you get the manual for it. It may sound silly, but read it! There are SO MANY features, it is a good idea to re-read it every so often to remind you of some of the features. I still find things once in a while that I had forgotten that it could do!
INCOMPATIBILITY:
In case you do end up with more than one Maxxum camera, please keep these incompatibility issues in mind.
The new autozoom xi lenses have manual and auto switches on them, usually on the side of the barrel. You must set them in manual to work on the 7000 and 7000i, and they really don't work right on the new cameras unless they are in the auto mode. It is easy to forget as you are madly switching cameras and lenses in a hurry.
The film rewind on the 7xi and 700si is automatic, although you can force it to rewind at any time. On the 7000 you have to manually rewind. Be careful if you are using both old and new. Once at the end of a shoot, I opened the 7xi to remove the rewound film. Without thinking (key phrase) I opened the 7000 without rewinding. I was so used to the auto-rewind on the 7xi that I forgot. I only destroyed the last five B&W frames, but those were the ones where the model was finally comfortable and undressed. Lost and gone forever. (moved to Japan)
You see, one of the reasons that I listed above for buying the 700si was that the 7xi and 7000 were too different. I was constantly having trouble when I tried to use both at once, and I finally gave up and bought a more compatible camera body. I do not regret it. Actually, I use both cameras almost as the same amount.
Of course you know that your flashes for the 7000 will not work on either new camera. The on camera flash is really a cool thing. They are not real strong, but it is really nice that they are always there when you need them.
Feedback or comments? Mail to: John Schultheis /