Maxxum 5D - Dimage A2 first impressions

[vasilis]

Hello, this is mostly about your information.

 

my girlfriend just bought a new Minolta Maxxum 5d changing a Dimage

A2. here in switzerland they are available a week now. At the

beginning because I have a nikon d70 we were debating that it has no

logic to have the same or similar cameras (SLRs). Dimage A2 was a very

nice camera, fast, mechanical zoom ring, good EVF, Anti shake and most

importantly completely silent operation and also a tiltable screen. We

bought the first one (used) and we sent it back because it had hot

pixels. Then we bought a new A2 but the problem there was that the EVF

had this problem called smear (streaks of vertical whenever there is a

bright source) that makes it unusable at bright days. The technician

in Minolta said to us that yes smear is almost a standard in the

camera and he knows that is difficult to use on sunny days.....

Digicams are getting close but they are not there yet, so I will give

them 2-3 years more.

 

There my girlfriend got bored with the game that we change A2s until

we get it right so we went for the Maxxum 5d. (I think that Bill

Mitchell in photo.net played the same game).

 

Now, my impressions about the Maxxum 5d in comparison to my nikon d70.

Image quality is almost the same, I would not find a real difference.

Maxxum 5d has less noise at 1600, but this is due to more aggressive

noise reduction. The 18-70 of the maxxum 5d is a very cheap

construction but optically works fine and is sharp (this means more

than acceptable for the money). The 5d has more functions than the

nikon d70, a much better viewfinder and finally a much faster

autofocus. Functions that the 5d has and the d70 does not is low-key,

high key settings and also a very useful mirror lockup (coupled with

timer) and 100 iso. Finally the anti-shake is a dream come true. I

used the camera with 800 iso, anti shake on, a mirror lock-up and all

that with a 50mm 1.7. Only for that the camera worths it.

 

And now the only two problems (and a small remark) that I could find

in the camera.

 

1) build quality, it is not good the way that knobs and buttons are

made the camera feels cheap. This may not mean anything because even

if it feels this way it lasts.... but we are talking about the first

impressions

 

2) ergonomics of the camera. The ergonomics of the camera are not

good, do not imagine something terrible, it is just that it maybe

needs time, or that my hands are more compatible with the d70....

People were saying that 7d was perfect in this department well

according to my experience the 5d is not.

 

3) Small remark. The LCD on top I miss it, but I suppose you get used

to that as well.

 

Conclusion if the 5d turns out to be stable and not give problems I

think that it would be my preference now in this class of cameras. And

keeping in mind the prices of Minolta objectives in the used market

(next to nothing) it is a very good choice for any enthusiastic

photographer.

[vasilis]

And I forgot other disadvantages of the 5D because for me they are not very important.

1)It has to do with the speed of the camera. The shutter lag is the same with the d70. Maybe because of the faster autofocus Minolta wins (except if you use AFS lenses in Nikon). The startup time is close to 1 second instead of virtually 0 on the nikon d70 and on the canon 350d. And the drive mode although it is the same (3i/s) the buffer is only for 4 images and then the camera slows down considerably. For my needs I find the speed of the maxxum 5 acceptable, although for others, maybe it makes a difference.

2) Finally the 5d has an awfull very metallic shutter noise (I do not care)

[jcuknz]

Smeer --- I get this with my Nikon 5700 and usually it can be controlled by shading the lens from the lightsource causing it.

Thanks for you comments since either this of the D7 is the only DSLR that tempts me away from my pro-sumers .. principally the AS.

[mark u]

There's a very good review of this camera here:

 

http://www.photohobby.net/webboard/show.php?Category=alldata&No=5659

 

Early users report that the speed of the CF card is critical to camera performance in terms of write times, image review etc. For those who don't need the wide range of lenses that are available for Nikon and Canon mount cameras, it looks like being an excellent value small DSLR.

[vasilis]

to JC: I 've seen it in other digicams as well and I think that in this sample of the dimage a2 it was a bit excessive. Also, I think in German is "smeer" and english is "smear" (although not sure).

 

And for Mark, I have used in the minolta the same card with the nikon (sandisk extra 2) and I can say that the minolta is slower. It is really rare though that I use a 3i/s rate for more than 3 images so I do not really care.

 

I think that the only real negative (for me) of the camera is that it feels a bit cheaper.

[peterblaise]

.

 

Vasisis wrote: "... [KMDMS5D Konica Minolta Dynax] Maxxum [sweet] 5 [Digital] has less noise at [iSO] 1600 [than the ND70 Nikon Digital 70], but this is due to more aggressive noise reduction ..."

 

"BUT"? Why "BUT"? Isn't that the whole point of enhanced features and benefits with new model releases?

 

I imagine the upcoming Nikon D80 or D200 will even the score, as I find digital noise goes down with the DATE of issue of a new camera design, NOT the cost of the camera, so often I have seen that a later model CHEAPER camera in a manufacturer's line is actually a cleaner capture system than the older, more expensive camera from them. Then we have to wait a skipped generation to get the same modern sophistication in the flagship model, eh? A**backwards!

 

Regarding ergonomics, I also find a world of difference between Nikon and Minolta. Percentage wise, once I get familiar with either camera layout, I miss a higer percentage of my intended shots with a Nikon than with a Minolta due to not being able to access the controls that affaect the shot. Perhaps the NFN70 Nikon F/N 70 ruined the Nikon "control layout" for me as it was more like a a game-boy than a camera in it's interface! I like the Minolta return to knobs 10 years ago in 1995, even though Minolta INVENTED the electronic controls we all know and hate 10 years before that in 1985 in their first AF 35mm SLRs and the rush to computerized electronic automation.

 

I think when you say you used all the features of the KMDMS5D camera that you like I imagine you did NOT use them all at the same time, such as AS Anti Shake AND MLU Mirror Lock Up together! ;-)

 

Regarding the KMDA2 Konica Minolta DiMage A2, I have the KMDA1 and also have occasionally noticed the EVF Electronic Viewfinder overwhelmed with subject light - though the captured images never had any problem. In the KMDA2, there is a setting to change the sample rate from low to high (cutting it's splendid viewfinder resolution in favor of action response) and a setting to have the viewfinder show corrected or uncorrected response to subject lighting and camera exposure controls. We each may be setting these differently, so each person's KMDA-series camera may not behave the same as the next person's camera.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Click!

 

Love and hugs,

 

Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/

[peterblaise]

.

 

Mark U wrote: "... For those who don't need the wide range of lenses that are available for Nikon and Canon mount cameras, [Konica Minolta] looks like being an excellent value small DSLR ..."

 

Explain, please. Aside from a modern tilt and shift lens, what has Nikon or Canon to offer that Konica Minolta (and Tamron and Sigma) does not, especially considering that the Konica Minolta cameras turn ALL attached lenses into AS Anti Shake systems.

 

I guess Tamron and Sigma and Tokina also build for Nikon and Canon, so that helps level the playing field, focal length wise and aperture range wise.

 

Also, note that Pentax incorporates not only their older screw mount lenses but also their 645 medium format lenses into their modern SLR/DSLR systems operation.

 

I think each camera system offers something unique in ther marketing target, and the Minotla AS Anti Shake system, for me, reduces the expectation that the Canon/Nikon/Sigma lens-based "anti shake" systems offer such compelling advantages anymore.

 

TIA Thanks in advance for your insight on the "advantage" of Nikon and Canon lens systems over what's available for Konica Minolta today.

 

Click!

 

Love and hugs,

 

Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/

[vasilis]

Does anybody else has the camera? (curiosity)

[vivek iyer]

I hear (from a local shop) that some of 7D have the smear or stripes showing at high ISO. Watch out for that!

[mark u]

The Minolta lens system comprises about 30 lenses including the reduced image circle lenses for APS DSLRs. There's no rectilinear prime shorter than 20mm, no 400 f/2.8, 500 f/4 or f/4.5, etc.,etc. and only a couple of fast focussing SSM lenses in the lineup. Not all third party lenses are available in Minolta mount, whereas they are readily available in both Nikon and Canon mounts. Canon's own lens range is over 50 lenses, and Nikon's is close to that. Add the fact that you can use a huge variety of lenses on the Canon EF mount via adaptors (M42, Contax, Leica R, Nikkor, OM etc.)... Now you might argue that a KM 5D buyer wouldn't be interested in some of the lenses that the Minolta system and 3rd party offerings fails to cover. That's exactly my point... for someone who has no need of such exotic offerings, the KM 5D makes an excellent choice of camera.

 

In fact, I'm seriously considering getting one myself, despite being a Canon EOS and Olympus OM user. I think it would make an excellent "grab" camera - so much better than any digicam, and much more useable than a Canon Rebel DSLR (I hate the tiny viewfinder and menu font size on the LCD - the latter requires me to don glasses to read it - the same comment applies to the Canon 20D). A compromise for me is that it's not pocketable like the various film P&S cameras I own - so I'm also waiting to see what the new Ricoh "GR1" derivative amounts to - though I bet that weighs 2-3 times a loaded Olympus XA. That might be the first serious competitor to a film P&S if it has a reasonable size of sensor - say a crop factor of 1.5-2 vs. 35mm full frame - and corresponding reasonable measure of DOF control and high ISO performance that competes with DSLR offerings or film. I wouldn't consider anything less for a pocketable digital. I'll probably end up getting a "son of Canon 5D" FF DSLR eventually to use with my nice glass for EOS and OM (via an adaptor) mount - but I know the AS on the Minolta would improve the quality of my wife's shooting over what she gets on her Canon A80, so I can regard it as potentially a medium to long term solution to part of our camera useage.