Good news regarding Minolta's 7 D DSLR!!!

[daniel_vlasveld]

I have just recieved an e-mail after a question I asked about

compatibility with the VC7 vertical grip of the Dynax 7, and it

contains some information that was not confirmed before as far as I

know:

 

New lenses:

"This means that there will be new lenses available for the DSLR.

These will look to resolve the reduction of wide angle due to the

1.5x focal factor."

"However it is the intention that as many lenses

as possible be compatible."

 

AS

"This means that no matter how old their lens, it

instantly becomes Anti-Shake."

 

Availability:

"The product will become available in October, should there be any

delays in development and testing this will be moved into early

November."

 

Price (i like this one):

"The camera is seen to compete with the Canon EOS 10D, Nikon D100,

Fujifilm

S3Pro, Sigma SD-10, Pentax *istD. We can witness the current pricing

of

these other models and can thus imagine the price of the Konica

Minolta

version if it were available today. Any price set now would likely be

uncompetitive when we reach October, therefore we shall be clearer

as to

the true cost nearer to the launch." And AS for free! Nice one

Minolta!

 

The full text is below: Enjoy!

 

 

"Thank you for your interest in the recently announced Dynax 7 Digital

camera.

 

To give you a brief outline of the DSLR.

 

The six key points that have been unveiled thus far are;

 

6 Megapixel CCD

APS-C sized CCD

1.5x focal factor

Dynax 7 Layout

Minolta A Mount

Anti-Shake

 

6 Megapixels

 

This is comparable with other models in this sector of the market.

 

APS-C sized sensor and 1.5x Focal Factor

 

By using a smaller CCD than the 35mm film size it extends the focal

length

by a factor of 1.5x, thus a 28mm lens becomes a 42mm and a 300mm

becomes a

450mm. Therefore people who enjoy sports photography gain a longer

lens.

Unfortunately people who enjoy landscape photography will be somewhat

disadvantaged (see New Lenses later in the mail)

 

Dynax 7 Layout

 

This indicates that the award winning Dynax 7 body will be used as the

platform for the new product. This shows the level of performance

that can

be expected. There will be cosmetic changes to the body to suit the

needs

of digital. The mock up sample and images that have been supplied so

far

are subject to change. The final form is likely to be a little

different to

this example.

 

Minolta A Mount

 

This rewards interested customers by stating that their investment in

lenses for the Dynax system has been worthwhile. The Minolta A mount

was

introduced in 1985 and continues today. At this time we cannot

guarantee

that all lenses will work electronically, nor can we guarantee the

quality

of results for all lenses. However it is the intention that as many

lenses

as possible be compatible. We will inform details of compatibility

issues

as soon as we are able.

 

Anti-Shake

 

This too shows the unique advantage of Konica Minolta over other

brands of

DSLR. No other manufacturer can promote such a technology. Nikon and

Canon

both have optical based Vibration Reduction and Image Stabilisation

respectively. If a user wants to gain this technology for use with a

current DSLR they will have to buy a new lens: these tend to be

bigger,

heavier and more expensive than a lens without this feature. Konica

Minolta

will deliver a faster and more accurate system within body to all

users in

the form of Anti-Shake. This means that no matter how old their lens,

it

instantly becomes Anti-Shake.

 

Aspects to be confirmed later.

 

New Lenses

 

Minolta started in the 1920's as a manufacturer of lenses, cameras

started

later. Konica Minolta will always ensure that the quality and

versatility

of its optics are amongst the best available. This means that there

will be

new lenses available for the DSLR. These will look to resolve the

reduction

of wide angle due to the 1.5x focal factor. Details of the focal

ranges and

pricing will follow. At present the widest angle zoom in the Minolta

range

is 17-35, the widest angle fixed lens is 16mm.

 

Availability

 

At this stage we are making a "development announcement": this

restricts

the points of specification that we are able to discuss. In time more

details will be announced. The culmination of this will be at

Photokina

(late September) when the full product will be unveiled. The product

will

become available in October, should there be any delays in

development and

testing this will be moved into early November. We shall keep everyone

aware of the status of this matter.

 

Pricing

 

We are unable to confirm pricing of this model at the present time.

The

camera is seen to compete with the Canon EOS 10D, Nikon D100, Fujifilm

S3Pro, Sigma SD-10, Pentax *istD. We can witness the current pricing

of

these other models and can thus imagine the price of the Konica

Minolta

version if it were available today. Any price set now would likely be

uncompetitive when we reach October, therefore we shall be clearer

as to

the true cost nearer to the launch.

 

Tentative name

 

The name Dynax 7 Digital has been chosen only for this development

announcement. It has been chosen because it instantly communicates the

camera's purpose. In essence, to take the Dynax 7 and make it digital.

Konica Minolta is likely to rename it before launch. The two aspects

that

are confirmed are that it is a Konica Minolta branded product and

that it

is a 7 series.

 

Interested Dynax users

 

We aim to ensure that all interested customers are kept fully aware

of all

details of this product. We welcome customers to register their

interest.

 

If you have not already registered yourself already please do so via

www.konicaminoltaphotoworld.com or reply to this e-mail with your

postal

address details

 

Bernard Petticrew

Technical Support Manager

Konica Minolta Photo Imaging (UK) Ltd

Milton Keynes Office"

 

Daniel

 

[pavelp]

It all sounds very good (goodbye Xmas bonus!). Did they say anything about the VC-7 or its possible replacement? I really hope there will be a vertical grip available for D7. I have Maxxum7 and the grip makes a world of difference.

[daniel_vlasveld]

No more information, this was the entire answer. No news if the VC 7 would fit. But maybe we should read between the lines where they say:

"it is a 7 series"

"This indicates that the award winning Dynax 7 body will be used as the platform for the new product"

and hope that means the VC 7 fits I do not have one BTW, but I was considering buying a D7 with ot without VC7. I think I'll wait for the 7D however, but with VC7 that would be a supercamera.

[miguel_rodriguez3]

Excellent. The way the prices are going, it might be that in Xmas the D10 and Pentax *ist are already in $1000. I was considering getting a Z2 this summer but I might save the money for the D7. And I agree, those vertical grips make a world of difference, my 600si is just a pleasure to use with one of those.

[adolfo_briceno]

Daniel. Thanks for sharing the info. I have a couple of questions. If the A1 has 8MP and the new D-SLR is coming with only 6MP, isn't too little too late??? Does this mean that the A1 will have a better resolution than the new D-SLR??

[craig_gillette]

6 megs of a large sensor is almost certainly better than 8 megs in a small sensor because of the added low light and low noise capabilities. I don't really see too much new in there beyond apparently confirming the sensor info. Everything else seemed to be packed in fluff and caveats. Recognizing that English English is different from American English, it was still rather obtuse.

[adwait_vaidya]

Awesome news!!!!! I really loved the idea of the AS function in the camera body, kudos to the product designers and engineers at Minolta for this idea.

(wrt Canon/Nikon), this kinda reminds me of NASA's superexpensive "space vacuum ball-pen" when the soviet's just used pencils :)))

 

Thanks Daniel.