phil_derosier

... the death of a loved one is always painful. but after a period of mourning, balance and cognition must rule over irrationality. get over it,

people: steam locomotives, buggy whips ... and film ... are dead.

The point, however, is how willing will the risk-averse consumer be in sinking 1 or 2 "big bills" into a system that may not

survive? The corporate bean-counters at Sony are surely asking themselves the same question.

Look at this another way: is it possible Sony may seek to avoid a "Kodak moment"? All business is about "buy low, and

sell high", or "escape while the exit doors are still visible". Kodak—with all its tech prowess and patents—couldn't detect,

or refused to acknowledge, the paradigm shift.

I've been with Minolta since the very early 90s, and it pains me to see this happen (again). But life goes on ...

Regardless of the performance of Sony Imaging, the behemoth corporate structure that is Sony, Inc., has the potential to

— in full Titanic style — drown the innocents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/technology/how-sony-fell-behind-in-the-tech-parade.html

Or, will Sony fans soon experience another "Minolta moment?"

I've had the a700 almost from the launch date, and this is my take. Its one glaring fault has been limited/noisy high ISO.

That said and for what I do, between 1,600 and 2,500 ISO has been more than adequate for 95% of my work (which

includes prints of up to 8 X 12).

I was an old Minolta system guy, and since I owned at one point or another just about every gadget and accessory

Minolta made, I was pleased that all flash cables and connectors functioned perfectly on the 700. Shucks, if you're patient and willing to fool around with manual settings and flash meters, even the older "xi" flashes work well. But above all, mounting my beloved

stable of lenses to the 700 was a given, and was central to my decision to stick with Minolta ... I mean, Sony.

My 700 is equipped with the battery grip which some feel make the camera larger than necessary, but I like the fact of a

no-fuss wedding day shoot without changing or worrying about batteries (changing batteries is a PITA especially when

the camera is mounted to a frame grip). In all, the 700 tends to be on the somewhat heavy side (noticeable after 6 or 7

hours if work) but it's built like a tank. While its not "weatherproof", it is spill-proof, which matters when children spill their

juice (heck: when adults spill their "juice" as well!)

I only used the angle-finder once. Its a relic concept from film days, and since digital can effectively alters one's

technique, the finder is probably useless. The dual battery charger is a nice addition (... not directly related to the camera,

but I thought you'd like to know).

In summary, I've been more than pleased with the 700. Fast lenses and tripods have been my "workaround" for the high

ISO shortcomings. Yet, as I toy-around with the idea of another camera (A77?), this much I know: the 700 stays with me,

and will be my "go-to" machine for years to come.

... we're all watching a "loved-one" die ... the elders among us are much anguished ... the kids couldn't care less.

Such is life ...

Danisha, why are you even fooling around with ISO 400, anyway? Most modern cameras perform very well at 1600, and

above—which should be a starting point, or 'default' ISO, at least for indoor work.

Let me go out on a limb an suggest the best way to put camera equipment into long-term storage is to treat the

equipment as though it were food. Yes, that's right. Food storage procedures, such as vaccum-sealing and refrigeration,

would lend itself well to arresting microbial growth in delicate equipment. Just remember to remove any batteries, toss in

a dessicant, vacu-pak, and you're good-to-go. And yes: allow the equipment to return to room temperature before re-opening the package.

Yup ... that battery pack sure made things easy. By design, the "naked" 9xi felt like you were holding a wet bar of soap. The battery

pack kinda "squared things off" and made holding the camera feel more "natural". And use of the 4 "AA" batteries was just an added

welcome feature.

The whole 9xi, 5400xi flash, intervalometer and bracket cards, and 35-200xi lens, to me is a classic design that has assumed a place

of honor on my bookshelf.

God, I was in love with Minolta 20 years ago ...

I've done many weddings with the 9xi ... in fact, I had 2 of them. I recommend the BP9xi battery pack, if you can find it, as well as the

5400xi flash gun.

Well, it IS nice to know there are still lots of Minolta fans out there. I myself was introduced to the world of photography using Minolta

equipment. But time marches on, and I submit just as surely as a heralded name as, say, "Speed Graphic" gathers dust — so too will

the name "Minolta".

I mean, c'mon, now: the K/M label has been dead for a while now ... isn't it time for photo.net to move on, and name this forum simply

"Sony"? If Konica or Minolta fans haven't figured out by now where to hang their hats, well then, maybe they should take up

basketweaving, or something.

Purchasing another body is the most expeditious way of solving your problem. I had two bodies myself, one of which I gave away. I

hold onto the other one simply as a keepsake ... I have fond memories of many-a-wedding I shot using them.

Peruse EBAY ... I'm certain you'll find one in top condition.

I'm not sure the responders have sufficient information by which a conclusive suggestion could be made. For example,

what is the f-stop, the shutter speed, or even the meteorological conditions ( i.e., presence of mist, fog, or smoke--even the

slightest amount?) Was the camera on manual or auto focus? And if on auto, was the wind blowing so as to cause the

trees to wave and focus point to shift?

Furthermore, were comparisons using tripod mounted and handheld made? How about trying different image sizes?

Lastly, comparisons on digital to film usually fall short, somewhere. If I recall, color film has 3 or 4 emulsion layers that

affect (mask?) sharpness. In short, if you're comfortable with comparing apples to oranges, I guess digital to film is no

problem.

<p>OK ... first of all, it's not as bad as it sounds. I was at a NHRA drag race (Reading, PA), very near in proximity to the finish line of a Top Fuel run (at the retaining wall), when after the run, I noticed I (and my A700) was covered with a dusting of burned rubber bits (at least that's what it looked like). The camera lens had a clear cover on the lens, and the rear screen had the protective Sony clear plastic cover on it.</p>

<p>I was able to blow off all the rubber dust from the camera, but the clear plastic cover over the data screen would not shake off the rubber, so I took a moist lens cleaning cloth to attempt removal. It only made it worse, as the rubber now smeared all over the screen. When I got home, I gave it a bath in lukewarm water with dishwashing detergent which removed more of the rubber, but some of it is still remaining. It's stuck like, well, glue.</p>

<p>Of course, the answer is to just purchase another cover, but my question is kind of a look ahead one for all the pro race car photographers out there: "why can't I remove the particles"? I'm kinda upset that I can't remove it., because I'm usually pretty good at these things. Do cameras have other components that this may happen with? Do I need to look ahead to prevent similar occurrences?</p>

Sometimes we enthusiasts forget that camera manufacturers exist to make a

profit. I am an old Minolta nut who has not been disappointed by the Sony

offerings in the least. I've bought and traded more Minolta/Sony gear than I

can shake a stick at, and with rare exception, it's all been a satisfying

experience and relation.

As for the future, I may very well trade my beloved A700 (with grip, angle

finder, HVL58) for the lighter weight A55. I fully expect the relation with Sony

to be as fulfilling as it was with Minolta (... well, almost!)

But here's the question that needs answering: why the A55 right on the heels of the NEX? I, for one, think that the

investment capital would have been better spent on the A55 alone, and not sqandered on the NEX.

As for the price tag and GPS, these are to be expected, considering

technology's advance. After all, we're not driving our dad's Buick any longer,

therefore the same forward thinking applies to photography. Indeed, it can be

argued, "what took the camera manufacturers so long?"

More specifically, the replacing of mechanical components with electronic

ones will ensure that prices will continue to drop, as was the case with Swiss

watchmakers, and the shuttering of that business by the likes of Casio and

other electronics corporations. As for GPS, well, it's going into everything

these days.

"Total Recall", anyone?

With all due respect, I don't think the other responses are addressing the

question. I owned a 3xi waayy back when it was first released, and it was my

introductory platform to the wonderful Minolta System. But on to the issue.

If my memory serves me correctly, there's a little black button on the bottom

of the camera that the user depresses if a rewind before roll exhaustion (i.e.,

24 or 36 exposures) is desired. This button may be stuck. I'll leave it up to the

user to determine the value of repairing the component.

<p>In all honesty, I don't think there will be a direct replacement for the A700. I think Sony has abandoned any notion of the SLR for cropped sensor cameras in future development. Hence, efforts such as the NEX.</p>

<p>That said, and after much pondering, I think that cameras such as the NEX will be the wave of the future--but with a twist. Cameras such as these will have their controls user-customized via external computer interfaces--which is why I think the existing on-board controls were designed as 'minimalist'.</p>

<p>There's a lot more 'real estate' on the screen of a laptop, netbook or even IPOD, which would address the accessibility and interface issue. And adding Wi Fi (wireless "N", anyone?) to upscale NEX models to facilitate information transfer would be a hit, IMHO. Nothing revolutionary here, just evolutionary.</p>

<p>In other words, NEX? There's an App for that!</p>

<p>... with minimalist, convoluted controls ... Dare I say it?</p>

<p>The NEX is a gussied-up dummy bucket.</p>

<p>There. I've said it.</p>

<p>The 3xi was my very first camera back around 1990, and it was that machine that ushered me into photography. Although I've long since graduated to more sophisticated cameras, I have very fond memories of it. There was seemingly nothing that I, and a trusty tripod, could not do.</p>

<p>"... only from the Mind of Minolta".</p>