DPR Forum

Welcome to the Friendly Aisles!
DPRF is a photography forum with people from all over the world freely sharing their knowledge and love of photography. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to the experienced professional. Whether it is Medium Format, fullframe, APS-C, MFT or smaller formats. Digital or film. DPRF is a forum for everybody and for every format.
Enjoy this modern, easy to use software. Look also at our Reviews & Gallery!

Why Sony / Minolta at all?

Friends, I saw the prototype of a Pentax digital camera, the *ist (but no name at that time) at Photokina 2000. It took three years for Pentax to release that camera. But Minolta’s style and marketing strategies are different from Pentax. I remember Minolta introduced the Dynax/Maxxum 9 (in 1998) as well as the 7 (in 2000) without any earlier announcements and I believe Minolta will repeat the same thing with its future digital SLR also. But, before the introduction of Dynax/Maxxum 9 & 7, we had few wonderful cameras like the 9xi, 800si, 600si and the award winning 700si and now, there is not even a single DSLR for Minolta aficionados to use their existing AF lenses. Everyone (including Minolta’s sales division) is waiting, waiting, wait………
 
Waiting ! I don't even know how Minolta stays in business !!

The two largest dedicated camera chains in my end-of-the-pond no longer even stocks the Maxxum 7 or 9 in their shops, the cameras have to be special ordered! The new A1, ........ not in stock either. I did find the A1 at a local independent and that's who got my business. As a hobbyist, when was the last time I saw an advance camera manual on the bookshelf dedicated to a specific Minolta model ? A long time ago.

I really hafta shake my head sometimes on the "Why Minolta?" question. The question is, why can't I just be like the rest of the herds of sheep out there ?
 
Retailers have been advising against Minolta SLRs for the last year or so, on the basis that you can't upgrade to a DSLR, and there was no sign of that being possible.

If Minolta creates a winning SSLR I think the brand will once again be taken seriously.
 
>>The question is, why can't I just be like the rest of the herds of sheep out there ? <<

If you must know: they are from Osaka. The rest of Japan does not recognise the Osakans as fellow Japanese. They are culturally and linguistically very different.

Many years ago a fellow worker from Japan stressed to me the fact that he was from Osaka and kept on trying to teach me Osakan language.

Then last year I had to give a speech in Osaka. I learned the Osakan word for "thank you" (not even close to "arigato"). My speech was in English. The translation was pre-written and the translation was read out as I spoke. But I did not tell them about the Osakan word. At the end I spoke that word. And afterwards a Japanese (obviously an Osakan) came up to me and said I was a "fine Osakan"!

A Japanese lady friend from the Tokyo area, who was in her 30's, visited Osaka for the first time in her life. Afterwards she told me she thought she was in another country. There was "nothing similar to the rest of Japan" (her words, not mine).

So, is it any wonder that Minolta behave differently? And perhaps that also explains why they merged with Konica, another company from that region.

I have a Japanese business associate who went to Kyoto university, which is within that region. He considers his university to be much better than Tokyo university, even when the graduates of Tokyo university dominates Japanese government and big corporations. But I tend to agree with him, if only because he's far and away the smartest Japanese I have ever met, and I have met a fair number of them.

Remember, it wasn't that long ago when Japan was divided into many countries and they were at each other's throats.
 
Robinson S. (Robin) wrote: ... there is not even a single DSLR for Minolta aficionados to use their existing AF lenses. Everyone (including Minolta’s sales division) is waiting, waiting, wait ...

Peter Blaise responds: The world did NOT take notice when Minolta released their previous 4 DSLRs (video backs for the 7000 and 9000, the RD175 and the RD3000), so I understand Minolta hesitating to do it again. Then the economy tanked while Nikon and Canon barged ahead with their relatively deeper pockets.

In the meantime, Minolta has cornered the market on high quality inexpensive film scanners that not only let you digitize your shooting today, but let you digitize your shooting over the years past, which no digital camera offers!

What are you doing now for getting your pictures into the digital darkroom and digital printing universe? How do you share your images?

I have twin 4x6" prints made and a CD (1083dpi 8 bit 85% JPG) made of each roll, and I have a Minolta Dimage Scan Dual II 2820 dpi 10 bit film scanner. I print to 8.5x11" paper or share at 72dpi over the internet at the moment. When I want to share more and bigger, I plan on rescanning my negatives at higher qualities, or having a local lab blow them up. I can't do that with limited digital originals, only with unlimited film originals.

And compare the price and imaging results of the least expensive 35mm film camera system versus the high price and limited potential image size of even the most expensive digital camera! Ouch!

Minolta's top offering in a film scanner today is 5,400 dpi 16 bit - unbeatable by ANY DSLR. Minolta is all about the image, not the technological toys that get in the way of the image!

So, tell us more about what you ARE doing.

--

Steve Beland (Stv) wrote: ... Waiting! I don't even know how Minolta stays in business!! The two largest dedicated camera chains in my end-of-the-pond no longer even stock the Maxxum 7 or 9 in their shops ...

Peter Blaise responds: I'm lucky here in Washington, DC, USA - more than one local shop even has even the 9ti on display along with
the full line of Minolta 35mm SLRs!

Minolta sells to distributors, not to end users (I wish more companies would sell direct and risk and take the direct customer feedback!), and distributors sell to dealers, especially BIG "customers" like K-Mart and B&H and so on. Distributor sales people like the high volume orders and nobody likes to "waste time" in smaller dealers who can't afford to stock lots of Minolta. The business side of photography is tough!

You can buy anything on 14 day return over the Internet to get around this hassle, but few of us want to risk our credit cards just to play with an unfamiliar model. Drive to the nearest city for a day and "shop"?

--

Click!

Love and hugs,

Peter Blaise Monahon
Minolta Vivitar Tamron Fujifilm Ilford Kodak Adobe Hewlett Packard et cetera Photographer
peterblaise@yahoo.com
http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minolta507si600si650si/ and http://www.geocities.com/minolta507si600si650si/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltascandual/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltadimagescanelite/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltadimagescanmulti/
 
Peter,

Please remember that the RD175 and the RD3000 had APS mount not AF mount.

As a serious photographer, don’t compare the price and imaging results of the least expensive 35mm film camera. Please check the image quality from a Canon EOS 1Ds camera or even from a Digital Rebel. Amazing! You can save money (film cost) as well as your (scanning) time.

9Ti was a limited edition camera(only 1000pcs. world wide) and it’s not a good sign if you see it on display after 5 years.

Peter, I have started my photography with a Minolta X-700 camera along with few wonderful MD rokker glasses. I was really enjoying my photography. Sadly I could not use my pro quality MD lenses, when I purchased AF7000, AF9000 and 700si cameras. Once again, I built my AF system with Dynax 9, few pro lenses, 5600HS flash, Dimage scanner and lot of accessories. After waiting a long period for a DSLR from Minolta, I recently sold all my equipment ( except a Dynax 505si, few lenses and Flash meter V).

You mentioned that you are lucky because you are in Washington, DC. I live in Chennai, India. Do you know how difficult to get a Minolta product here? But for Nikon and Canon you will get everything here.

Regards,
Robin
 
Good luck you you, Robin. Sorry Minolta marketing is too far away from your needs in time and space!

I agree, it takes a ~US$2,000 digital camera system to approach the potential image qualites of a ~US$10 single use film camera!



Click!

Love and hugs,

Peter Blaise Monahon
Minolta Vivitar Tamron Fujifilm Ilford Kodak Adobe Hewlett Packard et cetera Photographer
peterblaise@yahoo.com
http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltafilmbasedcameras/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltascandual/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltadimagescanelite/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltadimagescanmulti/
 
>>I agree, it takes a ~US$2,000 digital camera >>system to approach the potential image >>qualites of a ~US$10 single use film camera.

That is not what is being said. Nor is it true. A $400 digital camera will produce the same results, and you won't have to throw it away. Disposable cameras have terrible lenses, that is why they are so cheap. It's not good just comparing film and digital, if the lens is no good then the results will be poor.

It's not good enough to say that these results work for some serious photographers.

The lack of customer care from Minolta has been pointed up time and time again here. The change in lens mount system is a classic ex&le.

Minolta has for too long relied on being flashy without producing solid workhorses. The 9000 may have been full of technology, but it had lots of basic failings. The LED bled, the film transport sometimes failed without you being able to know, no mirror lock up etc.

Now we hear that Minolta can't even distribute its cameras.
 
Hi Marc,

please bear in mind that almost every camera brand changed their lens-mount while switching to AF:

- Canon
- Minolta
- Contax
- Hasselblad
- Nikon (not so obvious)
- Pentax (do not know for sure)

Pentax: I am not sure whether all function are availabel while using MF lenses.

Nikon: The same stands for Nikon. They say in the Marketing broshure that they did not change their lens mount. This is correct, if you only focus on the lens mount. But reality is, that you will have a hard time to find a MF-Nikon Lens, that works with the current AF bodies without significant limitations. So physically you might be able to put it on, but using it will be a nightmare - if at all possible.
 
I am late on this conversation so I apologize in adavnce if I am missing the point.

The RD175 did, in fact, use the Minolta type A mount or the AF mount. There is no such thing as APS mount. There are APS format cameras and the Minolta Vectis did use a different mount and had different lens.

I'm not sure what is meant by not producing workhorses but the the Maxxum 9 and 7 <dynax 9 and 7> are very reliable. I use the 9 considerably and it has been to Antarctica with me. It has also been in Death Valley at temperatures over 120 deg F and has been to 14K altitudes. It has been in temperatures as low -20 deg F and has been rained and snowed on. It has also survived a fall of about 8 feet on a couple of occasions. In Antarctica, it was rountinely in cold, humid and salt-laden atmosphere

So I'm not sure what is lacking to make this camera any more of workhorse than it already is

The issue of Minolta changing its mount...well as is pointed out above, everyone has done that.You can add Leica to the above as well. IMO it is time to let this issue die for Minolta

I use, on ocasion, an adapter to mate my MC/MD lenses with my 9 or I use an x700 or XK and have not noticed a degredation in image quality. I do agree that a true MLU is lacking in the curent AF series cameras but I have used the mirror pre-fire feature of the 9 when needed.

Cheers
Tim
 
Back
Top