Home > Consumer Reviews > Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D 6MP Digital SLR w/ Anti-Shake Technology & AF 28-100mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens

Every day since I purchased this camera three weeks ago I have been outside or somewhere else getting shots of EVERYTHING. The body design is FLAWLESS; every setting is virutally at your fingertips without having to sort through menus. Even the menus that are in the camera are a breeze to sort through--they are all full screened, independent menus, you won't have to select a menu category and scroll up and down to find the option you're looking for. Every essence of design in this camera is done in the name of ease.

I purchased a Canon G6 back in January because of the features it offered: 7.1MP and a manually controlable, bright F/2.0 lens. I had been shooting with a Minolta Maxxum 5 SLR for several years, but being in college, it was difficult to have the money and time to develop pictures, so I turned solely to digital--I was hoping the G6 would be the medium between the two at a moderate, one-time price. I missed the features of an SLR, but the G6 was more like a point-and-shoot, not the SLR I was seeking. Then came the 7D, and it has satiated every craving I have had to stifle for the benefits of an SLR.

The pictures I have gotten out of this camera are AMAZING. Friends have asked me where I bought the pictures on my wall, and when I tell them I took them and printed them myself, they are nothing short of amazed. This is also a fantastic camera to learn SLR photography on. You don't need to wait to get pictures back from the lab to realize what you were doing wrong--you can see everything clear as day on the 2.5" LCD. The autofocus system is out of this world, focusing quickly in even the darkest locations.

My only gripe with the camera is the provided software does a lousy job maintaining detail in converting and handling the RAW images. Use Photoshop's Camera RAW utility, it's much better. And at times, the images you get out of the camera appear slightly soft, but I like that the camera isn't pushy like some other brands with in-camera sharpening. If I want a sharper picture, I usually just boost the sharpening effect +1. Overall, a DEFINITE GOOD BUY.

If you are looking for a semi-pro digital SLR that can take pictures of the family at Disney or in your professional studio, this is it. It won't break your budget, and you will be the "Apple" user of the DSLR prosumer market. (i.e., secretly envied by Canon and Nikon users, but most won't admit it!).

This camera has some real positives over other manufacturer's cameras in the same class. First and foremost, it has 'anti-shake' built into the camera body. For those that don't know, this is similar to the "steadycam" technology used on consumer camcorders to help stabilize your shots. There is one big difference between Konica-Minolta's implementation and everyone else's on the market: you get anti-shake built into the body of the Maxxum 7D! What does this mean? It means virtually EVERY lense you buy is now anti-shake! Every other manufacturer makes you buy special lenses that have a similar feature built into the LENSE, not the BODY.

YES, it really works to. A convenient little indicator inside the viewfinder tells you just how much anti-shake each shot is needing.

Wouldn't it be great to quickly change almost any option on your DSLR camera and get back to shooting pictures without delay? Ever tried to change some feature, only to have to wade through two or three levels of menus on some small LCD? This is not only frustrating, but embarrasing! Imagine your wedding party not having to wait for you to make adjustments or you are at some sports event and the opportunity to take the picture is a one shot deal. No more! The Maxxum 7D has no top LCD. That's right...this is a positive- NO top LCD. Instead, almost every major function can be changed with a knob or button on the top or side of the camera. Yes, this presents a little bit of a learning curve. Yes, I was a little nervous about Konica-Minolta's choice to go this way in the design. I can tell you now, after less than a week of ownership, I love it!

In addition, there are hundreds of lenses and accessories available for this camera, the body itself feels solid and comfortable, the 2" LCD screen on the back is enormous compared to the competition, the camera can save in RAW and JPEG format AT THE SAME TIME, and for a DSLR, it is just plain fun to shoot with.

The ONLY drawback I have found is that Konica-Minolta chose 6 megapixels for this model, while some of the competing models are at 8 megapixels. Honestly, if you know photography, the difference between 6 and 8 megapixels is really non-existent to 99% of those who would view your photos. If you are trying to decide between the Canon D20 and the Maxxum 7D for example, the anti-shake feature FAR outweighs any small benefit you could get from the additional megapixels on other models. (This camera's features really should be compared with camera's like the Canon D20, and not the entry level Canon Rebel XT line).

One other feature no one seems to have mentioned is the built in Depth of Field Preview button. This is a really convenient feature that allows you to check and see your depth of field before taking the shot. (Depth of field is simply how much of the background is your picture is in focus. For example, a close up portrait might have the background out of focus while a shot of the mountains will have everything in focus).

Overall, this camera will meet almost any level photographer's needs. Although the controls have a small learning curve, within less than an hour of shooting you will love them. Whether you have a lot of photography experience, or almost none at all, this is one digital SLR you should really consider.

I've had this camera for several months, just returned from a trip to Europe where I shot 700 photos, also shot a wedding in the summer which was around 300 photos. I'm very happy with it overall. I've been a photographer for around 40 years, and I'm not too happy with the modern digital SLR cameras with their layers of menus for what I consider vital functions, not to mention the too-small controls. I looked at the Nikon 70s and the Canon 20d, I just didn't connect with them. As soon as I picked up the Minolta, it felt just right. This is a photographer's camera. I love having knobs that I can easily access without resorting to hard-to-read menus. I love the large LCD. The anti-shake works brilliantly, I've taken low light shots that I would not have gotten otherwise. Image noise is quite low unless you go to 1600 ISO or above, and I've had great luck with the noise filters in Photoshp CS.

Niggles: the autofocus is not happy in many low light situations, and the meter gets fooled sometimes. These are not unique problems with the Minolta, just wishes for an ideal world. The body is a bit heavy, but personally I like a large camera with some heft to it.


Overall, a well thought out camera that was certainly designed by photographers for photographers. I would not recommend this camera for beginners, as it lacks the auto modes that are typically found in entry level cameras, but experienced photographers (particularly old film camera hounds like me) should have a look. It takes wonderful images, which is what photography is about. Don't get sucked into the "more pixels" arguement, most of the specs quoted by marketing people are meaningless in the real world.

I am no novice to photography and have used the Canon EOS 20D, 1DS Mark 2, the Nikon D70s, and D2Hs. So I do have some incredible cameras to compare my Maxxum 7D to. Even though the Maxxum 7D is not in the same league as the Canon 1DS ll or the Nikon D2Hs it does have a lot of features that come very close to these DSLR's at no where near the cost.

My introduction to photography began with a Minolta XE-7 back in 1981 and I have been a loyal Minolta user ever since. They continue to quietly push technology. Minolta was the first camera to take pictures on a manned space flight, They were the first to indroduce TTL metering, They were the first to put color corrective coating on lenses, the first to create a body integrated auto-focus system, the first to put Aperature and Shutter Priority modes on a camera, and the list goes on. Now they can add the first Body Integrated Anti-Shake System with the Maxxum 7D.

During the past year my Maxxum 7D has held up to shooting dog sled races, and sub-zero backcountry adventures, pounding rain, scorching sun, sand storms, weddings and family snapshots. Yes, there have been a few misfires but not different than any other camera on the market. It's electronic and all electronics hiccup every now and again no matter what company made them. The Nikon I used had to be sent back three times for repair and the Canon 20D had to be sent back twice. I also had to send the Maxxum 7D in once but the repair was the fastest I had seen from a camera manufacturer at 7 days. The reason for sending the Maxxum 7D in was because the auto focus motor would not disengage fully so I could manual focus. The problem was resolved and has worked awesome ever since.

I love the nobs. I don't like haveing to run through a LCD menu to change settings like you have to do with Canon and Nikon so the Maxxum 7D suits me perfectly, but this is a personal choice and not of any relevence. I like how logical all the settings are. It can be as simple as you like or as confusing as you want to make it.

Is this camera for everyone? Definitly not. I don't believe there is one camera that is capable of producing 100% of creative impulses that flash across my mind. Sometimes only film will work, some shots require medium format, other times just a simple pinhole camera is all I need. One thing I do know for sure is that the Maxxum 7D is one incredible camera with endless capabilities and at a fraction of the cost of $3000+ DSLR's. In fact the Maxxum 7D has bailed me out of many situations when the Nikon D2Hs, Canon 20D and 1DS Mark ll have failed to work properly. At not time has the Minolta ever failed to produce the results I expected. For this reason I give it a five star.

Now that the Maxxum 5D has arrived I eagerly await the Maxxum 9D.

The ease of using the interface of this camera is beyond any other competitors. Almost all settings can be done with the dials, meaning to say that you don't have to sieve through tons of menus on the LCD to change a setting. The LCD is a big bonus as well. It really makes me wonder why Nikon and Canon can't do the same, it's not technically challenging nor does it increase cost by much. Trust me, you'll love the 7D once you compare it's LCD to the puny ones that others offer. Battery life is adequate as well. Obviously the Anti-shake is an advantage, especially if you have shakey hands to begin with. But take note that it's not a miracle cure, it REDUCES shake, but doesn't ALWAYS eliminate it. So at the end of the day, you still require rather steady hands.

A few gripes. Firstly, there's not much lens selection. You can't beat the likes of canon's vast collection. But Minolta is rectifying that, so its not much of a problem. Second, focusing speed is not up to par with the canon 20D nor the nikon D70. If you're the kind who feels strongly about focusing speed, u might just get frustrated with this one.

At the end of the day, minolta has designed one splendid camera, with a few shortcomings. But hey, nothing's perfect.