SLR Cameras > Minolta SLR Cameras

newsFLASH: A Good All-Rounder - Very Long Lasting!

Advantages: A good starter, a long laster and good all-rounder!
Disadvantages: Its not digital - not overly technical.

...but performance! ...And the Minolta has bags of it! The Minolta 404si is not a new model, it now has a close range of brothers and sister that proceed it. For that reason, the camera tends to be a bit cheaper - even on the high street. In my opinion it is still a worthy purchase, especially if this is your first SLR. Firstly, it has longevity! I've owned this camera for nearly 3 years. It has suffered the usual bangs, knocks and drops, however ...
...'real' photo's. The Minolta is a good make, it works well and is easy to use. The batteries last a very long time (infact does it have batteries? I don't remember changing them ), the zoom is decent (but can always be added to) and that makes it a good all-rounder! (I actually just dropped it again - but don't worry it's fine)! I'm going to go and put it back someplace safe! Happy snapping! ...

AndrePaul 21.11.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Minolta Dynax 404SI

Excellent SLR for beginners.

Advantages: Great for beginners, fool proof, easy to use, compact and can buy used models very cheap.
Disadvantages: Slow autofocus, no manual overrides for shutter and aperture settings.

Excellent compact SLR camera for the beginner/novice photography who wants point & shoot versatility instead of all the hassle of manual settings. Picture quality is pretty good and the auto light metering does a fine job in most situations. It has 5 pre-programmed modes: portrait mode, landscape mode, close up mode, sports mode and night portrait mode. The built in flash can be turned off and has red eye reduction, but it is not sufficient for ...
...at a distance of more than 6 metres. The camera is also very compact and light-weight, and if combined with a modern lens then it is a real winner for travelling. However, this is not the camera for someone who wants to experiment or be creative with photography. The lack of manual controls really makes this a standard 35mm compact camera with SLR quality photos. So definitely not recommended for the amatuer photographers. The only flexibility ...

geeman1305 01.11.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Minolta Dynax 300si

Minolta

Advantages: REliable, Excellent results, Excellent pictures, Plus added features
Disadvantages: Heavy, Cumbersome to carry around

Have owned this model for over 15 years and then i bought it second hand, with lots of accessories, never let me down and i have never had any problems with it, it still works to this day and i still use it! the pictures are superb providing you focus them. I will probably keep it forever, never thought about exchanging or selling it and i also do own a digital camera mainly for convenience and fast availability of prints etc. Would recommend to ...

dragonski 17.11.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Minolta X-300

a good camera

Advantages: user friendly
Disadvantages: slow

The good points about this camera are that its really very user friendly, and surprisingly durable (has gone everywhere with me ever since I bought it) even the Amazon!! However I have found some bad points about this camera these are its a bit slow on the low light shots, and I know its an SLR but its quite hefty General Comments I have bouth this Dynax 500si in 1997 with my then girlfriend from Dixons in London, England. Always wanted an SLR ...
...I was not in photography. Six years and three girlfriends later the camera is still with me never letting me down. I shoot about 30 films a year, and have had no problem whatsoever. I started enjoying it even more when I treated myself to an 70-210 zoom lens. I find that it takes better pictures with a kodak ultra (400) film and that is what I recommend.After that i think the brand has won me. ...

karma12 07.02.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Minolta Dynax 500si

Why the Pro's ignore Minolta

Advantages: None - judgment is somewhat clouded
Disadvantages: Please provide larger area the write in!

...I update my cameras to Minolta due to cost reasons. Big mistake. I bought a 700si and a 9xi. The 9xi was released as a professional camera. It seemed sturdy and very advanced for its time. The 700si had similar features but was less sturdy, it was to be my back up camera. Just over a year after purchase, ie just out of guarantee the 9xi failed with a sticking shutter. It was repaired twice, by reputable repair centers. The final failing was whilst ...
...I sent the cameras to minolta for a quote. £120 to get the 700si rewinding film, nearly £300 to replace the mirror on the 9xi. This was actually more than the second hand value of the cameras (assuming they worked of course. I conveyed my dismay regarding the situation to the "powers that be" at Minolta but they were just not interested. This is why you rarely see a professional photographer with a Minolata camera. A footnote to this episode was ...

Jasonrow 01.03.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Minolta Dynax 700si