The 8000i was close to the last Maxxum I bought. When I initially decided to purchase multiple Minolta cameras (before I conceived of the VMLP), I chose to focus on the “Sevens” (7000, 7000i, 7xi, 700si, 7, and 70). The 8000i entered the picture with the VMLP. Even then, IContinue Reading
I have before me a Minolta Maxxum 5D camera and a Sony a100. The a100 was a pandemic buy—I hadn’t planned to buy another digital camera because the Olympus e300 works fine for testing manual lenses. The a100 was the first A-mount camera Sony made after buying Minolta’s camera IP.Continue Reading
Until the Maxxum 7000i, I had never used a camera with focus areas, and my metering knowledge was limited to the SR-T 101. With the SR-T 101, I knew to get the circle and needle aligned before I snapped. I never had a flash, so shutter and aperture were determinedContinue Reading
I like rainy days, in spring and early summer, but not November. My fondness for rain has nothing to do with flowers or gardens. It’s a deeply held affection from childhood. As a child in rural Virginia, our house sat at the top of a hill. The main street ofContinue Reading
Viewfinder diopter adjustment is, for me, is an essential camera feature. Since many manual focus cameras lack this feature, using a manual camera can be problematic. However, even when adjustment is possible, it never compensates completely for my changing vision. Autofocus makes this problem moot. Viewfinder magnifiers are available andContinue Reading
On learning that Minolta no longer existed, naturally, I wanted to find out what happened. After having read every website I could find about the history of Minolta, I reflected on what the company accomplished. What I found was a history of risk-taking, notable firsts, unfortunate missteps, and a fewContinue Reading
Like a lot of people, I usually root for the underdog. When I bought my first Minolta, an SR-T 101, in 1975 from a pawn shop, it was a purely economic decision. I wanted a “real’ camera and that 101 was the only thing I could afford at the time.Continue Reading
