Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D

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Konica Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7D
Konica Minolta Dynax 7D 01.jpg
Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D with lens
Overview
Type Single-lens reflex
Lens
Lens Interchangeable via Minolta A-type bayonet mount
Sensor/medium
Sensor 23.5 × 15.7 mm CCD
Maximum resolution 3,008 × 2,000 (6.1 megapixels)
Film speed ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and Auto
Storage media CompactFlash (CF) (Type I or Type II) or Microdrive
Focusing
Focus modesSingle-Shot, Continuous, Auto, Manual
Focus areas TTL CCD line sensors (9-points, 8 lines with center cross-hair sensor)
Exposure/metering
Exposure modesManual, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Program, Auto, 3-Programmable modes
Exposure metering EV 0 to 20 (at ISO 100 with f/1.4 lens)
Metering modes 14-segment Honeycomb, Spot, Center Weighted
Flash
Flash Built-in pop-up with hotshoe
Shutter
Shutter Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane Shutter
Shutter speed range1/4000 sec – 30 sec, or Bulb
Continuous shooting RAW / RAW+JPEG: 3 frame/s, up to 9 frames, JPEG Extra Fine: 3 frame/s, up to 12 frames, JPEG Fine: 3 frame/s, up to 15 frames, JPEG Standard: 3 frame/s, up to 19 frames
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Eye-level fixed pentaprism
Image processing
Image processor CxProcess
White balance Auto, 6 adjustable presets, Manual, Color temperature
General
LCD screen2.5" TFT LCD, 207,000 pixels
BatteryNP-400 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Optional battery packs Vertical Control Grip VC-7D
Weight 760 g (1.68 lb) body only

The Maxxum 7D, labelled Dynax 7D in Europe/Hong Kong and α-7 Digital in Japan and officially named "DG-7D", is a 6.1 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, or DSLR, produced by Konica Minolta. It was the top model of their DSLR range; the Maxxum/Dynax 5D consumer-grade model was the other.

Contents

The 7D was first announced on 2004-02-12 at the PMA show, [1] with full details released just before the 2004 photokina show on 2004-09-15. [2] The production camera was released in late 2004. Production ceased when Konica Minolta announced their exit from the camera business in January 2006. Regardless of its high specification (for the time) and innovative feature set, it came with a very high price tag. The 7D was available as body only, but also with a 17-35mm f/2.8 kit lens. Like the Nikon 18-70 kit lens found with many Nikon DSLRs, this lens was regarded as of high enough quality to do justice to the sensor within the body, unlike the cheap zoom kit lenses found with many DSLRs. In 2006 Sony acquired the Konica-Minolta camera business [3] although remaining inventory continued to be sold, alongside the K-M based Sony α100. On release, the camera retailed for around £1000 GBP; somewhere between the Nikon D300 and Canon 40D.

Physical features

The 7D features a magnesium alloy body, plastic backside, and primarily external controls. The body includes external controls for exposure compensation, flash compensation, focus mode, shooting mode, exposure mode, drive mode, metering mode, white balance, focal area, ISO, and two dials that are used to control shutter speed and F-stop. Presence of the external controls for most functions encourage experimentation without having to traverse through menus.

The 7D's 2.5-inch (64 mm) LCD also doubles as the control LCD. Rather than having a second, status LCD located elsewhere like some Canon and Nikon DSLRs, it displays information such as exposure settings, aperture, shutter speed, battery life, and other miscellaneous recording information. The LCD, when acting as the control LCD, also rotates 90° based on the orientation of the camera.

Anti-shake technology

The Konica Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 5D and 7D both come with in-body image stabilization (IBIS): Konica Minolta's Anti-Shake Technology, in which the CCD is on a floating plane controlled by two actuators that work based on detected outside movement and create an inverse movement, thereby keeping the CCD in line with the image.

Firmware issues

The factory firmware that the 7Ds initially shipped with (version 1.00) included a few performance related camera issues which affected initial reviews. The next build of firmware (version 1.10) gave such a great improvement in camera performance that DPReview revised their initial review of the 7D to retract a couple of the main negative points, citing true USB 2.0 speeds up to 25 Mbit/s (up from 7.5 Mbit/s), blinking highlights in the camera's built-in playback mode, the addition of a remote storage function in the transfer modes, and faster times when writing to the CF memory cards.

Other problems

It did have one problem which appeared to afflict all of the 7Ds at one point in their working lives: the development of "first frame black" aka "error 58" in which after a period of not being used, the first frame turned up dark. Sony for a while fixed this problem, and so did some private camera shops, however the parts which caused the problem are no longer available. First Frame Blank is often a simple process of turning off and back on, though it can lead to blank frames all the time. Another significant problem is misalignment of the sensor, where the sensor is stuck at one of the positions it can take up to counteract camera shake or it fails completely often due to one of the piezo actuators which 'shake' the sensor. There is a chugging sound and no picture can be taken. Repairs for this are prohibitive but are still available at a few specialist centers.[ citation needed ]

Konica Minolta and Sony

In July 2005, Konica Minolta announced a partnership with Sony to research and develop camera technologies. The following March, Konica Minolta announced its withdrawal from the camera business altogether and transferred all of its camera assets to Sony as of March 2006.

Sony's line of Alpha DSLR cameras built upon the digital Maxxum line, keeping many of the features that made the Maxxum 7D and 5D popular, most notably the built-in Anti-Shake technology. All Sony DSLR cameras came to support the Minolta α mount lens system which makes newer Sony-built lenses compatible with Maxxum bodies and Maxxum lenses compatible with newer Sony bodies.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Konica Minolta, Inc. is a Japanese multinational technology company headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with offices in 49 countries worldwide. The company manufactures business and industrial imaging products, including copiers, laser printers, multi-functional peripherals (MFPs) and digital print systems for the production printing market. Konica Minolta's Managed Print Service (MPS) is called Optimised Print Services. The company also makes optical devices, including lenses and LCD film; medical and graphic imaging products, such as X-ray image processing systems, colour proofing systems, and X-ray film; photometers, 3-D digitizers, and other sensing products; and textile printers. It once had camera and photo operations inherited from Konica and Minolta but they were sold in 2006 to Sony, with Sony's Alpha series being the successor SLR division brand.

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Minolta Co., Ltd. was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten. It made the first integrated autofocus 35 mm SLR camera system. In 1931, the company adopted its final name, an acronym for "Mechanism, Instruments, Optics, and Lenses by Tashima".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">APS-C</span> Image sensor format

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minolta A-mount system</span> Line of photographic equipment from Minolta

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Alpha 700</span> Digital camera model

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Alpha 7 (α7) or Alpha-7 (α-7) may refer to:

References

  1. DPReview.com (2004-02-12). "Konica Minolta Maxxum 7 Digital" . Retrieved 2007-02-03.
  2. Konica Minolta (2004-09-15). "KONICA MINOLTA INTRODUCES THE MAXXUM 7D – WORLD'S FIRST*1 DIGITAL SLR CAMERA WITH REVOLUTIONARY BODY-INTEGRAL, ANTI-SHAKE TECHNOLOGY". DPReview.com. Retrieved 2007-02-03.
  3. Konica Minolta (2006-01-19). "Konica Minolta Announces Withdrawal Plan for Camera Business and Photo Business". DPReview.com. Retrieved 2006-02-03.

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