I am fairly new to photography. I really got interested in it about 8 months ago and in that time have read a ton about it and have been taking a lot of pictures. I have two cameras - a Pentax Super Program and a Pentax ZX-30. My lenses include a Pentax 50mm f/2, Sigma 100-300mm f/4.0-6.7, Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm f/2.8-3.8, Vivitar 19mm f/3.8, and a Vivitar 500 f/8 mirror. My main photographic interests are landscape and outdoor portraits but I also want to begin taking macro photos and eventually do some wedding photos.

I want to upgrade in the very near future and am facing a dilemma. Should I get the Canon EOS-3 or the Minolta Maxxum 7? I like the lens selection Canon has but after reading about the new Maxxum 7, I have been thinking about going that way. Does anyone have any advice?

-- Eric Speelmon (eric_speelmon@ci.mesa.az.us), September 19, 2000

Answers

I have one basic piece of advice... very general. Never feel like you need to be the first on your block to buy a camera an hour after it is released. This is not specific to any particular company, but at this point in time with at least one of the cameras you mention, there is no track record. All there is is the rhetoric of the advertisers, and they have a big interest in having nothing but possitive things to say. Every issue of consumer photography magazines has a letter from someone who bought a camera... thinking it could do something... and finding out it couldn't.

Sit back and let others find the bugs... and then make a smart choice. any advice at this point on one of the cameras you are thinking about above would be based on little or no actual hands on experience... so how good could it be?

This is just my opinion based on 30 years of photography and my observations of the ads that say "This is the last camera you will ever need!"... until the next one.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), September 19, 2000.

Both Canon and Minolta make mostly superb lenses and also a few rather mediocre consumer zooms. You have to learn which lenses are good and which ones to avoid if you are buying either brand. Currently Canon offers image stabilized lenses, a few very fast and very expensive telephoto choices and perspective control lenses that Minolta does not offer. Minolta does offer some extremely nice macro lenses and other macro accessories and has a superb cordless flash system that you might be interested in for shooting weddings. I use Minolta professionally and am very pleased with my equipment. Don't be in a hurry. Take your time and personally check out both cameras and learn about the lens systems of both. Then you will be able to make an informed decision, based upon your own personal needs.

-- George Rhodes (betsy@colormewell.com), September 19, 2000.

Upgrading is not only buying a better camera but more important - better lenses. No matter what you buy: buy only lenses of the same camera brand. Don't invest too much in the camera itself - the difference in quality is made through the lens. Personnally I would buy Canon (or Nikon).

-- Ivan Verschoote (ivan.verschoote@rug.ac.be), September 20, 2000.

Either camera is extremely capable, so basically it doesn't really matter. One motivation for sticking to Canon and Nikon is that you can rent lenses in any major city and purchase a wide array of used gear, both of which are difficult with Minolta. But Minolta makes terrific equipment and is fully up to the task of producing professional quality images.

One thing I would question is the decision to purchase such an expensive body. The EOS-3 is a very nice camera, but if you buy an A2 or an Elan (also fine cameras) you will be able to use all the same lenses and will save a lot of cash .. which you can spend on the more important part of the system - the glass. The same lens on both cameras will, with very few exceptions, produce the same image. And if you spent the difference on film or a class, it will improve your results a lot more than the body upgrade. It's tempting to buy the more expensive and capable bodies, but that rarely translates into a real difference in your images.

Just a thought ..

-- Oliver Sharp (osharp@greenspice.com), September 20, 2000.

Why not consider the new Pentax MZ-1? It will be released at about the same time as the Minolta 7

-- Chuck Fan (chaohui@msn.com), September 20, 2000.

"I like the lens selection Canon has..." Doesn't that answer your question? You'll never be able to put a Canon lens on a Minolta body.

-- Paul Tsong (paul.tsong@gte.net), September 22, 2000.

get the EOS-3!!!

-- Jim Bridges (jcbejb@worldnet.att.net), September 23, 2000.

Personally i don't like the whole feeling that I get when using the Eos-3. I also feel that the Maxxum 7 is a much more expandable camera and therefore it would last longer. Even if minolta doesn't have as many lens options, you can still use the sigma lenses which in my opinion are just as good as canon lenses. In the end I think that you should buy the Maxxum 7 instead of the Eos-3. However make shure you also look at the F-100 nwhich is in the same price range.

-- Steven Hatfield (Senate162@hotmail.com), November 08, 2000.

Why not stick with Pentax?

-- Chuck (chaohui@msn.com), November 09, 2000.

Let me start by saying that I just purchased a Minolta Maxxum 7 3 days ago, so my long term judgements on it are still to come. From first experiences though, it is one of the nicest cameras I have operated. I've played with a lot of cameras over the time, but nothing beats Minolta's old fashion style layouts, with button/knobs for easy and quick control. I purchased the Maxxum 7 body, 3600 flash, 24-105 / 3.5-4.5(D), and a vertical control grip. I must say I prolly out did myself, but it is the best outfit I've owned! The wireless flash capabilities are through the roof, especially if you're thinking about getting into wedding photography.

Overall, I think it's still too early to judge the life of it, but from what it looks like this camera will be around to stay!

-- Alan Cece (skaflyer@earthlink.net), May 01, 2001.

Minolta Maxxum 7 and 9 are the best cameras out there do your home work and you'll see. I love my maxxum 7 to death.

-- Jack Morton (inked1@home.com), September 12, 2001.

There is no comparison. The Maxxum 7 is the best camera out there for the money. I was one of the first people to get one. The metering system should be the deciding factor for you. The top rated 14 segment meter cannot be fooled. Let me tell you a story. I work in a camera and I sold one to a customer. He came back and told me "no matter what I do, I cannot screw up my pictures." The Maxxum 7 is clearly easier to use as well.

-- Paul Leisey (pleisey@email.com), September 24, 2001.

can someone comment on minotlta's flash system ? is it comparable to nikon's 'D' lens and flash system (i.e. is focal length information transferred from the focusing system to the flash power control system) ?

-- amit barak (ab2nd@yahoo.com), November 16, 2001.