Anti shake built into the body.
Very low noise. Probably the best 6 megapixel for noise or lack of.
Many controls are accessible as dials and buttons on exterior of camera.
Good grippy rubbery dials.
Excellent viewfinder.
Good ergonomics.
Solid construction of body.
Eventually a good price with kit lens (total included tax and shipping).
Uses Sony Alpha mount as well as Minolta lenses.

No longer made. Parts may be hard to find.
Software cannot be updated in it as KM no longer makes it and Sony has moved on.
Flash on top is plastic.
Focus hunts but, again, true of many DSLRs?
Some metering issues but, apparently, common among many models and brands. May be as much the photographer(s) problem as the camera....

A fine camera good for any type of photographer. Enough for a pro and plenty for a beginner but not too overwhelming.
Excellent images http://gallery.mac.com/moderno#100009 (takes 30± secs to load up each page on slow DSL) These were shot with the KM kit D zoom and KM AF 28-75 D zoom.
Very neutral color accuracy (versus warm Nikon, redish Canon, and bright Sony)
Heavy (which is neither positive nor negative - just an observation.)
Kit lens is better than most others.
(Note: purchase price included lens, tax, and shipping.)

Customer Service

Not used so far but Sony has been fine in the past.

Similar Products Used:

Various 35mm SLR cameras over the years. Mostly Nikon.
Sony F-717 digital camera.
Sony Mini DV video cameras.

Excellent user interface. Basically you don't need to read the manual and each button is very reasonable located.
Anti-shake works. Every lens can Anti-shake.
Wireless flash capability without the need for extra controller.
On camera flash available.
Image quality is good.

I tried to use the flash in wedding, I was shocked that why the flash explosure is incorrect. That was first time I use digital camera. I wonder it is my eyes' problem or not and I used a lot of time to test the Sony 56 flash. I found that the flash explosure is incorrect.

Vendor not willing to fix the flash explosure problem. I learnt from the internet that they may need to tune both the 7D and my Sony 56 flash. However, it still doesn't work after I sent them to Sony for the tuning. Anyway, the need for tuning the new Sony 56 flash in order to match the faulty 7D is stupid idea. And Sony doesn't take the burden to fix this problem decently.

Battery use up quickly.

That's why I upgrade the 7D to A100.

When I turn make any setting or turn the dial, the LCD doesn't tell me what I am doing. I hope that the LCD should light up for 3 seconds showing me what new value I have input (e.g., when I turn the shutter speed dial, it should light up the LCD).

The AF-assistance lamp in Dynax 7 is removed. It is rediculous.

When it first selling in Hong Kong, I bought it at an expensive price. Then, I discover that there are a lot of problems with this camera.

1. When using wide angle lens (e.g. 24 mm), flash explosure with 3600 or 5600 flash is 1-2 step below average. No matter ADI or P-TTL. And the result is unpredictable. But, wireless flash doesn't has any problem.
2. Some times under explosure at a rediculous level.

Other problems : (Minolta fixed them )
1. Back focus
2. CCD is not aligned correctly.
3. After turn on the power, it fails to take picture. I need to restart the camera.

I went back and forth many times to the Minolta/Sony center to fix those problems. And I have spent a lot of time testing with different lens/flash/setting combinations in order to convince myself that it was my fault. However, with strong evidence that it is the camera's problem.

After 2 years of frustration , I have upgraded the 7D to A100. My new A100 works perfectly with my 5600 flash.

Am I unlucky ? Or it is sample veriation ? Or it is the problem of all first batch product alone ?


In summary, it could be a excellent professional camera. However, the faulty parts of the flash controlling components and all other manufacturing fault makes the camera useless.

Customer Service

Sony service is better. Sony service center is in Monkok and open up to 8:00p.m.
The Minolta service center opened at office hour only. That's why they failed to continue their business.

I hate Minolta.
I now enjoy the Sony A100 and enjoy it. I love Sony.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta Dynax 7 (film camera)
Sony A100

Both of the above are 5 star excellent products.

SOLID BODY, EXCELLENT CONTROLS AND MENUS, EXCELLENT LENSES FROM KM.

THE RUBBER HAND GRIP IS A PARTY POOPER! KM SHOULD HAVE MADE THE GRIP SOLID LIKE ON THE CANON 30D AND THE NIKON SERIES.
WHEN THE GRIP COMES OFF, IT IS VERY HARD TO GLUE BACK ON THE BODY.

THE DESIGN OF BOTH DIALS ON THE TOP WITH THE RUBBER RINGS. POOR DESIGN; MINES CAME OFF AND OF ALL KNOBS, IT HAD TO BE THE EXPOSURE COMP DIAL.

THIS IS ONE GREAT FEATURED, SOLID BUT UNDERATED CAMERA. THE PHOTOS AND LOW NOISE IN THE HIGH ISO ARE EXCELLENT.

controls are intuitive - no digging thru menus, feels like a real slr, anti shake lets me shake, and the km lenses are great

since i've gotten this camera i have less time for everything else and less money as i already bought 3 km lenses 1new/2ebay used.

i haven't used an slr since my canon ae-1 was stolen 20 years ago. after much research i settled on the km7d and it's been LOTS of fun.

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

canon ae-1 35mm film,

ERGONOMICS! Try using the Nikon D70 and then try using this camera. Yes the D70 and Canon model are cheaper but they don't feel as well to use and you have tons of menu options to go through to set simple things up like exposure control etc. On the Maxxum 7d everything is on a dial so your every need is done with one CLICK. Great camera to use in the dark because feeling for the controls is easy to learn (even easier if you're moving from the 35mm version Maxxum 7). ANTI - SHAKE. This feature is a GODSEND. Especially for semi-low light photography or concert photography. It will grant you wonderful results. If you couldn't hand hold a camera for a 1/15s exposure, now you can! It is even still effective with a 300mm lens! This gives you TWO full stops of room. The viewfinder is very BRIGHT which makes easy review of the images.

I'm re-writing my review since the new firmware 1.1 upgrade fixes the one weakness it had - slow CF write speeds. NOT ANYMORE! I use a Lexar 80x 1G card and it only takes 2-3 seconds to write a 9meg RAW file. I shot 40 consecutive images and the buffer still had plenty of room. On another note... http://www.friedmanarchives.com/flash.htm this guy has all the info you need on these portable studio flash setups.

I've been using the Maxxum 7 35mm SLR ever since it came out and has been my favorite/main camera ever since. After getting the camera and using it a little, it's just like using the old film camera. I don't have too much experience in digital but I do know the technicalities. Since this uses the larger sensor it produces no noise at ISO 100 and virutally none up to 400. You can still get a decent 8x10 print with ISO 800-1600 (looks like you got an 8x10 by some pro 800 speed 35mm film). The viewfinder IS optical and not digital (thankfully). However I don't believe this means you can just watch the display panel and frame your shots that way as I haven't discerned a way to have the display on full time (but I haven't finished the manual yet either). Ergonomics are great and prints come out great. The viewfinder area is smaller than the Maxxum 7d or any other 35mm camera for that matter since it's almost a straight conversion and they have increased magnification for it. However this is easy to get used to and isn't a big deal. The camera also feels solid in your hands during use. All of this makes the jump to digital photography an absolute joy! No more waiting for the pro-lab to process your prints. Get a card reader or use the USB cable and you can do the rest yourself on the viewer program that comes with the camera or preferably use a copy of PhotoShop. Did I mention anti-shake for EVERY LENS YOU BUY? When you compare that with buying one of the Canon or Nikon DSLRs and buying specialty lenses it actually comes out cheaper. I love the fact that all of my old Maxxum lenses work seamlessly with this new camera. My Kenko macro extension tubes also work which means I can still make all my lenses macro!

Customer Service

Haven't needed it yet. Go to www.minoltausa.com to get your firmware upgrade. www.dyxum.com is also a great community resource.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D70 Canon D1

Ease of use (I'm new to SLR photography and I have no problems - I'm sure serious Amatures will be equally pleased), build quality, anti-shake, image quality is good with a reasonably cheap lens, so wack a good 'un on there and it should match the samples available online - with a little sharpening.

Underexposure, write speeds (I feel so cheated on that expensive, fast CF card), plastic back, slight loss of detail at higher ISOs - can't compete with the Canon 20D in this respect.

Was bought in England so that's 940 Pounds, not dollars. Having researched this camera (along with about 4 others) since before it came out, I pretty much knew it before I got it. Only once have I had to delve into menus as EVERYTHING you need for day to day work is a button, dial or switch - and it's so easy to get the hang of as shown by the manual being opened but 3 times merely for quick reference. Anti-shake - I took a sharp photo with 50mm lens at 1/2 a second hand held with no support, aided by the shakeo'meter which could be adapted as a diagnosis for Parkinsons. Anyone who is expecting to be able to do 30 second exposures hand held is being silly - it won't part the Red Sea, but it'll definately help prevent disappointment and give you some room to play around in more demanding situations. LCD - Big, bright and detailed, this is used as the data display as well, which could be annoying, but the viewfinder sensor means it only turns on for a few seconds if needed, allowing a quick settings check. The implementation of the eye sensor is almost as perfect as apple crumble with custard and I think it deserves more credit than it currently gets in reviews. Images straight out of the camera are far too soft (although I'm not using the best of lenses I can't believe it's all down to that), so you'll either need to toy with the sharpening or use Photoshop or something similar. This camera is a lot more expensive than other 6MP D-SLRs and the Anti shake is only part of this. Overall design is far superior to the D70 or 300D, not just in build quality but in terms of ease of use and ergonomics (when I played with the D70 I found it very uncomfortable, but that's prolly just me). You pay extra for those little tweaks and finishing touches that turn a camera from (to use stoner speak) groovy to hippyish. The camera does tend to underexpose but the ease of picture review (move your eye from the viewfinder after you shoot and you'll see) and the ease of exposure compensation (a chunky dial) mean this is a non-issue, although I keep mine set at +1EV almost all the time. Write times to CF are poor, and on a par with the Olympus C-8080 or similar. A buffer bordering on the size of an American president's ego ensures that this is less of an issue, but it's painfully slow on continuous shooting mode when you fill the buffer. I'd say this camera will satisfy most people, although I'm using a cheapo borrowed lens at the moment (waiting for decent lenses on order) so I can't properly comment on image quality - so far so good, with decent AF and good colour balance. All the ISOs produce images you can use, although there's some softening at the higher settings, and some fine detail is lost.

Customer Service

Not used, but if they're the sort that keep me on hold and play annoying music with "your call is important to us" interdispersed throughout, I'll be reposting. I'm sure they do that just to make people think they'll live with the problem and hang up.

Similar Products Used:

None for extended periods, just played with quite a few: Nikon D70, Canon 300D, Canon 20D, Pentax ist Ds, etc. i.e. Most of the competition.