It has interchangeable lenses and a fixed ISO of 800, which in 1995 was extraordinary. It also genuinely uses 3 CCD's which may make some camcorder fans think you have a high powered device. Under the right settings and with some mandatory post-processing it scan still turn in decent results.

Generates files that are MDC format, which is recognized as a raw format so a raw converter (I used RawDrop) can read them.

"Wow" factor to people who don't know what it is.

The weaknesses are many, starting with:

SCSI interface, outdated Win98/2000 driver software, and it uses a micro-centronics 50 connector, which is scarce and not the same as the common HD50 connector. If you're serious about this you will need an older computer to work with it.

Very picky on memory, was intended for Type III mini hard drives and PCMCIA memory cards. Will work with 128MB Sandisk compact flash cards in an adapter.

Each memory card needs a "MDC.CTL" file written to it, otherwise the card won't work, once written you can delete images and reuse the card as needed. This file is written in camera when it's tethered.

Very limited controls when in the field, no LCD display, no menus or internal settings--only what the Maxxum body has, and is big and bulky.

As with most older "pro" cameras the low resolution and image quality means you really can't crop the images, you need to compose tightly.

Uses a total of three batteries, one for settings/clock, one for the digital back, and one for the Maxxum. One is rechargeable, two are not.

This is another camera that at one time was expensive and exotic, but today falls into novelty status. Technically it's a "professional" DSLR, but everything from the workarounds to keep it usable and the image quality negates against it, better results could be had from almost any modern compact camera.

Customer Service

Surprisingly drivers and a compatibility hardware list are still available on Konica Minolta's website.

Similar Products Used:

Kodak DCS 315, 620X, and a HP C615.