Build like a rock. Well designed. Simple features. Extensive capabilities.

Maybe the weight.

Due to an unfortunate robbery, I was forced to repurchase my photography equipment. Being very interested in a long relationship with the art of photography I decided to repurchase more professional grade product. Before purchasing anything, I did what any good consumer would do and did my research. Although the research pointed to the fact that all the good lenses were being produced by Nikon and Canon, this same research pointed to the fact that the Maxxum 9 beat its rivals in both capability and quality. I also believe as do others in this review, that the G lens by Minolta rivals those of its competitor. Having used this for a couple of months, I find it to install confidence in my photography. It feels steady and is straight forward for those who are serious about photography not technology. Although heavy, I have not found the weight to be a problem. I would recommend this camera to anyone from the beginner to the pro.

Customer Service

I haven't needed to use it.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta HTSi Maxxum 7000

Bomb-proof exterior comes as standard The P,A,S,M, dials glow in the dark Accessible custom functions Rubberised everything Tends to take great photos whether you know what you're doing or not. Cheap camera, when you really think about it.

For some reason the mirror flips when you press the depth of field preview button - doesn't happen on the 7.

I had a fossilised manual Nikon slr at my disposal during childhood, so when I ran into some spare money and decided to buy a new camera I naturally starting searching through the Nikons. I would have brought one too, only a company I'd somehow never heard of before impressed me with the budget-priced Dynax 7, which bridged the gap between cheap slrs and the less cheap ones. A year later, in need of two bodies, I brought its big brother the Dynax 9. So far as I'm aware, these are only the second generation of Minolta slrs like this and they leave you wanting for very little. Like every other top camera it comes with everything you need. The Dynax 9 is indeed heavy with the grip - but no more so than the F5 - and when there's a massive lens stuck on the end that weighs more than the camera body does it matter? That's what tripods are for. If you want it light, however, remove the VC-9 and there you go. A great camera, somehow made cheaper than its rivals without having the tendancy to curl up and die on you - touch wood. So long as Minolta make innovative cameras like the Dynax 9, backed up with fine af lenses, I will buy from them. And hopefully their tiny slice of the market will grow as it deserves to.

Customer Service

I haven't used it myself - hurrah!

Similar Products Used:

F5

Everything is to hand, you are not unindated with features that you will never use. This really is a special camera that has the ability to take fantastic shots with nothing techie getting in the way. Exposure meter is spot on in all but the most difficult of situations. Standard flash sync at 300. Up to 12000 with Minolta 5400 gun. Viewfinder is 100% and very bright. Value for money, here in the UK it is £300 less that a Canon vs1. To me the camera does not feel that heavy whilst being used; simply because the balance is just about perfect.

Depth of field button cannot be locked. Autofocus is noisy in comparison with Nikon, Canon USM etc. unless used in quiet mode (but this reduces AF speed)

Very comfortable to use. My first Minolta but still able to understand how to use it almost fully within an hour (Custom functions within the day) Great build and it really does scream out quality. Without doubt the finest SLR I have ever owned.

Customer Service

Hmmmmm. Not needed for any warranty work. Techie guy I spoke to about a custom function that I had set didnt have much of an idea about what I was talking about. However he did get back to me within an hour with the correct answer. So I have to rate it as very good.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus, Canon, and Pentax over the last fifteen years

Battery usage is great. Very good metering. Metal lens mount. Enjoy the top-plate knobs for modes/compensation. Viewfinder shutter!!!

Perhaps a bit slower on the focussing than other pro-level cameras but this has never been a problem for me. Can get a bit heavy if you've been carrying it for a while ( especially while hiking ).

Wow, what a solid camera - feels like a tank. Quite a few differences from my old 700si. Not as function-rich. No-frills setup. Very straightforward use with a few custom functions. I've been using this one for about a year and a half and never had any hassles. Resulting pics are great and I like the resolution ( as much as a camera/lens can add to it ) seeing as I do a lot of slide scanning with my Microtek. I've used Canon and Nikon but I still like the way Minolta do things.

Customer Service

Not used.

Similar Products Used:

Dynax 700si, Nikon F4/5, Canon EOS1

EASE OF USE! Feel and construction. Flash photography.

None noted yet.

I have had a number of Minolta cameras. This is, by far, the best and easiest to use. I was amazed to find how much easier it was to use than my 800si. It's heavy, but steady. I have only used it for two weeks, but the pictures that I have taken are outstanding. I plan to do a lot of sport pictures and will be using a monopod mostly, so the weight will not be a problem. +'s to Minolta!!

Customer Service

I have not had to use Milnota's Cust. service. I did have to have the shutter replaced in the 9000, but that was done at a local repair shop in Cleveland, ProCam, an authorized Minolta repair shop.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 101, XE-7, 7000AF, 9000AF, 800si, It just keeps getting better and better!

Well built and solid. Fast focusing. Very bright viewfinder (People who used Canon pro camera told me this also).Built in flash.

Viewfinder provides too little information. I can easily forget that I had dial in +1 compensation dial,exposure mode or drive mode. These are not indicated in the LCD on top plate also. You need to inspect the dials snd setting first before taking the photo.However, this will take less than 2 seconds.

Well built and very solid. The camera replace my 9xi as main camera. I had taken some wedding and function pictures for company. The exposure is better than 9xi especially using flash. Also, I prefer the way the control dials and knob located which I think works better for me. Focusing is better than 9xi which hunts awefully. I had used EOS1V before and it surely faster than Minolta in autofocusing. But I could never know how to select the focusing points due to its complex button and dials arrangment. The simplicity of Dynax 9 make me enjoy taking pictures.

Customer Service

None but here in Minolta Malaysia, any repair or service for pro camera will be sent to Minolta Singapore.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 9xi,Minolta 600si

Bulid quality Ease of use & 'feel' layout of all controls and dials Metering AF Speed High speed flash sync

Just the VC9, the buttons for AF and AEL should be reversed as most people would use the AEL more the AF button. But your finger goes straight to the AF button, I think it would work better anyway!

I bought the 9 with the VC9 used. When I got it I was looking through the manual when I noticed that my camera had a few more custom functions than the manual said it should have. I have since discovered that the camera I got had been 'Upgraded' by Minolta with the same custom functions as the 9Ti. I'm a happy camper!! I have the camera about 3 months and have used it at a few wedding which I was doing and it has performed brillantly. Just the feel inspires confidence. Its so natural to hold & use. Focusing is good, maybe a little behind the 7, which I also have. But fast enough for 99% of people and subjects. The focus of the 9 is as fast as the Nikon F5 with the right lens attached. i should know as I use the F5 in my job (Military Photographer). Nikon is too 'Fiddly' for my liking. Back to the 9. I like the way the main mode dial has no lock as you can turn it without removing from your eye, not like the 7 which has a lock on the dial. The 'motordrive' feels very smooth and at 5.5 fps it is nice and fast for most people. But the mirror clunk is something that will attract attention to you its so loud. The build quality is first class. Good solid feel, especially with the VC9 attached. But fairly heavy, but quality comes at a price!!! The view finder is very bright and gives 100% field of view. Metering is very good. No problems so far. Usually when I buy a new camera the first thing I do is shoot some slide film to test both the ambient meter and the flash metering of the camera. Flash metering is as good as ever, with minolta cameras its very reilable. I think its great the way minolta designed the VC9 so you can use 3 different power sources in it and still keep the batteries in the camers body. The camera in not as power hungry as the 7. I still have the same batteries in my camera after 3 months of good usage. The on/off switch is the best on any Minolta AF camera.

Customer Service

Had to get my Dynax 7 fixed after about 6 of fairly easy use. Minolta fixed it under warrenty, so no problems with them.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 600si, 800si, Dynax 7 Nikon F90x, F5, D1 & D1x

Seemingly built like a tank, but I killed it with an elbow. Great metering system. Shutter lock-up. Nice feel.

See above

I bought this in September of 1999 while I was in Singapore waiting for my daughter to be born. I was working in Jakarta, Indonesia at the time, and my wife flew to Singapore to have our first child. I liked the feel - it is heavy, no doubt, but it just feels solid. However, I broke it about a year later. I had it slung over my shoulder, and i bent over to pick something up. It swung around and hit my elbow. It hurt like hell. It also broke the LCD screen and the camera stopped working. By now, I had been transferred to Perth, Western Australia. I took it in to the Minolta dealer. They sent it to Sydney on the East Coast. The minolta repair shop in Sydney said they couldn't work on the Dynax 9 yet, and sent it to Singapore for repair. Minolta in Singapore was terrible. They didn't answer e-mails or letters, and when I called i was always transferred through 4 or 5 people before I got someone who promised they would look at it "straight away." Three months later after a few phone calls that I didn't enjoy making (I am actually a nice guy and hate to yell at people) the camera is sent to me. They did not charge me to make up for the terrible service. The camera worked fine until I went on a 4-week vacation on the South Island of New Zealand. There I was on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation with a dead camera and about $12K of Minolta lenses. I went to the Minolta shop in Christchurch and they said they would have to send it to Singapore. I declined. I bought a Dynax 7 instead and finished the vacation. The 7 did very well. In fact, the only feature I missed was the shutter on the eye-piece that allows me to shut off the light on long exposures. Of course, you can put the supplied cap on the Dynax 7 to accomplish the same thing. Plus I got a better focusing system. I am back in the States now, and still haven't sent the 9 in for repair. The 7 along with an older 800si as a back-up do the job just fine. I will likely send it in sometime and then peddle it on ebay.

Customer Service

In Singapore it is a negative 10.

Similar Products Used:

Most Minolta products. EOS and Nikon F series.

Metering is positively the best and accurate. It does a great job with some awkward situations. A very high percentage of accurate shots can be expected. That''s what it''s all about...right? That iddy biddy flash does a great job. I could tell no difference from a 24mm shot taken with that and an older 2800 flash. I like the trend of Minolta to circular diaphragms. Nice for portraits at maximum aperture. The weight is an advantage and gives better hand held shots. Lovely finish and build. Truly the best alongside Leica bodies. Now if Leica offered Minolta lenses.....?...wow. What a marketing partnership that pro photographers would jump at.

* Position of battery grip handle next to shutter finger.

If you build houses, lost your hammer and need to keep knocking nails in...........this is your camera. I was seriously considering going to Nikon, but the effort that Minolta has put into this very intuitive camera shows they are listening. The viewfinder is lovely and controls are more intuitive than previous 9 models. It is a pro camera rather than an advanced amatuer, which is what they built before. If they can do this with the first serious attempt, they can kick Nikons ass. Apart from some valued mechanical possions, such as a Rolex and Leica M6, this is the first electronically sophisticated piece of kit I felt I could include in my will! It takes mechnical and electronic function into the realm of the classic. I was going to keep my 9xi as another body, but this has totally spoiled me and now it is for sale.

Customer Service

Used once when I lived in the UK. No problems. Never needed it for my 9000 or 9xi. But become concerned when I see a body being built so well and people reviewing service and lack of call back as an

Similar Products Used:

9000, 9xi, Olympus OM2/ OM4.

Weight, Feautures, 100% view, world''s fastest shutter speed

Bad auto focus. Images come out abit blury. If you are into sports- forget it. Lenses lack features comparing to Canon and Nikon. Its almost as if Minolta gave up on Pro market. That is really sad.

If you love Minolta buy this camera. It is so d*** durable you can use it as a weapon. Great features hat are fairly easy to access. Outstanding picture quality!

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 90s