Dynax

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colpepper

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In a bout of ebay mania I've just bought three Minolta Dynax bodies v.v cheap, a 404si, a 500si and 500 si super. The numbers mean nothing to me but I assume they're AF plastic fantastic stuff from the dying years of the old millennium.
I need a lens or two, can anyone recommend cheap(ish) glass to try on them, bearing I don't know anything about Minolta, what fits what, or which contacts are needed to make things flash and buzz?
 
Colpepper, I did the same in my quest for a light weight AF SLR.

And then i began to research the lens - bad move.

Well, it transpires that these AF bodies came with kit lens : either 35-70 or 28-80 and 70-210 or 70-300.
These kit lens are pretty cheap ( 20 - 40 quids each), and pretty slow ( 3.5-5.6 and 4-5.6). I am waiting for the first roll to come back, but I have no high hopes.

Then there are the high quality fast minolta / minolta mount 3rd party lens - both prime and zoom. The cheapest amongst them is 50mm/1.7, about 80 ish quids. The rest are over 100 quids, sometimes even 300-400. Basically since Sony digicams can take these lens, they seem to have a dedicated fan following, and demand outstrips supply.

there is one thing these bodies can do which no other SLR can - wireless TTL flash if you get a 3500xi flash ( or wireless TTL HSS flash if you get a compatible flash unit, which are more expensive). That goes for about 15 ish quids on the ebay. I am wondering whether to keep the body for that feature with the kit lens; or to sell up and move on

Oh and MD and MC lens will not work on those bodies.
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
Colpepper, I did the same in my quest for a light weight AF SLR.

And then i began to research the lens - bad move.
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Ah well, they were cheaper than a film to go in them, now I see why :LOL: I don't suppose there are adapters for Canon lenses?
It looks like they may make pinhole backs - that's if they even fire without a lens!
 
I had the 505si Super and thought it was great with the kit lens and the Sigma 70-300 APO, still got them all... too good to ditch and not worth enough to sell... :shrug:
 
I think Ujjwal may be being a bit unfair here, when you use xPans and Leicas, then yes, the stock Minolta lenses may appear on paper to be not too much - but in all honesty *no* manufacturer is going to supply their camera with a crap lens. Middling yes, but look at the cost of them - it's the same with anything out there - you want good stuff then you gotta pay for it. Stock is good and will do the job (same as with any manufacturer's kit lenses), but you want premium then you have to go premium price.
 
The only difference I can see between Minolta and everyone else is their lenses fit Sony and consequently are worth a few bob. I should have done my homework but am in no rush and will keep my eyes peeled for something useful to hang on the front.
Are there no Dynax to Nikon or Canon converters? I don't mind losing most of the programmes if there be such a thing.
 
I have the Minolta>T thread and Minolta>M42 adapters - istr for the major players' lenses you will need extra optics?

The bodies are just fine - but they do have a range... Dynax 9 :)notworthy:) at the top and then down from there. Yours are along the lines of an EOS300...
 
Ambermile said:
I think Ujjwal may be being a bit unfair here, when you use xPans and Leicas, then yes, the stock Minolta lenses may appear on paper to be not too much - but in all honesty *no* manufacturer is going to supply their camera with a crap lens. Middling yes, but look at the cost of them - it's the same with anything out there - you want good stuff then you gotta pay for it. Stock is good and will do the job (same as with any manufacturer's kit lenses), but you want premium then you have to go premium price.
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:D:D:D:D...good try for the backhanded compliment Arthur :D:D:D ( and you forgot my favourite Contaxes)

I didn't at all say they were crap, indeed as I said, I haven't got the first roll back, so I dont know. But I really dont have high hopes after reading the review of those lenses on dyxum - and for a good reason. They were kit lens.

Incidentally, isn't it our holy grail to find a sleeper - a camera with outstanding lens going cheap because no one is interested. As I see, there are quite a few of them around - but only those which cant be used on a digital body ( and those which Arthur haven't spotted yet...:LOL::LOL:)
 
Ambermile said:
I think Ujjwal may be being a bit unfair here,.... the stock Minolta lenses may appear on paper to be not too much
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Arthur is right. I just got back the slide roll taken on the 28-80 Minolta kit lens. The lens quality is very very good; and at the price, its a steal. The only drawback is its pretty slow ( like other kit lens), but a fast film should sort that out.

Plus a body which can do High speed wireless flash sync, and a spot meter.

I dropped my plans for a AX for the moment; and looking for a minolta 50mm lens.
 
Ambermile said:
:razz:


:naughty:
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Dont feel too smug, you old git :p , this is my first experience with Minolta SLR. My feeling is - this kit lens is better than the Nikon kit lens that came with my F65.


Why Minolta failed to capture the market with features light years ahead of the likes of Canon will remain a mystery to me. Who ever bought Canon when Minolta was available with such quality ( or was Minolta way more expensive than Canon etc)
 
Well, I think to be fair Minolta were the unsung heroes of the SLR world - along with Konica of course - and the day they withdrew from camera production was a sad one indeed :( They led where the rest followed - then they switched paths without notice, and we all lost the most innovative manufacturer around... There is still not much I would prefer over the Dynax 7 (OK, maybe the 9...) or even the 7D to be honest, even from today's range of offerings from the big two and a half.
 
More knobs, more dials, more screens, *much* more speed, more control, more options, more battery life, more versatility. Maybe in reverse order though. And style too of course, cannot have too much style. And build quality, these are cameras built to last in a rough world and with the best will in that world, the lesser ones in the range are a wee bit... well, plasticky if I have to say it.
 
Hin de leff cawnarr, Hi gif you the Dynax 500si... hin de rite cawnarr, the Dynax seven.


RIMG0234.jpg




I know which one I'd rather stand behind :naughty:
 
Arthur, since you have both - leaving aside the build quality and the style stuff - what are the additional features in 7/9?
 
Basically Ujjwal, I can do anything with the Dynax 7 that I could do with a digital, but do it on film. I can even keep track of the last 7 films, reload one of them, forward to a specific frame (+/- 1/4 of a hole) and take another exposure over the top of the last one. I can remotely control any number (within reason) of off camera flashes *while they are flashing*. I don't get people asking me why I still shoot film. If I am going to use a modern film camera then I want a *modern* film camera, not an old one - much as I loved the F90x, it was an old camera.
 
... and the knobs, don't forget the knobs. They got rubber on them :naughty:


PS - damn you all - got me thinking about getting a 9 again... :help:
 
aaarrgg !!! rubber knobs !!! blast ! no, no, no... I'll just stick with my digital + crapy 404si, but hey - it was 7quid delivered !
 
The 7 still sells for serious money whereas the, er, whatever I bought can be had for disposable camera prices. This early bird also managed to nab a kosher Minolta AF lens cheap. Any fool can buy a quality camera, it takes a special sort of idiot to appreciate 90s squeezy plastic SLRs.

Seriously, Canon FD probably gives the most lens quality for the least possible folding money at this moment, although a complete Kowa kit didn't make the £20 opener earlier in the week. The cheapness of some cameras is tragic. If very tempting.
 
Basically the Dynax 9 goes for a fortune for a good reason, their durable, well specified and have a 1/12000 shutter speed that can be synced with high speed sync! Theres also a titanium model that is supposedly indestructible and can even apparently hammer nails in without getting so much as dented. Of course these models prices go into the thousands. Minolta's last professional camera certainly left a legacy!
 
must not. must not. must not. no. no. no. stoppitstoppitstoppit :help:


PS - Jeez - can you imagine what a 9D would be like :eek:
 
As I was telling Arthur, judging by the quality of the kit lens, the primes must be very very good - possibly within striking distance of Zeiss and Leica.

Its rumoured that Leica CL lens were really Minolta Rokkor lens design. Even if thats an exaggaration, the fact that Leica allowed Minolta to make cameras that it put its name on speaks volumes. I was a fool to not know about it.

BTW : I am still wondering - apart from build quality, what are the features that 7/9 has that the si series doesn't. It can still have multiple wireless flash, and do HSS. OK top speed is not that high, but thats not for everyday use anyways. What else? Is the metering better? Focus faster? I mean, I can see a lot of advantage in carrying a lightweight camera, what does a heavy bigger body really add in real life shooting?
 
Faster autofocus, more focus modes, better metering, more metering modes, reliable shutter speeds, solid mount, blah, blah :D

I may have to get a 9 now, could be a bit of a problem since I take the 7D out and also have the 7 as well - easy to swap between the two. Same fot the 5D and 5. Not gonna happen with the 9 now is it?
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
I mean, I can see a lot of advantage in carrying a lightweight camera, what does a heavy bigger body really add in real life shooting?
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I think a lot of the "professional" bodies end up being massive great lumps because they're used by people shooting sporting events etc, with massive great 500mm f2.8 lenses that are balanced out better by a body with a certain amount of mass in it. Certainly, even with a 70-200 f2.8 lens, my EOS-3 balances better than the EOS-450D does.
 
Ambermile said:
Faster autofocus, more focus modes, better metering, more metering modes, reliable shutter speeds, solid mount, blah, blah :D
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Right, so what does more focus modes give Arthur ( not doubting, just asking).
Same for : better metering/more metering modes - does that mean its more accurate metering, or does more electronic calisthenis with the metering?

You know where this is leading to...:D
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
You know where this is leading to...:D
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Leicamania? Cross-eyed tin boxes with a lens worth more than the Koh-I-Noor but no metering worth a fig? Cameras that are too valuable to use without Securicor but with a base that falls into the long grass when you change film?
 
colpepper said:
Leicamania? Cross-eyed tin boxes with a lens worth more than the Koh-I-Noor but no metering worth a fig? Cameras that are too valuable to use without Securicor but with a base that falls into the long grass when you change film?
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Nah:D:D:D..been there, done that. Though, to be fair, CL is a great camera.

It was leading to Dynax 7/9
 
It's all really about versatility Ujjwal, if you can have the confidence in the camera to allow you to forget about it then you can just go take pictures - knowing that the camera is doing exactly as you want. With less freedom to set options, you have less chance of getting that confidence because there will be things you cannot control.

Yes, I love older cameras and the fun I have with them, but as I have said before - if I am going to use a moder camera then I want a *modern* one!
 
The one thing that I noticed 505Si super doesn't allow doing is exposure lock with matrix metering without the focus lock (i.e either both the exposure and focus gets locked when you half press the shutter button, or nothing). The exposure lock can be done when spot metering though.
Thats a feature which I find very useful in the Contax bodies - and its done with a flick of a switch.
Does the Dynax 7 allow that
 
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