The Minolta Maxxum 7000 - An Iconic Camera That Drips With 80s Aesthetics
The Minolta Maxxum 7000 is unique in its eccentric look, function and features
Introduction
The Minolta Maxxum 7000 camera is a workhorse. With its healthy offerings of quirkiness and function, this is my camera of choice when I need a drama-free shooting experience, without having to worry about correctly exposing my images. In my opinion, this camera has the perfect combination of feature richness and ease of use, which has helped cement its reputation as a great starter and enthusiast film camera.
I purchased this camera with extra lenses and accessories for $8 from my local thrift store.
It has been 2 years since that unboxing, and to this date, my experience with this camera has been nothing but positive. When I was invited as a guest of a equestrian show jumping tournament at the Spruce Meadows facility in Calgary, Alberta, I took this camera with me, to pith it against another favourite, the Nikon FE. Needless to say I was not disappointed with its performance. The vivid and rich colour profiles of the images I shot with the camera fitted with the AF 28-85 f/3.5 lens produced blew me away. Not bad for an $8 dollar camera!
This camera had such a positive impact on my experience in film photography that when I chanced on one being sold in Regina, Saskatchewan last year, I did not hesitate to pull the plug on purchasing it to add to my large collection of film cameras.
Camera Body
The camera is quite unique in its build. With buttons and design features reminiscent of an 80s era stereo system, the camera stands out from the crowd.
The Minolta Maxxum 7000’s body is mostly plastic with a glossy finish. The 80s era aesthetics is unmistakable
The build quality of the camera body may not be on par with that of the solid metal SLRs of decades prior, such as the Minolta SRT series, however, it is no slouch at all in this area. Its robust build will arguably best most modern cameras. Although mostly plastic in construction with a glossy finish, the body does have a feel of ruggedness and durability to it. It is worth noting that the LCD screen is susceptible to bleeding through. It is therefore no coincidence that both of my Minolta Maxxum 7000 cameras suffer from this defect. Fortunately, this does not affect the functionality of the screen or the camera, as only the edges of the screen are obscured.
The Pacesetter
The Minolta Maxxum 7000 was the first camera to feature integrated autofocus (AF) and motorized film advance (Wikepedia). The implications of this was quite staggering. Lenses made for this camera did not require to have to have a motor drive and AF sensors built in, as these were already built into the camera body. Thus, lenses could be built much smaller and cheaper as well. The integration of these systems into the camera body also gives the camera body more of a more premium value than similar cameras of its era without this technology. This certainly contributes to the premium feel this camera exudes.
An Ideal Camera For Both Beginner and Enthusiast
The camera is surprisingly fully featured. While most cameras of this class only offer one shooting mode other than manual and program mode (either Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority modes), the Minolta Maxxum 7000 offers both! This makes the camera very ideal as beginner camera and also as a very capable feature-packed camera for the discerning enthusiast. The simplicity of the user interface also makes all the difference for this camera. I found myself often marvelling at how easy it was to change ISO, shooting modes and drive on the fly. A quick combination of the dedicated buttons for these features and the up or down arrow keys is all it took to alter these settings.
Changing the ISO setting, shooting modes,and drive mode is as simple as pressing to hold both the dedicated button for the feature and the up or down arrow keys
Buttons and Switches Galore
This abundance of buttons and keys on this camera is quite a departure from similar cameras of its kind. For example on the camera body alone, this camera feature 15 buttons and switches, excluding the the buttons to eject the lens and the to open the back of the camera. Contrast this with the 8 buttons found on the Canon EOS 650 body and the 7 found on the Pentax SF10 body. This implies that more features are readily and more easily available on this camera at your fingertips. There is even a dedicated Program Mode button (P) which can serve as a panic mode of sort. A quick press of this button and the camera reverts to the program mode. Shooting in manual mode on this camera is surprisingly intuitive. The camera features two sets of the up and down arrow keys. The second set is located on the left side close to lens attachment. In manual mode, this set of keys adjust the aperture setting up or down whilst the set on the top of the camera adjusts the shutter speed setting up or down. The magic of buttons!
The camera features a second set of up and down keys that can be used to adjust aperture settings on the fly
Assisted Manual Exposure
Assisted manual mode is available on this camera through the viewfinder LCD screen. When composition is underexposed, an downward pointing arrow appears on the LCD, while an upward pointing arrow appears in the case of an overexposed composition. After adjusting the shutter speed or aperture setting adequately, both an upward and downward pointing arrows will indicate, implying a perfect exposure.
Additional Hidden Exposure Features
The camera has an additional feature which I absolutely adore. Although program modes are often considered for the amateur and the non-initiated, this camera packs a feature which can be quite powerful even for the professional. Say you are shooting an even and do not have the time to overthink exposure. You select Program Mode due to its ease of use and guaranteed decent exposure more normal situations. Then in a one -off situation, you feel the need to adjust the programmed combination of aperture and shutter speed, on the fly, without changing shooting modes. With this camera, it is as easy as cycling through all possible combinations of aperture and shutter speeds using the up and down arrow keys, while still in program mode. I cannot emphasise enough how convenient and yet powerful this feature is. Exposure compensation in half stops is also a standard offering for this camera, and is operational in all shooting modes. There is is also a dedicated button for the Auto Exposure Lock (AEL) feature forgetting proper exposure of subjects in backlit conditions.
Sample Images
In Conclusion
The Minolta Maxxum 7000 is a real treat of a camera. Were I to be marooned on a desolate island with a choice of one automatic SLR, my feeble hands would clutch on to this camera for dear life. It is simply that awesome!
specs for nerds
Shutter Speeds: Bulb, 30 secs to 1/2000 sec
Flash Sync: 1/100
Exposure Compensation: From -4 to +4 stops in half stop increments
Frame Rate: 2 frames per sec
Autofocus: Center-weighted with one focus point
ISO Range: ISO 25 to 6400, DX coded