Maxxum 9 for Christmas?

[pismo923]

As a former Maxxum 7 owner, I always lusted for the 9. Now I have a chance to pick one up for a great price. I have been using rangefinders and a Hexar AF for the past three years now but do miss some of the flexibility and framing accuracy that an SLR brings. Common sense says just wait and buy a digital SLR but common sense and this hobby sometimes don't walk hand in hand 😀

I guess my question for any of the Minolta/Sony users here is this - do the older Minolta AF primes work well enough on the new Sony sensors/SLT bodies or has the new technology outgrown the older lenses? If the lenses can be used when I finally go digital then it might make more sense to buy the kit just for the lenses and use the Maxxum 9 to fill in the gaps the Hexar can't handle.

 

[kmallick]

The problem I have faced in using the good old Minolta MD/MC primes on the newer SLT bodies is that the new mount requires adapters with glass to let older MD/MC lenses to focus to infinity, which of course takes away from what the lens are supposed to deliver. Infinity focusing may not be important for you and you can use a glassless adapter if needed for MD lenses.

Maxxum autofocus lenses are no problem. There are some good primes as well.

If you buy the Maxxum 9, I suggest enjoying it for film. If you want to use the old MD/MC primes, you are better off using them on a DSLR like Canon 5D (I, II or III) that accepts those lenses with a glass-less adapter.

 

[pismo923]

These would be the Maxxum AF primes. Are they optically "good enough" to take advantage of todays sensors?

 

[Michalm]

I have minolta 28 f2 lens and it does shine on film cameras. This little gem is the only reason i kept Minolta af slr bodies. I wasn't impressed when trying it on the apc Sony dslr some time ago , 17-35 f2.8-4 km zoom worked lot better to my surprise. Digi cam sold problem is gone. Some users report that certain lenses do work better on full frame dslr though. I would check dyxum website for reviews of lenses you have and see how they perform on full frame dslr. But in general standard or longer lenses should work fine. Also note that Dynax 9 would not support newer lenses with built-in motor unless camera has been updated with the chip to allow this.

 

[Austintatious]

If you have not already, you should check out this forum :http://www.dyxum.com/
Lots of info here including Lens test from members. I found it most helpful ;-)

 

[kutitta]

I have friends using Minola AF primes with Sony SLT bodies, and I don't recall complaining about the lenses or mentioning any compatibility issues. The only thing I remember is a friend saying that they perform much better on full-frame, which is no surprise.

BTW I still use Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D as my 'primary' DSLR (it's OK to laugh! 🙂 ) and I love it. Not as a Xmas present, but as a cheaper option for upgrading to a DSLR, I strongly recommend it. It is just a great camera, not carrying the 'Minolta heritage' like the new Sony bodies, but Minolta itself!

 

[Tom33]

I have the 9 and a Sony A700, as well as a large collection of Minolta AF glass. On the Alpha 700 the Minolta glass works very well, with allowances for lens to lens variation. My favorites are the 50mm/f1.7 and the 24-105 zoom. In general the Minolta AF glass is very good on the A700 and the Maxxum 9 (I have a 7 also and they are real good there too....). I do not have a full-frame Alpha, and probably will not because I am putting together a Nikon kit planning for a D800E. But, I am keeping the Minoltas, too. I have a Nikon F6 as well as the 7 and the 9. The 9 compares very well against the F6, although it is about a half generation behind in technology.

Don't know about the Sony SLTs, but I say buy the Maxxum 9 on its own merits, it is a fantastic SLR film camera. If you like C135 film you will not regret it if the camera you get is in good condition. Here is a photo from last summer with my 9 and the AF 24-105mm zoom on E100G:

Here is a shot with the same lens on the A700:

Cheers!

Tom

 

[Addy101]

I'll echo the others. I use my A900 with several high end Minolta zooms and primes. As you ask 'bout primes, I use 28/2, 50/1.4, 85/1.4 and 200/2.8 primes and they're wonderfull. This one was taken with the A900 and the wonderfull 85/1.4G:

Re. The Maxxum/Dynax 9: lovely camera, much more intuitive then the 7. Be aware, most 9's don't work with SSM/SAM lenses, but some do. Screw-mount lenses work on the 9 and on Sony cameras. But by all means, take a look over at Dyxum and ask any question you've got 'bout Sony cameras and Minolta lenses.

 

[shadowfox]

1/12000th Max. Shutter Speed... 'nuff said.
I got mine a couple of months ago, along with a Minolta AF 35 f2 soon after.

Yes, shooting at f/2 in bright daylight is possible with this camera.
No ND filters needed 😀

 

[Never Satisfied]

So, did Santa bring you a Dynax 9 for Christmas?

Andrew.

 

[Addy101]

I'm also curious. If you're still on the fence, a picture with the "outdated" Minolta 50/1.4:

 

[dreilly]

I've used quite a few Minolta AF lenses on Sony bodies: A850 and A700, and among the ones I have enjoyed are the Beercan, the 50/1.7 and 50/1.4. I also tried a 28/2 and a 20/2.8, both of which I was less impressed with in general. My favorite is the 50/1.7. Tiny, sharp, great color rendition, fast enough, and cheap.

I haven't used any Maxxum lenses on the A57 SLT, but I would expect performance to be very similar to that with the DSLRs.

I had a Maxxum 9...wow, what a tank of a camera, and great ergonomics. It was hard to go from that to the A700, which suffered in build quality in comparison. The A850 was more like it.

 

[j.scooter]

Don't forget to look at the Maxxum/Dynax 7. It was released after the 9 and is more advanced.

I found the ergos quite nice on the 7 especially with the Minolta grip.

I owned and sold both the 7 and the 9.
I regret selling the 7

my 2c

 

[SteveM_NJ]

i purchased the A77 for a gift to my brother - - and all his older AF minolta and other (sigma, etc) lenses all worked well.

 

[Never Satisfied]

I bought a 9xi new and replaced it with a Dynax 9 and I still have both; I love them.

I have most of the older G lenses and a coulple of the newer Zeiss Sonnars.

Good Dynax 9's are still costing about $750 USD and the Titanium version is $1800+

Jump in, you won't regret it!

Andrew.

 

[Iestrada]

I use the Sony A850. It's a full frame. All of my Minolta AF lenses work wonderfully on it. On the newer SLT cameras, the only one that has a reported problem with some Minolta lenses is the new A99 (full frame SLT). If I recall, it is by design. Sony seems to be moving in the direction of phasing out its support for the Minolta legacy lenses.

 

[Addy101]

Among Minolta fans there is a heated debate whether the 7 or 9 is the better camera. Owning both, I prefer the intuitive 9 over the technical 7 - others have other preferences. To me, the 9 is the best AF SLR ever made, even better then the Canon 1v......

 

[Addy101]

Wow, where did you get that from? All Minolta lenses work flawlessly on the A99 as I far as I understand. The new AF-D is only with selected lenses, but the other lenses work just like on any other Sony DSLR. (There were some problems with teleconverters, but a firmware update improved that)

 

[Iestrada]

Some of the initial review stated some problem with some lenses. I can not attest to it from personal experience. Perhaps whatever issues were there they have been sorted out.

I have only played briefly with the 7, 9, and the A77. The 9, although briefly, is the most beautiful camera I have ever handled in terms of ergonomics. My A850 feels very much like it.

Also, the membership at www.Dyxum.com has been able on a couple of times to secure an upgrade of the 9 to be able to use the Sony Zeiss lenses with the silent motor. If memory serves me right, it has been done through a technician in Germany that had a stash of NOS of the components needed to make the upgrade. The second time, I believe, was done by the same technician but with the needed components supplied by Sony as requested by Dyxum. The only catch was that the company doing the upgrades only accepted work orders from within the EU.

Dyxum is a tremendous repository of knowledge of all things A mount lenses and cameras. Don't forget to check it out if at all interested in using legacy Minolta lenses.

 

[Never Satisfied]

In reference to the Dynax 9 upgrade, the camera needed to be hand delivered to the tech in Germany!

My 9 works fine with the 135 f1.8 Sonnar and has never been upgraded. I'm led to believe that the last Dynax 9's had the upgrade from the factory.

I also have the a900 and it really is a digital Dynax 9 right down to the rubber eye piece, the a900 just focuses faster!