SHOW US YOUR CAMERAS!!

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Swiss

This is my little Olympus Pen F Collection.
With Pen FT in Chrome and beauty Black Version and Lenses 20mm f3.5 , 25 f2.5 , 38 f1.8 , 40 f1.4 , 42 f1.2 , 60 f1.5 , 70 f2 , 100 f3.5 , 150 f4 , 250 f5 and the 50-90 f3.5 Zoom.

55 · Expire: 2022-06-15

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Swiss

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Swiss

55 · Expire: 2022-06-15

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 664 Location: New Zealand

These two cameras are both rebadged Petri cameras, marketed by Ihagee West, after they won a court case with the East German company of the same name. Their first release was the Exakta Real, using a new bayonet mount. Following that was the Twin TL, a Cosina Hi-Lite rebadge, still using the new mount. Then it was released in M42, and then following that, these two Petri cameras, based on the Petri 1/1000s M42 chassis, were released. The 55/1.8 lens on the left is a Petri made lens with a decent reputation. The one on the right looks to be made by Sankor, possibly based on previous 55/1.4 designs from other manufacturers.

The cameras are almost identical apart from the omission of the 1/1000s speed and the timer from the left hand camera. Actually there is a further difference, in the metering system. On the TL-500, the metering works anytime the stop down button is used, exactly the same as any other M42 stop down camera from that period. On the TL-1000, the meter turns on when the camera shutter is cocked, and off when the shutter is released. This setup was first featured on the Petriflex 7 camera, and is retained here. You still have to stop down manually with the same lever as on the TL-500.

This caused me some confusion when I received the TL-1000, I though the meter was defective. When I took the top cover off to try and fix the perceived 'fault', I noticed the camera is quite nicely made, despite the lowly reputation (not) enjoyed by Petri cameras.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

Today I got another Minolta Dynax 7D, together with the iconic Minolta AF 2.8/28-70mm G lens (not shown here). The "D7D", as she was known in Europe, was Minoltas first "real" DSLR, and she sold in truckloads, at least here in Switzerland. At around CHF 3000.-- the camera was quite expensive, but that was kind of "normal" back then. Everyone was jumping on the DSLR bandwagon, including Minolta, finally. They were quite late since their the CEO had determined, in the mid-1990s, that "digital" would remain a niche market and APS would be the "next big thing". Of course the market wasn't inclined to obey him, but - to save face - he couldn't immediately change his assessment when "digital" became ubiquituous. The Minolta engineers were pretty upfront, but they were banned to put their high-tech into a decent SLR. First the very expensive digital stuff was put into one of the cheapest plastic Minolta bodies (instead of the beautiful Dynax/Alpha 9); later on they - at least - managed to put it into a excellent "bridge" camera with a 28-200mm (eqiv) fast zoom. Its last incarnation - the Minolta Dimage A2 and A200 - had a full metal body, 8 MP (quite a feat in early 2004), a 2.8-3.5/28-200mm (equiv) APO zoom lens and, last but not least, an integrated antishake mechanism.

Back to the Minolta Dynax 7D. Announced pretty early (remember: Minolta was late), it hit the market at the end of 2004. I got one of the first cameras then, and it had a HUGE flaw: The sensor was slightly tilted - which resulted in images either sharp at the top OR at the bottom, but not both (unless you stopped down to f16 or f22). Bummer ... turns out it wasn't Minoltas error, but Sonys: They had glued the sensor with uneven amounts of glue onto the base, thus resulting in a "tilted" sensor ... Apart from that issue (which was solved within a few weeks) the camera was an immediate success. Mine paid off completely with the very first assigment i had, and soon some nice lenses were following.

Here's an image of two samples of the Dynax (Maxxum) 7D - one with and one without the power grip. For a prosumer camera, the D7D was incredibly well made: Full metal body, and lots and lots and lots of dedicated buttons, sliders and switches. More on that later - first two more images of the camera itself:

Here it is shown with the Minolta 3.5-4.5/24-105mm standard zoom. It was a "analog" lens, but quite well suited for the 6MP sensor of the Dynax 7D.

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1216 Location: Winnipeg Canada

The Konica/Minolta badging is seldom seen here.

Odd that there were problems mounting the Sony sensor- likely a manufacturing floor problem.
Still a bit strange for someone with Sony's long term video sensor experience to not specify mounting procedures.
I wonder how corporate relations were before Sony took over.

-D.S.

55 · Expire: 2022-06-15

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

Now the on/off switch and the +/- dial.

Again the first is as its is, but the +/- dial is pretty ingeniuous: The dial consists of two levels - upper dial for over-/underexposure of the ambient light, and the lower dial for over-/underexposure of the flash (built-in or external). In addition the dial for ambient light has two settings: either +/- 2 EV in 1/3EV steps, or+/- 3EV in 1/2 EV steps. To avoid unintentional shifting of the values, theres a small central "lock" button. Very well done. Compare this to the Nikon D2/D3/D4 ... or the Canon 1D series and you'll always prefer the Minolta solution ... !!

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

The Minolta Dynax (Maxxum) 7D was the first ever SLR with built-in image stabilisation. Combined with the relatively high sensitivity of the sensor I suddenly was able to take tack sharp images in "impossible" situations. The IS was working reliably right from the beginning; no issues with it at all. Incredibly useful for lenses such as the 2.8/20, the 2/28, the 1.4/50 and the 1.4/85mm, for sure.

And of course there was a dedicated slide switch for turning it on and off!

BTW the "MSET" button gives you direct access to programming the three programmable memory settings (once programmed, they are accessible via the main "1-2-3" knob on top of the camera)

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

Now the AF system! The AF itself is pretty slow copared to todays DSLRs, butit certainly was way faster than the first mirrorless AF systems (inclusding those from Sony). I am still puzzled that an A7II with dedicated Sony 1.8/85mm doesn't focus faster than a Minolta 9000 from 1986!! Anyway. The D7D AF was (is) noisy, not really precise and not really fast. AND for best performance you had to send your camera PLUS your lenses to Minolta Switzelrland, and have the stuff calibrated individually. Backfocus and frontfocus issues were pretty common back then, and the Minolta D7D had less issues with it than eg the contemprorary Canon prosumer DSLRs.

The AF "command center" had three levels:
1) a central button for activating the central f2.8 AF sensor
2) a toggle switch for accessing the outer AF sensors
3) and an outer rotary switch for selecting the AF mode (wide field, locked, or single sensors)

No unseen in other contemporary DSLRs, but quite good for a prosumer DSLR.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

AF system, #2:

There's a dedicated rotary switch for selecting "manual focus", "single AF". "automatic AF" (switching automatically between "single" and "continuous") and "continuous AF".

In addition there's another AF/MF toggle switch, but more on that later!

Quite standard as well with many SLRs and DSLRs, but nicely made.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

Finally the remaining control units!

As you can see, below the "M-S-A-P" selector theres a second rotary switch. That lower level give direct access to the "frame per second" menu. Since the D7D is fairly slow (3 fps), it has only the positions "single" and "continuous" (=3 fps).

However, with the same rotary switch you can directly engage the 10s and the 2s self-timer, the latter conveniently combined with mirrol lock up MLU).

And finally the switch has another two positions with direct access to the bracketing functions (again "single" or "continuous"). The number of frames for bracketing (three or five) and the respective EV difference betwee frames (1/3EV or 1/2EV) must first be programmed via the menu; once it is determined, the bracketing function can be accessed without diving into the menu. Quite remarkable indeed.

Below we see the "AEL" button ahich is very useful. Once it is pressed, the AE is locked. If a dedicated flash (or the built-in flash) is used, pressing the AEL button results in "slow sync" flash: half of the light is ambient ("available light"), ad half comes from the flashgun. This function came first with the analog Minolta AF cameras, and it was (is) extremely useful for reportage and wedding photography.

Around the AEL button there's another rotary switch, again with three positions for selecting the different light meteriung modes:
* spot
* multi metering
* average

Hidden under the eye-cup (barely visible) is the rotary knob for adjusting the diopters (+3 to -3 diopters). Another feat that was quite uncommon in prosumer cameras back then.

Finally - last but not least - we have the front- and the back wheel for adjusting aperture and shutter speed. Unlike the much more expensive professional Nikon and Canon DLSRs (D1 / D2 and 1D-series), the Minolta wheels had its wheels angled in an ergonomically perfect position (Nikon D1/D2 had its wheels just "laying flat" [=horizontally], and Canon EOS 1D / 1DMkII was perpendicular / 90Â°). Minolta (and Sony!) wheels are more expensive to produce, but much nicer to use ...!

OK - this was it ...! I have been using the D7D from Dec 2004 to Oct 2007, and it was a real improvement over my Nikon D1. Twice as much pixels, much better colors, and much easier to work with. Then, at the end of October 2007, I had the rare opportunity to work in Bhutan, and litterally on the evening before my departure I got one of the very first Sony A700 cameras available here in Switzerland. But that's another story Wink

S

EDIT: I forgot the "AF/MF" button! That one was added first to the anaolg Dynax 7 a few years ago. Minolta users had complained that Canon (and to some extent also Nikon) users had the ability for "direct manual focusing" when using lenses with an USM AF motor. In 2004 Minolta had only two lenses with USM (SSM) motors, the 2.8/70-200 APO G SSM and the 2.8/300 APO G SSM. Nobody was using them, and for all the "screwdriver" lens users Minolta added the "AF/MF" switch: Press the button => lens is MF; let loose => AF again ...

Well, it wasn't as useful as they had hoped, and it required an additional (expensive) clutch mechanism in the AF drivetrain ... !

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

Here's another one, about 25 years old now - the Minolta Dynax (Maxxum) 9. It was (and is) one of my favourite analog SLRs, along with such classics as the Canon New F-1, the Nikon F3 and F5, and the Pentax LX. Here it's shown with my recently acquired Minolta AF 2.8/28-70mm G zoom which was Minoltas best (and most expensive) standard zoom.

Apart from the fact that the Dynax 9 did have a built-in flash, it was unique since its body was made from stainless steel. The camera therefore was extremely rugged; I remember it once fell (during a rock concert; dense crowd and quite a crush) on the concrete floor below - and continued working. Maybe a year or so later I tripped over someting while rushing for a train; the D9 literally was kicked off my hands, flew 3-4 meters through the air and fell ... well: on concrete, again. This time - while the camera was still working - the upper part of the body was slightly twisted, and there was small gap between upper part and mid-section. Maybe half a millimeter, but enough that the body wouldn't be protected against moisture any more. It had to be repaired at Minolta Switzerland.

If you look at both the camera grip and the vertical grip, you can see how much attention to detail the camera was given. Those grips are much better than anything that CaNikon have produced in the SLR/DSLR field. The camera was extremely responsive. Those metal strips on the grip are activating the Dynax 9 as soon as you pick it up, and when you approach the viewfinder, another sensor is activating the autofocus. While I never really liked the earlier Dynax (Maxxum) 9xi, the Dynax 9 was an immediate joy to work with. It is no secret that the later "digital D9" - which was later released as the Sony A900 - was a direct descendant of the Minolta Dynax 9.

S

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1216 Location: Winnipeg Canada

From a user standpoint- physical ergonomics only, the grips on the MD-11 & MD-12 (FM & FE) were about the best "feel" in my hands.

While not as technologically advanced as the Minolta offerings above, they made perfect physical sense to me.
The MD-4 on the F3 was a big, chunky, blocky, and heavy poorly designed contraption that I had little interest in, but there are legions of F3 users that loved it, and swore by it as well.

I've gotten used to the grip on the D-810.
Personally, I find the design a little cramped, and still need care to not un-intentionally activate the function- a/f-a/e lock buttons. A 2 or 3 mm wider spacing between the grip and the lens mount would work wonders. I'd need to go to the D-5/6 to get it though.

-D.S.

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars · Joined: 03 Nov 2021 Posts: 254 Location: Austria

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

Usually cameras shown here have just their normal lens attached. An 1.4/50, an 1.7/55 or whatever. Sometimes we see a fast lens, sometimes an "ordinary" 4/35mm wideangle. Or a 4/135mm tele lens.

That's not only true here, but also in the entire web. One rarely finds nice images of nice cameras with a nice fast lens attached.
The first 50 hits when searching for images using "Nikon F3 Nikkor 1.8 105mm" for instance were displaying two images of the 1.8/105mm with an FM3A, one image of the 1.8/105mm with an FA, but none with the F3. All other images show either only the 1.8/105mm lens, or (mostly) just other lenses and/or cameras. Pretty poor.

Let's change that Wink

Here are a few images of a Nikon F3 with different fast lenses. Nothing special or rare at all, but nevertheless ... just for fun Wink

!

First the F3 with a nice Nikkor Ai 1.2/55mm normal lens:

F3 with an Ai converted Nikkor K 1.8/85mm:

Here with the large and fast Nikkor AiS 1.8/105mm:

And finally with a nice looking Nikkor AiS 2.8/180mm ED:

kansalliskala · Expire: 2016-12-30

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1216 Location: Winnipeg Canada

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars · Joined: 03 Nov 2021 Posts: 254 Location: Austria

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland