On the same day its merger was formally announced, Konica Minolta introduced its plans to develop the Maxxum 7 Digital SLR camera, due to ship this autumn.

A 6 megapixel unit based upon Minolta's hugely popular Maxxum 7 film camera, the 7D will finally get a workable interchangeable lens camera on the market.


Minolta's early entry to the digital market was relatively rocky with the EX1500 cameras, dubbed the "proctologist's camera" for its cable-connected interchangeable lens/viewfinder modules.



These were followed by the RD3000, a 2.6mp SLR based on the APS Minolta Vectis film camera. The RD3000 had interchangeable lenses but had slow focusing, poor color resolution and a whopping price of $4,000! Needless to say, it didn't last long.

My nostalgic memories reflect the frustrations of a film photographer who had used Minolta Maxxum cameras for nearly eight years. I loved them and their sharp lenses. But when the early digital models were introduced, they only confirmed the prevailing wisdom of that time: digital will never replace film.

The Maxxum 7 Digital will feature an APS size CCD which means the cameras will probably have a magnification factor of about 1.5X. In my opinion, Minolta will have to bring forth some specially designed wide angle lenses to make this camera competitive in the digital SLR market.

Of courses users of the new Minolta can always rely upon the excellent Sigma 14mm and 15mm fisheyes for a wider view. Combined with PowerRetouche's Lens Correction filter, the 14mm full-frame fisheye would give a 1.5X image of approximately 21mm.


Like Konica Minolta's DiMAGE A1 (and coming A2), the Maxxum 7 will feature an in-camera anti-shake system that will work with all Minolta lenses. I found the A1's anti-shake system worked like a charm, worth at least two and maybe three extra stops of slow shutter speed.

Now if Konica Minolta can only bring the Maxxum 7D to market at a price competitive with Canon and Nikon.