 Maxxum 7 - The Best 35mm SLR Ever Built, Bar None 23 of 23 people found this review helpful.
The Maxxum 7 is as 'state of the art' as has ever been achieved in a 35mm Film SLR. Since the world has moved on to Digital, it will likely remain the Ultimate 'state of the art'.
I bought mine in 2004, while they were still available New, and shot many superb rolls of film with it. In early 2007, in a financial pinch and having clearly moved on to Digital myself, I reluctantly sold it. That was made a bit easier by the fact the Digital I had moved on to, is the Sony Alpha 100 - a reasonably direct descendant of the Maxxum 7, which carries forward many features developed for the 7, and will take all of the Maxxum lenses I have accumulated.
My experience with the Maxxum 7 was Excellent. It would do everything I could set it up to do, and was always capable of much more. I never had any problems with it. The most notable features are the Autofocus system - always very quick and dependable - and the Matrix Metering system, very accurate.
There is a running joke among Maxxum 7 owners in the Minolta users groups, that the 'Program' exposure mode is actually 'P for Professional' mode. I can attest that the metering really IS that good.
Maxxum 7's have proven themselves as quite durable cameras, having been engineered and built when Minolta was still on top of their game - well before the long slide that led to their departure from the camera business in 2006. I know of many 7's that are still going strong with over 100,000 exposures on them. That's more than a lifetime of shooting, for all but a few of us - and fewer still can ever put that much shooting in on just one camera. So if you get a Maxxum 7 that has been reasonably cared for, and continue that reasonable care, it truly should last you a lifetime.
And with over 16 Million Maxxum-mount lenses made by Minolta, from 1985-2006 - plus the millions of Maxxum-mount lenses made by Tamron, Sigma, Tokina, and others - and the Maxxum-mount now being continued by Sony - there should never be a problem finding Lenses.
Review ID: 10000000003448936  Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours. You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote. Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.  Top of the line 35mm SLR -- Outstanding performer! Review created: 04/19/07(updated 05/02/07) 12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
The wide range of user adjustable functions make this camera perform in ways any user is sure to be pleased with. It was the last of the Minolta pro-quality SLR(s), and as such has the best feature set and overall performance of the first SLR auto-focus camera manufacturer's (Minolta's) acclaimed film cameras. Senior support technicians at Minolta bent my ear about this model when I called for a replacement 800si owner's manual in early 2006. They were adamant about the Maxxum 7 having the best autofocus performance, sensors and precision of any camera Minolta had produced. The dual crosshair center sensors and autofocus algorithms are indeed quick and precise, and with any of the select high-speed motor assisted lenses, this camera can focus very nearly as quickly as your eye can with spot-on precision. It has been a joy to use. I've been a Maxxum 7 owner for almost a year now and can highly recommend this camera to prospective SLR buyers still viewing the detail and imaging of film as the medium they wish to use.
The shutter speed range from 1/8000 of a second to 30 seconds still bests all but the most expensive professional level digital SLR(s), which cost many times what this camera sold for new. It has an unusual feature with a data panel button that indicates exactly the number of rolls of film the camera has shot (or wound actually). Since it is really available only used any longer, simply ask for the data that can be pulled up from the left-hand button under the panel door which will provide a reading in the form dn1-XXXX, where X(s) tell interested photographers in the 7 a clear measure of use the camera has had. While a few of the last retail Maxxum 7 bodies could be purchased at around $499 at camera shops selling Minolta products, the common selling price of the bodies circa 2001-2004 was typically in the $600 to low $700 range. Last summer and fall, the cameras claiming to be new and like new on ebay often sold between the $499 and original Minolta pricing, once it became clear availability of a new body from camera shops was probably not an option.
Keep your eyes open for this camera if you already have Minolta lenses and are looking for their best ever film SLR body. It's absolutely outstanding! My recommendation? Ask for the data reading that will identify the true condition of a body you're interested in, rather than trusting a seller's subjective and occasionally misleading description of what is available. Low use Maxxum 7(s) can still bring a premium price, and some sellers are all too willing to try to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers. After purchasing two different Maxxum 7(s) on ebay, one of which claimed to have had only two rolls of film shot while the second said no film had been loaded whatsoever, then opening cameras with 20 and 28 rolls of film shot, respectively, I promptly sent the second unit back to the seller and stewed a bit about the extra $40 to $50 I was required to invest to win an auction that was misleading about the first camera's use and condition. I subsequently found one brand new body and a second one I was told was new but a display model which had served the camera shop owner's curiosity for how the Maxxum 7 would perform with a few rolls of his favorite film. Ultimately, I have been as pleased with this camera as I could ever have imagined, which is why I now own multiple bodies with every intention to keep a main and back-up unit for many years to come
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