Konica Minolta Maxxum 800si 35mm Film Camera

One of the last and one of the best of the autofocus Maxxum line of Minolta SLRs. Minolta, alas is no longer in the camera business. Sony bought out Konica Minolta recently.

It has become my goto film camera, and I have a few film cameras, thanks to the temptations of EBay.

It took me two buys to get a good one, the first had a problem with the film advance. The second one was advertised with a led problem in the viewfinder, so I got it cheap, but it works just fine with a couple of lights out there.

I like its fast focus, solid feel and quick film advance. It has a very clear viewfinder. The killer feature for me, compared to the Maxxum 700si, which is very nice too, is that you can set the autofocus to show you what the camera is looking to focus on without having to press a button on the back of the camera.
With the 700si, if you don't do that, you take a chance that the camera will pick the wrong focus area. I just leave it on all the time in the 800si.

The other reason I will use the 800si instead of my 700si, is the powerful built-in flash of the 800si. It may be the best out there on a film camera, as far as built-ins and pop ups go. Don't hesitate to use it for fill on bright sunny days which create harsh shadows on people's faces.

As with all electronic cameras you take a chance on electronic failure, which can come at any time with an older used piece of equipment. So far, however the 800si I am using is going strong. I did find with a little googling some camera repair places that do fix Maxxums. It will cost at least $100 dollars for any fix however.

And of course, you can use Maxxum autofocus lenses on the new Sony Alpha 100 digital slr, if you decide to get one.

I picked up my working Maxxum 800si for a very good price, because it had a problem with the viewfinder, but in general these seem to go for about $150 to $250 depending the lenses included.

There seem to be more 700si's out there, which sell for less. The 700si is close to the 800si in quality, with fewer features on board. You need the external cards for shooting modes that are included with the 800si. On the other hand, not all the modes available on the cards are on the 800si.

All in all a great camera for a film buff. I'd like to have a Maxxum 7, but realistically it would be mainly to round out my Maxxum collection, the 800si can do just about anything I want it to do.

Minolta has always been an excellent brand--the Toyota of cameras as far as I am concerned.I was very unhappy when they gave up making film cameras last year but understand that marketing wasn't the same as the digital had made it easier for people to take pictures that were 'foolproof', almost.
The 800si is excellent for the beginner and for the professional as a back-up camera. It has all the bells and whistles necessary to keep things interesting for the tinkerer and experimenter in photography for a long, long time. I have digital cameras but I am still not convinced that it is better than a film camera. A digital can give me a faithful copy of what 'it' sees but I think a film camera takes a copy of what 'I' see.