why Minolta camera is so light?

[sulhan]

Well.....

Weight and balance has always been the main talked about factor in comparing good or bad a camera is. As we are aware about design ergonomics, each camera is normally design to accurately match only certain class of users.

Take for example a caucasian man with normally larger palm and compare to asian hands which are generally smaller, then the equation of "great handling , weight,grip etc" would then be up to individual.

Cameras whom some feel is light may be heavy to others. I have a old pentax spotmatic and the weight of it is about twice the Minolta. For me its comfortably heavy......but for my wife and other family members....its really heavy.

By the way, if the design of the camera is so bad that it needs the body to take vibrations from the shutter to the exterior(body) then to the users hands or the camera tripod....then the designer of the camera needs to review their internal damping design (materials choice etc.)

For the externals of the camera, i agree with you that magnesium alloy is light and durable.

Well....i guess......this kind of discussion will go on and on and on and on.....endlessly as there are millions of people with millions of thoughts and feelings.......

Have fun....with photography......Have a great week ahead and a beautiful weekend .......

regards,
me

 

[munfai]

Originally posted by sulhan
Hi All....

Do you know that in Dynax 7 ....in manual focus mode.......there will be a indicator to indicate if you have put the image in focus (moving the focus ring manually).

Cool....!!!!!!


thats all 4 now...


regards,
Sulhan

what indicator are you referring to? describe please...

 

[sulhan]

the indicator is the yellow dot at the viewfinder screen (below to the left) next to the f number and shutter speed....

 

[munfai]

Originally posted by sulhan
the indicator is the yellow dot at the viewfinder screen (below to the left) next to the f number and shutter speed....

oic... thanks. so i suppose the when focus is confirmed it is referring to the central focus area, and not any of the other 8 focus areas, rite?

 

[anonymous]

Originally posted by sulhan
the indicator is the yellow dot at the viewfinder screen (below to the left) next to the f number and shutter speed....

that's very common even in manual camera.

 

[Larry]

Originally posted by sulhan
Weight and balance has always been the main talked about factor in comparing good or bad a camera is. As we are aware about design ergonomics, each camera is normally design to accurately match only certain class of users.

Take for example a caucasian man with normally larger palm and compare to asian hands which are generally smaller, then the equation of "great handling , weight,grip etc" would then be up to individual.

i agree with sulhan on his point about weight and balance. my F90x with MB10 (with flash, and usually either a tripod QR plate or a flash battery pack attached) is nice for my grip. in fact, i hate to use it without the MB10 as i find it very unbalanced (i've got large hands btw). but my gf cannot tahan the whole rig. in fact, she took my F90x body alone for a short overseas trip (without the MB10) and she was complaining about how heavy it was.

so, point is that weight and balance is a matter of personal preference. i chose nikon partly for its 'feel' and weight, while i'm sure others prefer Canon/Minolta/Pentax/anything else for the same reasons.

 

[Papa Hommer]

Wow... didn't know that the quiet Minolta can generate so much comments....:what:

Just saying my two 'cents' worth.....

Minolta IS a lot lighter than most cameras.... true.
But when did anybody last held a Nikon F55/65? or a Canon EOS88/300?

If you did, what's the weight of the camera?

So when did anybody last held a Dynax 7 with the VG? Besides you Andre! How's the VG?

If you had done that, you will realize that Minolta camers are not that light!

 

[Ian]

Originally posted by sulhan
Well.....
Cameras whom some feel is light may be heavy to others. I have a old pentax spotmatic and the weight of it is about twice the Minolta. For me its comfortably heavy......but for my wife and other family members....its really heavy.

By the way, if the design of the camera is so bad that it needs the body to take vibrations from the shutter to the exterior(body) then to the users hands or the camera tripod....then the designer of the camera needs to review their internal damping design (materials choice etc.)

While I agree that many people find heavy cameras a chore for obvious reasons, it's also true that you have dodged the issue. That is professional cameras are without exception heavy and please note that my comments were regarding professional bodies, not amateur class bodies.

Have a close look at what the Asian pro's use, Nikon and Canon, In film cameras it's mostly 1v and 1n Canons, F5 and F4 series Nikons, all are bodies that weigh 1.2-1.5kg without batteries. the DSLR's are just as heavy, the D1, D1x, D1H and 1D are not light bodies and weigh in at similar or heavier than their film counterparts.

I'd suggest you do a bit of research in to camera body vibration and damping before making blanket statements about reviewing of internal damping design and materials choice. It's a major problem that the camera manufacturers have collectively spent tens of millions of dollars addressing over the years and while the problem is greatly allieviated in modern bodies it is still a significant enough problem to cause noticable degradation of image quality, in particular with long lenses.

FYI a modern camera is a pretty violent place where vibration and vibration related issues are concerned. Some of the main causes of internal vibration in cameras are: Mirror Return Slap, Shutter bounce, Torgue effects from AF drive motors on bodies with internal AF motors, film advance motors and associated gearing and backlash found in gears used in the body in general as well as various other sources.

Food for thought perhaps?

 

[sulhan]

I guess,

Basically the use model of the camera determines the part that goes in. Normally , pro cameras are made to go 4 to 5 frames per secs. or more kind of thing, therefore, they would be design and made with materials that are long lasting(longer wear) + other stuff like better damping etc.

Therefore, the perception of heavier the better its not really true because it may mearly be longer life (And doesn't really change the colour or exposure of the photo taken to a level obvious to a normal person's eyes)- For example you are talking about tens hundreds of thousands shutter life - Sometimes the figures may just be too overkill for normal users - whom never even take photos to 1/2 of the life of these pro cameras.

Asian Pros using these equipments are obvious because they have longer lafe and normally put their cameras to the limits.

So i'm not trying to support any camera maker or anything but just to be neutral and leave it to the user to choose......some people have lots of $$$$ to spare....some have exactly enough for a system + 1 lens....some....many lens......the story goes on and on.

Why make a amatuer delay and hesitate in buying a camera with the worry of weight....bla bla bla......hmmmmmmwait longer...and you will miss the beauty of photography.

Till then. Have a nice day.

Regards,
me

 

[munfai]

Originally posted by Papa Hommer
Wow... didn't know that the quiet Minolta can generate so much comments....:what:

Just saying my two 'cents' worth.....

Minolta IS a lot lighter than most cameras.... true.
But when did anybody last held a Nikon F55/65? or a Canon EOS88/300?

If you did, what's the weight of the camera?

i had a F90x in my hands two weeks ago, just the body itself. It sure feels more sturdy compared to the Dynax 7.

 

[munfai]

Originally posted by firefox13
i agree with sulhan on his point about weight and balance. my F90x with MB10 (with flash, and usually either a tripod QR plate or a flash battery pack attached) is nice for my grip. in fact, i hate to use it without the MB10 as i find it very unbalanced (i've got large hands btw). but my gf cannot tahan the whole rig. in fact, she took my F90x body alone for a short overseas trip (without the MB10) and she was complaining about how heavy it was.

so, point is that weight and balance is a matter of personal preference. i chose nikon partly for its 'feel' and weight, while i'm sure others prefer Canon/Minolta/Pentax/anything else for the same reasons.

same thoughts here as well. I tried a Nikon FG with a tamron 28-200 two days ago, and oh man, it was horribly difficult to keep the whole rig steady. on the other hand i i have no problems using a 75-300 with the Dynax 7.

 

[Papa Hommer]

Hehehe.... Hey I had a F90x with the MB-10 and a Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 lens the other day...

Hmmmmm....

Feels the same as the Andre's Dynax 7 with his new VG and the 70-210mm f2.8 G lens....

But Hey! If you feels that the Nikon is better, then I'm not here to "type" it out here with you.:dunno:

'Cause if I say something, you will come out with another to counter.... Hehehe... Counter Strike!!!!

 

[andre]

Originally posted by Papa Hommer
Hehehe.... Hey I had a F90x with the MB-10 and a Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 lens the other day...

Hmmmmm....

Feels the same as the Andre's Dynax 7 with his new VG and the 70-210mm f2.8 G lens....

But Hey! If you feels that the Nikon is better, then I'm not here to "type" it out here with you.:dunno:

'Cause if I say something, you will come out with another to counter.... Hehehe... Counter Strike!!!!

errr......how do u know that i have VG and 70-200mm F/2.8 ??

 

[Papa Hommer]

Hello Friend!

I was there when you show us you new toys!:bsmilie:

If I'm not wrong, you started off with a Dynax 5 kit!

 

[TME]

Originally posted by ckiang


I did, I don't have the latest pricing with me, but as far as I can remember:

Nikon F100 is about $2k.
Canon EOS3 is slightly less than $2K.
Dynax 7 is cheaper than the other 2.

Dynax 9 should be compared with Nikon F5 and EOS 1V, both near to $3k. The 9 is less than $3k.

According to B&H:

Dynax (Maxxum) 9 : US$1229.95
Dynax (Maxxum) 7 : US$589.95

Canon EOS 3 : US$889.95
Canon EOS 1V: US$1649.95

Nikon F100 : US$999.95
Nikon F5 : US$1929.95

I rest my case.

Regards
CK

The last time I asked for the Dynax 7 when it was launched about a month already, CP quoted me $1280 for body only. Well, it is much cheaper than Nikon and Canon. I will still choose Minolta over the other 2 anytime cos Minolta's accessories are still cheaper, especially the lens.

 

[TME]

Originally posted by ckiang


Let's not go into a "my camera better than yours" debate, my point is, Minolta obviously cut some costs from somewhere, in this case, the body. Not to say that the camera is no good though.

Of course, too many functions is a disadvantage. If you either take so long to figure out everything, or end up using 10% of the functions, then it's useless to have so many in the first place. ;p

Regards
CK

But if it still costs less, why not?! Afterall if u are targetting that class of cameras and this gives the best bang for buck then I guess it is worth it, isn't it?

 

[TME]

Originally posted by sulhan
the indicator is the yellow dot at the viewfinder screen (below to the left) next to the f number and shutter speed....

Aiyah!! My lowly 505si also got. It is a means to compare your manual focussing with the camera's onboard light meter.

 

[TME]

Originally posted by munfai


oic... thanks. so i suppose the when focus is confirmed it is referring to the central focus area, and not any of the other 8 focus areas, rite?

Correct as of the camera u use. I don't know if there are cameras which allow u to use that focus confirmation using other than the centre focusing spot. For my 505si, it's the centre spot.

 

[ckiang]

Originally posted by TME

But if it still costs less, why not?! Afterall if u are targetting that class of cameras and this gives the best bang for buck then I guess it is worth it, isn't it?

Not really, you end up with things you don't need.

Regards
CK

 

[nhyone]

Originally posted by ckiang
Of course, too many functions is a disadvantage. If you either take so long to figure out everything, or end up using 10% of the functions, then it's useless to have so many in the first place. ;p

I disagree that the Dynax 7 has too many features. Also, I don't feel that it has significantly more features than the F100.

If you treat features as a checklist, most cameras have more or less the same features. It's a matter of placement that determines how easy or frequently you use them.