I must have been quite lucky. I purchased one from Japan about a year ago and can’t put it away. It’s much like the a9 but more simple and smaller. I have collected some great Minolta/Sony a Mount glass it has been a joy to use. Thanks for the review!
I have two Dynax / Maxxum / Alpha 7: A normal one and a "Limited Edition" which I bought as "not working" for 80 € on Ebay. My normal Dynax 7 has also this broken thing. I built a litte replacement, removed the old thing and glued in my selfmade replacement. Its working fine now. The Dynax 7 is a really good camera and I use it often.
These are such great cameras. I have had two of them now though, one which had a screwy aperture/depth of field thing due to wear and tear and my current one, which seems to be working superbly at the moment, but I also just knocked some wood. Probably the most technically advanced SLR ever made. But there are so many half measures with things that break so easily.
Funny, I looked at the serial number on your 7 and mine was 597 units behind yours on the production line.. Great cameras- thankful I have a good working copy
Hi David, I think I know why many alpha maxxum 7s end up with broken rear doors. Like the maxxum 5 the 7 has a system to prevent the rear door from opening when the film is inside. Many end up forcing and breaking the lock. There is a combination to pass and unlock the lock but not many know about it.
Thank you for the videos!! 🙏👍 I am comparing the 7 and 9. I am tending to the 7 because she can handle all kind of a-mount lenses and I really like the honeycomb metering because I do a lot of landscapes. An other thing that I saw, was that the newer ones were built in Malaysia and not more in Japan. Where did yours come from? Would be interesting to know. Cheers, Luca
Thank you! I burned through four 7 bodies making these videos. It was exceedingly frustrating to use these as none of them were quite perfect or usable. Anyway, the 7 also has the STF simulation which could be useful for landscapes. As for production, I don't recall where any of mine were made and they've all been sold now.
When you take the lens off the camera, does the aperture close or stay open? If the it closes, then there's an issue with the camera. If it stays open, the issue is with the lens. If the issue is with the camera, try cleaning the electronic contacts with 91% isopropyl alcohol, both on the lens and camera, with a cotton swab dipped in the alcohol. If that doesn't work, try a different lens and see if the results are the same. If the results are the same, there's a problem with the camera's electronics that may not be economical to fix. If the results are different then the issue is with the lens' electronics.
@@DavidHancock Do you remember which camera(s) had it.I had one brochure in 1980's for Minolta camera that had that kind of film loader as an option but I can't remember which one it was and I'm really trying to find one today, if any are available
@@ceticmilan I honestly don't. I think those fell out of favor in the eighties, however. You may have some luck searching for those backs on eBay as a starting point to finding or building a list.
Great video again David, every time thinking of buying a camera, I always come to your channel and have a look if you have a review for it. Thank you for the great information for film shooters!!! I also have a question, is this more reliable camera? or a Nikon f100? (or maybe Eos 3, Eos 3 is the most expensive, no d-pad...) Thank you so much again!!!
Thank you, Steve! I would go with the F100 before the Maxxum 7, but that's largely affected by my bad luck with these cameras. They are both, empirically, about equally reliable in the long run.
Hi David. I purchased Minolta Alpha 7 ( Japanese Version). Language default is Japanese. Please guide how to set the default to English language. Thank you
I would suggest the 9 instead if you can swing it. That said, a lot of people have commented on this video that these are super reliable. It is possible I just had a string of bad luck with the four that I bought.
Only if you buy it from an unknown or unreliable retailer. Buy it from a good seller like KEH or B&H and it will have been tested to the best of their ability. Also, both companies have good return policies.
@@DavidHancock I have one that looks beautiful on the outside and functional but when a lens is mounted on it it will not function. I believe it is because of a small plastic gear inside the camera that has shrunk over time rendering the aperture mechanism useless. It is a big project to dissect the camera and replace the gear so I’m wondering if the issue is all but certain for every Minolta 7
I must have been quite lucky. I purchased one from Japan about a year ago and can’t put it away. It’s much like the a9 but more simple and smaller. I have collected some great Minolta/Sony a Mount glass it has been a joy to use. Thanks for the review!
Nice and thank you!
I have two Dynax / Maxxum / Alpha 7: A normal one and a "Limited Edition" which I bought as "not working" for 80 € on Ebay. My normal Dynax 7 has also this broken thing. I built a litte replacement, removed the old thing and glued in my selfmade replacement. Its working fine now.
The Dynax 7 is a really good camera and I use it often.
Nice!
Great walk through of this camera. Very useful.
Thank you!
These are such great cameras. I have had two of them now though, one which had a screwy aperture/depth of field thing due to wear and tear and my current one, which seems to be working superbly at the moment, but I also just knocked some wood. Probably the most technically advanced SLR ever made. But there are so many half measures with things that break so easily.
This vs the minolta a9 would be a good video, especially looking at the price difference on ebay
If I can get an actual working 7, I would consider doing that.
Funny, I looked at the serial number on your 7 and mine was 597 units behind yours on the production line.. Great cameras- thankful I have a good working copy
Nice! These are great when they work and it's always fun to see one with a nearby SN in a video review.
Hi David, I think I know why many alpha maxxum 7s end up with broken rear doors. Like the maxxum 5 the 7 has a system to prevent the rear door from opening when the film is inside. Many end up forcing and breaking the lock. There is a combination to pass and unlock the lock but not many know about it.
I believe you're correct because I didn't know that. :D
Awesome to see this video! I found you through your a9 video and am in the market now for an a7!
Thank you!
Already found one?
@@WetDoggo Two actually. One with broken aperture baseplate and one with broken film door latch.
@@flyboyyace oh no 😅
I had luck on my first try... Well, the description mentioned it as near mint (for 220€ inc ship with 24-105d)
Thank you for the videos!! 🙏👍 I am comparing the 7 and 9. I am tending to the 7 because she can handle all kind of a-mount lenses and I really like the honeycomb metering because I do a lot of landscapes. An other thing that I saw, was that the newer ones were built in Malaysia and not more in Japan. Where did yours come from? Would be interesting to know. Cheers, Luca
Thank you! I burned through four 7 bodies making these videos. It was exceedingly frustrating to use these as none of them were quite perfect or usable. Anyway, the 7 also has the STF simulation which could be useful for landscapes. As for production, I don't recall where any of mine were made and they've all been sold now.
Don’t know why yours have been breaking - I’ve had my one since 2005 and good as new and works flawlessly. (As does its sister my KM 7D)
Sometimes things just work out that way.
Hi David nice video, by any chance do you know how to work around the aperture error message? My camera is basically working with the lens wide open
When you take the lens off the camera, does the aperture close or stay open? If the it closes, then there's an issue with the camera. If it stays open, the issue is with the lens. If the issue is with the camera, try cleaning the electronic contacts with 91% isopropyl alcohol, both on the lens and camera, with a cotton swab dipped in the alcohol. If that doesn't work, try a different lens and see if the results are the same. If the results are the same, there's a problem with the camera's electronics that may not be economical to fix. If the results are different then the issue is with the lens' electronics.
Was there ever for this camera a high capacity back for bulk film loading. I remember that some Minoltas had it as an aftermarket option.
Not that I'm aware of. IIRC, this camera's back is hardwired to the body.
@@DavidHancock Do you remember which camera(s) had it.I had one brochure in 1980's for Minolta camera that had that kind of film loader as an option but I can't remember which one it was and I'm really trying to find one today, if any are available
@@ceticmilan I honestly don't. I think those fell out of favor in the eighties, however. You may have some luck searching for those backs on eBay as a starting point to finding or building a list.
@@DavidHancock Thanks a lot
@@DavidHancock It was 9000. Then it was really expensive now you can find one for 40-50$ in working condition
Great video again David, every time thinking of buying a camera, I always come to your channel and have a look if you have a review for it. Thank you for the great information for film shooters!!!
I also have a question, is this more reliable camera? or a Nikon f100? (or maybe Eos 3, Eos 3 is the most expensive, no d-pad...)
Thank you so much again!!!
Thank you, Steve! I would go with the F100 before the Maxxum 7, but that's largely affected by my bad luck with these cameras. They are both, empirically, about equally reliable in the long run.
Thank you David! the 7 is made of Plastic casing?
@@stevofoo yup and the clip that holds the door shut is plastic, woohoo is a huge weakness.
@@DavidHancock Thanks again! David!!!
Hi, what is the difference between the maxxum 7, a7 and dynax?
Just the name.
Hi David. I purchased Minolta Alpha 7 ( Japanese Version). Language default is Japanese. Please guide how to set the default to English language. Thank you
Video 3 has that information.
About to pick one up on ebay. But it sounds like it breaks a lot. So I'm guessing you're not recommending it?
I would suggest the 9 instead if you can swing it. That said, a lot of people have commented on this video that these are super reliable. It is possible I just had a string of bad luck with the four that I bought.
@@DavidHancock I jumped on a canon eos a2 any review on that camera?
Is the 7 a risky purchase?
Only if you buy it from an unknown or unreliable retailer. Buy it from a good seller like KEH or B&H and it will have been tested to the best of their ability. Also, both companies have good return policies.
@@DavidHancock
I have one that looks beautiful on the outside and functional but when a lens is mounted on it it will not function. I believe it is because of a small plastic gear inside the camera that has shrunk over time rendering the aperture mechanism useless. It is a big project to dissect the camera and replace the gear so I’m wondering if the issue is all but certain for every Minolta 7
@@joecalabresi4072 good question and I don't know. I do recall one of the 7 bodies I had exploring that issue, but not all three or four.