I'm still a current A mount shooter and appreciate your retrospective. Funny coincidence that yesterday I ordered an A mount lens from Lensrentals and they emailed me back asking if I was ordering for the correct lens mount ! LOL !
Still an a-mount shooter as well. Bought the 16-50mm f2.8 just last year! The only thing that has made me even think about upgrading to an e-mount camera are the Sirui anamorphic lenses
My Sony A99 and my Minolta lenses didn't realize that A Mount is dead, so they keep on taking pictures. A mount is dead, long life to A mount cameras and lenses
@Pier, the phrase "is dead" is just a shorthand for "is dead end". Means, its future is a dead end. That in turn means, the user community won't attract anyone new, so it will be aging, and end up as a small club of old blokes. Pentax is a perfect example, by now it is a brand of old men, and among those: only the ones who always have shot Pentax, and among those: only the ones who are too old to try out something more modern / advanced (or at least something not quite as "dead").
@@tubularificationed Yes, I know that no more lenses and cameras with A-Mount will be produced, and probably no more assistance on them will be assured in the future, and I agree that this is a chapter of the photography history that is closing. But there are a lot of cameras (film or digilital ones) and a lot of enses all around the world.
@M Tech You're right about this. An I think that it's only a marketing chois; I can't see technical reason in not allowing a fully compliance amopng the mark 3 series of A7* and the LA EA5, which is the ultimate A-mount E-mount adapter. A simple firmware upgrade can address this but it seems that they don't want. At the end of the day, if the LA EA5 worked fully, I could evaluate to buy a A7III, but I'm not planning to change all my lenses (too expensive), so I'll keep on using my A99, my A850 and my Minolta Dynax 5 for b&w films.
@@tubularificationed Not just a matter of "too old to try out something more modern". When I bought into the a-mount with the a55 the body technology was cutting edge and the legacy glass was a bonus. Now - I've sunk so much into the legacy glass that I just want to keep using it because it's great and I don't want to retool.
I'm not a pro, so my hardware has not been thrashed, but my A77 from 2012 and my A99ii from 2017 are still going strong. They still feel right in my hands compared to any e-mount I have used.
The Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha 7D was a masterpiece, albeit with some flaws. I still have it and love it. The user interface is as photographic and logical as it can get.
Yes I still have my Dynax 7D as a final line of backup. It's now 18 years old, and has outlasted my A77ii which died on me last year. I also have an A7iii and an A700. I agree that the A100 looked cheap, and it wasn't until the A700 came out that I started to see Sony as a serious option for a semi-pro photographer. That camera is a solid workhorse.
I still have my Maxxum 7D and it just keeps on going -- yes the odd glitch but it is such an amazing camera its hard to consider parting with it -- that said I just pulled the trigger on an A77ii body with only 6000 actuations and in excellent condition and I put two years warranty on it .. but my 7D will stay with me .. and hopefully I will get to like and enjoy the A77ii - looks like a lot of camera for sensible money .. greetings from Ireland ..
The Maxxum 7D was based on the film Maxxum 7 35mm, considered by many to be the best 35mm camera ever (minus need for Nat Geo survivability). Best ergonomics, ever - hands down. When taking action or event/concert photos you NEED to have good ergonomics so you can memorize the controls in the dark and never have to look at the digital screen (if you do, you miss the shot).
@@phyrr2 Completely agree. Plus the Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum 7 had the best metering system of any analog DSLR especially for landscapes, with metered values for different zones displayed on the rear LCD. So you could easily verify and adjust the exposure for all parts of the image at once without reframing. The viewfinder's optical quality is also second to none. A real photographer's camera, most of which was carried over to the digital successor, and some of the best features even to the Sony A700 / A900 / A850. Like the very high quality optical viewfiinders and the incredibly useful manual shift function that was carried over right from the analog predecessors. "Full auto" shooters might not care but Sony even included it in today's Alpha DSLMs.
My first camera was A100, I bought it in 2014 and used for a year. Then I've tried A77 and A57 up until 2017 then moved into mirrorless. A mount will be always memorable to me 😭
More like the 7, the more advanced brother. Sure the 9 had the 1/12.000 shutter speed with composite carbon fibre blades, but the 7 introduced us to larger screen menu system that you didn't need the manual to understand the custom functions. I had the 9, a beast of a camera, but i've kept the 7, which is just a joy to hold and use, and even implemented a STF function in body, no need for the 135 STF.
@@Nick_Parau I’ve read about both camera and they’re awesome and a true last stand for Minolta that kept up with the other 2. They still had it back then and could have been great.
I was one of the Minolta diehards. I bought my first SLR in 1982, a Minolta XG1 with a 50mm f/1.2 lens while in the Navy. That camera recorded every place I went, Giza Plateau, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Masada, The Vatican, Pisa, Florence, the Virgin Islands. Shot thousands of rolls of film and never had a mechanical failure. Always Kodak film. Then I went the 400si many years later. I still use the XG1 and 400si from time to time. keeping the skills sharp. Now a Nikon shooter. Looking to go home with a Sony mirrorless. Keep up the content like this and I'll keep watching. BTW: DP review is my go to source for reliable info and my next camera purchase. Keep up the good work.
The a100 was my first DSLR. It still functions and it certainly has served me well. The one lens I always wanted was the 50mm macro f2.8. One day I’ll pull the trigger and buy it.
Old Minolta 7000 user here! (Yes I am THAT old). My father bought the Minolta 7000 as it came out in the 80’s, and I borrowed it a lot, and had a lot of fun with this camera. It was the very first modern SLR, with AF, and a 3-way button (touch to measure light, half-press to focus, and full-press to take picture), and the first camera with the A-mount ever...
I went from a Canon 550d to the SLT-A57 and was soooo happy with it at the time. There was some cool stuff with A-Mount and together with the beercan it was a great kit
I used to shoot the Minolta Autocord in the 1960’s. I wore a couple of them out, and still have a couple of working ones on my camera shelf. The best photographs I ever took were on that wonderful 6x6 TLR. Minolta were always great cameras.
Two extra points: 1. Talking about SSM motor and in-lens motor, Minolta is way behind Canon. Canon had EF 300mm F/2.8 USM in 1987, only 2 yrs later after the so-called α shock, while Minolta's first SSM lenses, AF 300 F2.8 APO G D SSM & AF 70-200 F2.8 APO G (D) SSM, didn't arrive until 2003. 2. No alternative to AF Reflex 500mm F8 and AF 3x-1x F1.7-2.8 Macro exists even in today's autofocus world.
@M Tech E mount has the most healthy ecosystem in today's mirrorless world, plenty of used glasses and bodies, state-of-the-art flagship model, including α1.
I am a Minoltist since 1990. I have bought most of Minolta's best lenses and six or seven years ago I finally went digital with the a99. To this body iI added the CZ 16-35 f2.8 and the CZ 135 1.8 T* Sal. All these Minolta and CZ lenses work fantastically well on the very capable a99 (24mp really is more than enough). To all younger aspiring photographers: you can save A LOT of money by buying A mount lenses that will make pictures indistinguishable in quality from the best and often ridiculously expensive F mount lenses. I will die holding an a mount in my cold dead hands...long live the a mount.
The short format of you guys just having a fairly focused (ha) conversation on a specific topic is really good. I don't even care what the topic is. Probably.
I started photography with a Minolta X700 in 1981, fantastic camera that remained in production until 1999. In 2008 I purchased a Sony A700 so I could use Minolta glass. My favorite A-mount lens is the Minolta 28-135 f4-4.5 ("secret handshake"), excellent lens with a great range.
The thing you missed is that Sony bought Minolta and jumped 20 years into production. The a100 is essentially a maxxum body with a digital sensor in place of the film. Sensor shift ibis is almost untouched from the Minolta stuff from their early ibis. E-mount literally uses the same tech as a-mount. The only real difference between an a99ii and an a7rii is that the autofocus is moved to the image processor rather than having a dedicated one. With that change came the removal of the translucent mirror and a reduction in space. Without a-mount we don’t have e-mount or a bunch of the great bodies we use now.
@@billyjunks It's the Canon mirrorless system for beginners. And that's the appeal of Canon, I guess, at least for people where I live. I don't think Canon plan to do much with that system. I don't think there will be a EF-M 16-55mm f/2.8. They won't turn it Pro, which is the job of the RF-Mount now.
@@thegrayyernaut exactly, they’re the mirrorless equivalent of rebels. Though there are some good primes like the 22/2 and 32/1.4 as well as the sigma trio.
RIP A-mount. The Minolta AF 70-210/4, Minolta AF 100mm f2.8 macro and AF 28-135 are all still great lenses that I use on Sony. Oh yeah, the AF 500mm f8 reflex lens, too.
@@gregzarkodimos9711 It is and the AF only works with the centre AF point if I recall correctly. I had it on my list of lenses to buy for a long time but had the 70-400mm SSM so could not justify it.
I've been using the SLT Sony camera for 5 years and Imust tell you - that's the best mount for those who wants to try out photografy! Most of old Minolta APSC Lenses with AF are under 100 bucks! So you can have an affordable set of very different lenses and isn't it what the whole fun of fotografy is all about!!
I just wanna send some love to the Minolta 35-70mm f4, my favourite lens of all time. It lived on my (now dead) a850 at least 90% of the time and was a wonder for nearly every application you can think of. I even took up film photography again just so I can keep using that and the beercan. I pray one day manufacturers out there would resurrect 35-70mm zooms. I know there'd still be a massive audience for something like that.
I had an A77ii for a short time (ended up selling it and the optically very very good 16-50 2.8 SSM to fund the E 16-55 2.8) and can confirm, the LCD on that was awesome. I'd love to see Sony adapt it to the E-mount bodies. I imagine it is pretty complex and expensive to produce and assemble, though.
The fully articulated LCD used on the A77, A77ii, A99 and A99ii is awesome. It was used under license of Dolby Laboratories though, and it seems that Sony decided that they no longer wanted to pay the licensing fees to add it to their mirrorless bodies.
@@maxxuman9915 I hadn't heard about that before, and it makes perfect sense - there had to be a reason why they stopped such an awesome feature (and one of the reasons I haven't moved to E-mount). Thanks for the info!
Probably my favourite mount of them all. Still use my Dynax 5, loved my A65. Live view goodness was a game changer for me. No more crawling around to get the right angle had something to it.
I enjoyed this lookback. I've owned the a700, a33, a57, a99 in the A-mount and each was excellent in its own right. RIP to the A-mount. Thanks for giving me my start in photography!
I got into photography at the time of the digital transition and have so many good memories with the Minolta 28-70 2.8 G (such beautiful, precise reproduction of colors) and the Minolta 85mm 1.4 G, which I was able to get for reasonable prices at the time of the price drops. Such beautiful, creamy pictures! Good times. But I'm definitely glad to be in digital now.
I inherited a Minolta Dynax 7000i with some lenses from my mother and used it for a few years until I got the Sony Alpha 700 in 2009. I loved this camera and used it for many years. Until this day it has been the camera which I found to be most comfortable to hold with my hands. I got some used A-mount glass for it when I lived in Japan and shot my best pictures with it.
I have been a Minolta user since 1997. I remember it took me a while to decide between Nikon and Minolta (sorry, no Canon at that time, even though the ESO 3 was a fantastic camera), but finally went with Minolta for its pioneering technologies and more friendly price tags. I had my 1st digital camera in 2002. Not surprisingly, it was a Dimage 414. I bought 5D when it came out, then 7D, A100, A77, A99, with a handful of lenses. Though I had an A7 (1st gen) since 8 or 9 years ago with the 28-70 kit lens, I treat it as a toy. My go-to system is still A99 + ZA 24-70/2.8 + Tamron 70-200/2.8, and 85/1.4G. This month, I finally made a switch, getting myself an A7R5, plus 20/1.8G, 35/1.8, Tamron 28-75 G2, Tamron 70-180, Rokinon 135/1.8, and LA-EA5. I will still keep some of the classic A-mount lenses, maybe just for the nice memories...
I think the A-mount 135/1.8 was the single lens that REALLY made me go "I wish I had that!" as a then Canon shooter. It's still a brilliant lens to this day. Now I kinda want the GM though.
It might me interesting to see a segment on Ricoh. Their history in the camera market has interesting although, granted more interesting in the film days.
Wow, this truly hits close to home. I, too, made the same “mistake.” My first cameras were the last couple Minolta A-Mount (Purchased from The Camera Store no less). I lusted after their first digital cameras but was wooed to Canon (by probably the same shop that shall not be named). But what really comes through in an unspoken sense here is that the “mistake” is not a mistake: this kind of history somehow plays no less into my love of photography.
This is a great video. Informative and true history behind it. Loved it. I have lots of' 'A' mount glass and SONY 'A' mount bodies too, and this clip was a real treat for ol' schoolers like me!. Gracias!! :)
When I moved in the 80s from rangefinder cameras to SLRs I ended up with Minolta (MD-Mount, then A-Mount). In the 70s and 80s I loved Sony as a HIFI equipment brand and I have to give them credit for "saving" Minolta and use the technology for ongoing innovation. Therefore I am a loyal Sony customer (I started with the A100) who is invested in the A-Mount and the E-Mount. I like both for specific reasons. My son is starting now to shoot on the A-Mount which is perfect for beginners with a limited budget or less experience. I will continue to invest into the A-Mount system in form of a full-frame camera (like the A900 or A99) when I can find a good one for a reasonable price. At the end of the day photography is often an emotional thing. When I am going out for non-professional shooting I prefer my A65 over my A7R III - it feels somehow better. After all these years the A65 is still working very well and creates fantastic pictures (with the right glass) on the same level than my old and trusted A7 (first version). I am simply loving this A-Mount camera and it is one of the best ways to get into an affordable way of high quality photography. Some reasonably good A-Mount lenses are quite cheap nowadays. Highly recommended system which will reach at some point in time "vintage" status.
The Sony a580 was my first camera. Still shooting gigs with the a99 and a77, but slowly making that transition to e-mount. If Sony drops an a99III or a77III would definently buy it.
Wow.. Flashbacks... This made me run and dig through my closet for my Minolta s700... And the wireless remote TTL flashes. I was working in a camera store at the time and was shooting Mamiya 645 when the rep brought all this great new tech in and I jumped in with both feet... I still use my Minolta 100 mm 2.8 macro lens for portraits on my a77... And have even used it on my a6300 for macro work... Great stuff!!
I think the A-mount has lenses that still have legendary performance, like the 24 mm ZA, the 85 mm, ZA, the 100 mm F 2 and the 135 mm ZA to name a few. I am a covert to the e-mount from Canon EF. At that time I wanted A-mount lenses to use on my Sony A7R II, that were unique at that time. For example the SAL 135 1.8 ZA. I did purchase it new at the full price and used it with the LA-EA4 adapter. The images from that lens are quite brilliant. I had never used a lens with such great colors that melted away the background in such an amazingly beautiful manner. I say this even after I have had the Canon EF 85 1.2 II lens for a number of years. Unfortunately the LA-EA4 did not have eye AF capabilities. I contemplated replacing the ZA lens with the E-mount 135 1.8 GM lens to get native focusing capabilities. Comparison of the images made me realize that I really preferred the A-mount lens. The GM was too clinical and the background blur was unattractive. Sony came up with the LA-EA5 adapter that enabled eye AF, unfortunately it did not work with my A7R III camera. So I was forced to buy the A7R IV. I really feel that there is still a market for A-mount lenses due to their brilliant designs and uniquely beautiful images that one can get from them. A lot of the new E-mount lenses are optically perfect but tend to be too sterile. I have heard good things about the 85 mm GM and the 35 mm GM though. Hope Sony try’s to replicate the image rendering of their ZA lenses in the A- mount, after all photography is also an artistic endeavor. I think Sony should enable eye AF and other AF features on the LA-EA5 adapter for the A7R III and the A7 III as well as the earlier generations.
Late to this video, but I love the Sony A-Mount system. Bought my A-99 in 2012, and my first A99-II in 2017. The lenses I've purchased along the way (Sony Zeiss 24-70 f2.8; Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8; Sony Zeiss 85mm f1.4, and the Sony G-Master 70-200 f2.8) are all amazing! Recently found out Sony had abandoned the A99-II/DSLR/SLT line totally and quickly scrambled to find/buy a new 99-II body. Took a while, but I found a new one (for under $2,800). I just feel that the A99-II features still crush it -- the 5 Axis IBIS; WiFi; auto eye AF; 12 FPS burst mode, 42MP CMOS full frame sensor, dual SD card slots, etc are still extremely good. While I know there are adaptors that are supposed to make the A-Mount lenses work on E-Mount cameras, I prefer to use the native A-mounts on the body they were designed for. Now that I have another A99-II body, I'm hoping for several more years of great photography on the SLT platform. Cheers.
I still have the alpha a390, bought it because my dad worked at sony’s factory before and knows that their qc is top notch. The camera still works after 10 years.
I have the A65. Purchased a lot of Minolta lenses in an estate sale.. It works great for me. The beercan is my favorite. I need to do more research on the adapters, but I've been having to much fun to really stop and look. I've been with Sony since the walkman.
I own both an a99ii and a7R3, and four G/Zeiss lenses on A-mount and absolutely love them. While I grew up on Minolta film SLR cameras, I now I shoot hybrid digital/film for all my work, as the A-mount is perfect for both camera systems. All of my professional work is on A-mount lenses for good reason. It would be a true shame if Sony drops support for the A-mount, not only for legacy Minolta users but also for film photographers; the A-mount allows hybrid shooters the option of professional glass that can be used on both film and digital cameras that produce results that will make your audience go wide-eyed every time.
The 5D had sensor stabilisation as well, it was my first interchangeable lens camera following the Dimage A1. Took that camera around the world before dropping it along the Cinque Terre in Italy which was the end of it. Moved onto the Sony a700 From there and then onto the a77. Thinking about it, all the canvas prints I have up around my house are from these three cameras. The a77 was a serious convergence of technology being the first hybrid camera I owned. I have footage at 1080P @60fps from a Mt Everest base camp trip I still look at taken with this camera in 2011.
I still have my A77 MKI. I used it for years and passed it down to my son who also used it for years. Still works great but it has taken a back seat to our A7r3's. Sony was so far ahead of the competition.
I was a Sony "camera" user before they bought Minolta and my friend had a Maxxum7D, man that camera mad me so jealous because it was basically a button/know porkupine while my Sony had the ergonomics of a camcorder...so I was happy when things changed for Sony, just to get disappointed by them removing half the buttons on the Alpha cameras
1985 I bought a Minolta Maxxum at the Naval Exchange at NAS Keflavik in Iceland I was stationed there I was part of the Air Force Unit as you can imagine not much selection of cameras at the time, did a lot of mail order too. Iceland is a beautiful place to explore so I wanted a camera to get some photos I even took a course on photography learned to develop film and prints and after many Nikon and Canon cameras I find myself with a Sony a6600.
I go back further with the SRT 101. Great camera though underrated. Rokkor lenses were super especially the 15mm. The Enlarging lens had a superb contrast punch too.
Thanks Guys, its been quite a ride starting with my Minolta 7000 back in 85 to my Sony A77ii. I remember when Minolta sold to Sony. I had to decide weather to sell everything and switch to Nikon (too expensive for me) or just pick up a few favourite Minolta lenses at the time and collect. Sony's dedication with the A mount was always attractive since I had a bunch of pretty good glass that wasn't really useful to anyone else but me! (100/f2). Now I'm looking at my display case with my SRT-101, XD-11, XE-7, X-700, 7000, 9000... and I do enjoy pulling them out once in a while. When my kids were in hockey I spent many games wrestling with the 7D and a sigma 70-200 2.8 in supper crappy lighting conditions in old arenas. Looking back, it was amazing what digital photography was doing. Now after years of shooting in many different home town arenas I've been happy with my results. Even with my lowly A77ii and Tamron 70-200 a009, its obvious how far the technology has come! Looks like Sony's new adaptor will enable me to move to the E mount and keep me going. Too bad Sony isn't the bargain it once was when they were first getting in. I'll have to sneak a new Sony A7iv by my wife next year. I just won't mention the price!
I remember I went to Sony Store around 2010 and got the NEX-3 and said to everyone I knew that this is the future and it’s no way that a better camera can be made 😂 Said the same thing when I went from Walkman Cassette to Walkman Discman and then came the Mini Disk and then everything became digital, I was wrong every time 🤦♂️
@@ChristianThueringer I first read about Bitcoin when it was at 900 and thought that this is exaggerated :-D About the cameras: Mirrorless cameras have changed very much in the last few years. Old Nex cameras (and DSLR in live view) had much slower AF than DSLR in normal mode or SLT cameras. So SLT was a very interesting approach for me.
Great video! I still shoot with the A-mount (a77 and a77ii) although I have E-mount cameras as well. I think it will be a few years yet before I fully move over to E-mount. A-mount may be ‘dead’ or should I say ‘unsupported’ but the cameras for now keep on working. It’s only a matter of time before Nikon and Canon retire their DSLR mounts.
RIP ! I bought a Sony A300 in 2009 and a Tamron 18-200 Superzoom, when I travel with my Motorcycle I still bring this combo along. Since I don't have to worry about dings and scratches, and the Sony still works flawless 12 years on. My "new" camera A7II, so I stuck with Sony, and know my menus. 😍
My mom's Minolta Maxxum 400i that I found in my mom's basement is actually what got me into photography a few months ago, and I'm very exited to finally be getting a Sony mirrorless (and, hopefully, an adapter for all my A mount lenses I have now!
I'm one of those Minolta-to-Sony people. Started with an SR-7 (1966--in-body [but not through the lens] meter), then SRT-201, and eventually a 7D. My first Sony was an alpha-100, which I liked very much, Jordan notwithstanding. I took it to the Galápagos, where--coupled with a Sigma 300mm f2.8--I got some outstanding images. Tried the alpha-700, didn't like it as much, and finally sold the whole kit and bought a Nikon D90. I now have a D7100, but I also have a Fujifilm X-T3 and have just ordered an adapter that will hopefully let me use my Nikon glass with the Fuji, especially my concert lens, the 70-200 f2.8 VRII. But I still have many negs and slides from Minolta days, and they have held up very well.
I almost forgot. I also had a Maxxum 450si (my first autofocus camera), Maxxum 650si, and Maxxum 800si. The 650si was a wonderful camera, really nicely laid out, and I think it inspired the design of the 7D.
The A99 had the best ergonomics of any Sony camera . It’s too bad Sony did not continue to use that body style for its mirrorless lineup . A thinner A99 style body with the same reticulating screen for the A1 would have been devastating .
I remember shopping for a Minolta Maxxum to celebrate my girlfriend’s university graduation in 1987. Autofocus and auto film advance were a big deal back then. Still have the girl (she’s my wife now) and the camera! 😀 A lot of our early family memories were captured with that system. Sorry to see the A mount go. End of an era for sure.
Well you missed about a bunch of great Minolta tele lenses like 80-200 f2.8 or longer primes. Also minolta even had a flagship model named alpha9 along with alpha7! Still available on ebay sometimes.I hope Sony takes the advantage of using those wonderful fully articulating lcd screens(not the flippy or tilting only) which were used on a77 and a99. It was best of the best! Also hope for a decent mirrorless version of a77 finally!
Yeah, I have a Minolta 200mm f2.8 APO and it really doesn't seem like anything in E-mount is quite comparable. Minolta made some wonderful long focal length prime lenses a shame Sony isn't making a version of it.
@@verablack3137 Exactly! That lens is a masterpiece and if it find its way to the E-mount would be a dream came true specially if accepting teleconvertors! Giving 2.8 at 200mm while it weights 790g! It was front so heavy though so a redisign is essential. You should post some of it's results on your channel! People really have no idea how beautiful those wonderful Minolta lenses looked with that golden batch and ring and their outcome also were golden indeed!
A mount its far from dead for those of us committed to the platform. But sadly, the bodies and the lenses no longer made. I'll continue using them as long as my A mount cameras work. The good news, A mount lenses are stupid cheap at the minute so time to get some legendary glass at affordable prices. The bad news, possibly the greatest A mount camera ever made, the A99II, unobtanium second hand. I guess those that love them, love them a lot.
I bought a Sony Alpha 35 back in 2010 and still use it today. Got so many family pictures with it. Now I have a Sony Alpha 6500 and still use my A mount lenses with an adapter.
I just bought a KM Maxxum 7D to go with my 35mm Maxxum 7. masterpiece, beautiful, perfect ergonomics - and the colours and look of the photographs is wonderful! for a 18 year old camera - it's a Classic and collectable as Konica and Minolta's last (if you discount the Sony A900 which was more or less a Minolta design)
I’m only on the A-Mount because my dad had a Maxxum 9000 back in the 80s. He gave me the camera and lenses and I had my own Sony A200. Been years since I’ve shot anything but I’ve recently got the interest in video, and would love to stay Sony. I’ll keep my Minolta lenses. Love the Bokeh and colors. He told me back in the day they were some of the best you could buy and the other brands were behind. Had the best tech. If you read into it Minolta had some great tech that is standard today. Some really important, expensive (even today), and amazing lenses. Sad to see but it is coming. I’ll always support the A-Mount.
Love your videos! Maybe a retrospective on the Nikon F mount? Back in the film days, Nikon kept the filter diameter at 52 so that the photographer did not have to have a bag full of filters for every lens. This must have made the lens designers crazy due to the constraints put on them. They still put out some great glass. But I think the time has come that the F mount will go away.
I've been a devoted Minolta/Sony user since the late 70s. First SLR camera was the XD-5 with a CPC 28-50 (it was actually OK) and Tokina ATX 50-250 (very good). I really enjoyed that camera. Momma don't take my Kodachrome away! The AF age brought me to the 8000i (the last camera I ever purchased new), 7xi, and 9xi and several used prime (from 16mm to 500mm) and zoom lenses. Nirvana. Minolta FINALLY entered the DSLR market with the 7D which I purchased when it dropped to ~1/3 the intro price. Front/Back focus issues were a sometimes a problem so I had it converted it IR and had a lens calibrated for that. Purchased another 7D that eventually died from the dreaded "first frame black" issue. BTW, 6MP was PLENTY for printing 13x19 prints. Next up was a Sony A700. Same Front/Back focus issues as there was still no micro adjustments available yet. Then a "full frame" Sony A850. Wonderful camera! Micro AF adjustments, though not perfect with zooms, was a big help. Finally it was the A77 which has been my primary driver for several years. A few APS-C lenses were added to my arsenal - usually I use a Sigma 10-20, Tamron 16-300, or one of my MInolta FF primes. Age has a way of catching up with you, and weight has become an issue, so I began searching for "affordable" options. Tried a (stripped down) Sony a3000. The sensor allows great photos, but the LCD and viewfinder are UNACCEPTABLE to me. I simply can't focus any adapted MF lens at all even with focus assist and it's often hard for me to use in daylight. Unfortunately, none of the grips on any of the mirrorless Sony cameras are very good IMO, except for the A3000. Currently trying out an Olympus OM-D E-M1 (Mark I) with a 14-42 and 40-150. The 40-150 (plastic fantastic) is maybe sharper than any tele zoom I've ever used! Nice and compact and lightweight. Great for forays when weight is an issue. There's 1 big drawback however --- "serious" M43 lenses are more expensive than I can sell my comparable "serious' Minolta A glass for these days. I was planning on selling much of my A mount stuff to shift systems, but that's not looking realistic at the moment.
As many others have said, the A-mount is alive and kicking. I own four A-mount cameras, two of which are FF. There are so many lenses out there still to obtain and at a fraction of the cost of new glass.
Good luck on the A99II. Used prices are insane. It should cost about the same as the A7RII, but so few of them means demand is high. Of course that also means A7RII is a phenomenal deal compared to A99II with the same sensor. But I think A7RIV + LA-EA5 adapter is the smartest choice going forward since that fully supports all the old glass, and you also get to use all the wonderful new E-mount glass.
@@pierluigicapitanucci9079 Agreed, and for me the size and fit in the hand are perfect. It's a little clunky compared to my more modern camera bodies but the images from the CCD sensor are excellent for their MP. I should get the battery charger out and take it out for a spin! Y
The Minolta system was my first introduction to photography (Maxxum 2xi). The Minolta 7D was a tech marvel. The first DSLR to have sensor stabilization made all lens have image stabilization.
Great video. Loved the shot of Photo Life magazine. That brings back memories. I remember someone in my photography program back in 1987 buying a Minolta Maxxum. Most of my classmates thought it was a joke to have autofocus! I also remember joking if the Maxxum had an auto subject locator function. Take technology actually came true! Jokes on me!
The ergonomics and cool quirks of Minolta were amazing. I enjoyed shooting my Dynax camera. I get that it's all about megapixels now and being able to shoot 8K video but I think most people who own a camera these days are missing the point of photography. I can still grab a film camera and take a nice memory not caring about megapixels and not minding the lack of video recording.
Minolta Maxxum AF lenses from the 80s are an absolute steal. I got the 50 f/1.7 the 28 f/2.8 the 35-70 f/4 and the 70-210 f/4 "beer can" all for under $200! My Sony a300 was only $90. Cant beat it.
I remember the guys at Wolf’s Camera believing that Sony’s Translucent Mirror System was going to drive Nikon and Canon out of the top spot. Hey it gave me 7 FPS. Haha I will admit Sony’s 85mm f1.4 Zeiss lens was my favorite portrait lens till the 135mm f1.8 stole the show. I still use it from time to time.
Just bought a used A77, it is in 'excellent' condition, not a scratch. I am so looking forward to continuing to use my A-mount lenses with that beauty. Sure it's an older platform, sure they discontinued it, but you know what? That translates to cheaper second hand gear and I'm all for that. Genuinely believe that more amateurs should shop in the used market for older gear. Some of Anton Corbijn's masterpieces were shot on equipment a hell of a lot older!
I'm not a pro & an A-mount shooter since the late 80s. Choosing bet tech & stable platform, I chose the former so Minolta it is. AF, PASM, expansion card functionality, able to focus on a white wall in total darkness, intelligent flash, predictive AF, AE option in 1989. Started with Dynax 5000i with 28-135mm secret handshake, heavy stuff. Then upgraded to 8000i in the 90s shooting through to early millennium. Got the digital bug, so got bridge ultrazooms & other small enthusiast digicams but felt inadequate. So, when Sony revived the mount, bought the A350 (beautifully shaped DSLR), wanted some video & SLT tech resulted in A77. Wanted something as capable but in a smaller footprint & so went to A65. Never been happier with no desire to upgrade. The 5000i & secret handshake died but the rest are still with me incl accessories & lenses. If they all die, I'll adapt my lenses to the Fujifilm X system rather than going to E mount. But dreaming on, Minolta is quietly making cameras again; they have an ultrazoom in the market. That's how Sony started with their ray gun inspired digicams before buying K.Minolta. So, I'm hoping that the new owners will make it & buy back the A-mount from Sony.
In 1976, I had a MINOLTA STR101b... great camera... kept it for a few years unlike what is being done today. These days a camera is just a computer which become obsolete very quickly... same as smartphone more or less... never had the need to change that often with film.
I picked up Minolta Af 50mm f1.7, 28mm f2.8 & 70-210 f4 with Maxxum 7000 for less than 40$ and then purchased A100 in really good shape for 65$. I took so many beautiful pictures with it. I decided to have this camera, since its 1st Sony DSLR
Long user of Minoltas and also worked for Minolta in 90s. Minolta , company with such a great technology especially in eye detection AF and in early digital camera AS in body system underestimated digital cameras in the beginning. They thought people will be still using analog cameras just transforming images to digital world by photo, film scanners which actually they specialized in at that time. That was nail to their coffin...
I'm still a current A mount shooter and appreciate your retrospective. Funny coincidence that yesterday I ordered an A mount lens from Lensrentals and they emailed me back asking if I was ordering for the correct lens mount ! LOL !
A-Mount!
Me too.... A Mount user
Lol exactly the same shit happened to me! They all think cause the mount is dead to them then we must be zombies!
gearheads who shoot moving pictures... what can you do?...
Still an a-mount shooter as well. Bought the 16-50mm f2.8 just last year! The only thing that has made me even think about upgrading to an e-mount camera are the Sirui anamorphic lenses
My Sony A99 and my Minolta lenses didn't realize that A Mount is dead, so they keep on taking pictures. A mount is dead, long life to A mount cameras and lenses
@Pier, the phrase "is dead" is just a shorthand for "is dead end". Means, its future is a dead end. That in turn means, the user community won't attract anyone new, so it will be aging, and end up as a small club of old blokes.
Pentax is a perfect example, by now it is a brand of old men, and among those: only the ones who always have shot Pentax, and among those: only the ones who are too old to try out something more modern / advanced (or at least something not quite as "dead").
@@tubularificationed Yes, I know that no more lenses and cameras with A-Mount will be produced, and probably no more assistance on them will be assured in the future, and I agree that this is a chapter of the photography history that is closing. But there are a lot of cameras (film or digilital ones) and a lot of enses all around the world.
@M Tech You're right about this. An I think that it's only a marketing chois; I can't see technical reason in not allowing a fully compliance amopng the mark 3 series of A7* and the LA EA5, which is the ultimate A-mount E-mount adapter. A simple firmware upgrade can address this but it seems that they don't want. At the end of the day, if the LA EA5 worked fully, I could evaluate to buy a A7III, but I'm not planning to change all my lenses (too expensive), so I'll keep on using my A99, my A850 and my Minolta Dynax 5 for b&w films.
@@tubularificationed Not just a matter of "too old to try out something more modern". When I bought into the a-mount with the a55 the body technology was cutting edge and the legacy glass was a bonus. Now - I've sunk so much into the legacy glass that I just want to keep using it because it's great and I don't want to retool.
And to the adaptors!
I'm not a pro, so my hardware has not been thrashed, but my A77 from 2012 and my A99ii from 2017 are still going strong. They still feel right in my hands compared to any e-mount I have used.
The screen on my A55 died last week :(
Sony should make a E-Mount camera with a A-Mount body. I held the Sony A77 and A99 they have very nice grips.
My A99 & Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8 are still my fave combo for portrait work
The Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha 7D was a masterpiece, albeit with some flaws. I still have it and love it. The user interface is as photographic and logical as it can get.
Yes I still have my Dynax 7D as a final line of backup. It's now 18 years old, and has outlasted my A77ii which died on me last year. I also have an A7iii and an A700. I agree that the A100 looked cheap, and it wasn't until the A700 came out that I started to see Sony as a serious option for a semi-pro photographer. That camera is a solid workhorse.
I still have my Maxxum 7D and it just keeps on going -- yes the odd glitch but it is such an amazing camera its hard to consider parting with it -- that said I just pulled the trigger on an A77ii body with only 6000 actuations and in excellent condition and I put two years warranty on it .. but my 7D will stay with me .. and hopefully I will get to like and enjoy the A77ii - looks like a lot of camera for sensible money .. greetings from Ireland ..
The Maxxum 7D was based on the film Maxxum 7 35mm, considered by many to be the best 35mm camera ever (minus need for Nat Geo survivability).
Best ergonomics, ever - hands down. When taking action or event/concert photos you NEED to have good ergonomics so you can memorize the controls in the dark and never have to look at the digital screen (if you do, you miss the shot).
@@phyrr2 Completely agree. Plus the Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum 7 had the best metering system of any analog DSLR especially for landscapes, with metered values for different zones displayed on the rear LCD. So you could easily verify and adjust the exposure for all parts of the image at once without reframing. The viewfinder's optical quality is also second to none. A real photographer's camera, most of which was carried over to the digital successor, and some of the best features even to the Sony A700 / A900 / A850. Like the very high quality optical viewfiinders and the incredibly useful manual shift function that was carried over right from the analog predecessors. "Full auto" shooters might not care but Sony even included it in today's Alpha DSLMs.
Physically the 7D was great but the processor/software was very meh.
My first camera was A100, I bought it in 2014 and used for a year. Then I've tried A77 and A57 up until 2017 then moved into mirrorless. A mount will be always memorable to me 😭
You know what we want?
A unsung cameras of yesteryeat video on the minolta dynax 9.
That should rise its price to the roof
And you have a spare on you are looking to sell?!? But also, yes that would be a good video for you guys to do.
A thousand times yes!
More like the 7, the more advanced brother. Sure the 9 had the 1/12.000 shutter speed with composite carbon fibre blades, but the 7 introduced us to larger screen menu system that you didn't need the manual to understand the custom functions. I had the 9, a beast of a camera, but i've kept the 7, which is just a joy to hold and use, and even implemented a STF function in body, no need for the 135 STF.
@@Nick_Parau I’ve read about both camera and they’re awesome and a true last stand for Minolta that kept up with the other 2. They still had it back then and could have been great.
No wait until I have bought one again, I sold mine to get an A700. :(
I was one of the Minolta diehards. I bought my first SLR in 1982, a Minolta XG1 with a 50mm f/1.2 lens while in the Navy. That camera recorded every place I went, Giza Plateau, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Masada, The Vatican, Pisa, Florence, the Virgin Islands. Shot thousands of rolls of film and never had a mechanical failure. Always Kodak film. Then I went the 400si many years later. I still use the XG1 and 400si from time to time. keeping the skills sharp. Now a Nikon shooter. Looking to go home with a Sony mirrorless. Keep up the content like this and I'll keep watching. BTW: DP review is my go to source for reliable info and my next camera purchase. Keep up the good work.
The a100 was my first DSLR. It still functions and it certainly has served me well. The one lens I always wanted was the 50mm macro f2.8. One day I’ll pull the trigger and buy it.
My first "real" camera was an Sony A65. I absolutely loved that camera so much.
Me too... It's hard to say goodbye... Sniff...
Mine was the A77
Still have mine as a backup. Trustable tool it is.
Have an a55 and a65 that use alot
The A77M2 is still the favourite camera that I've ever used. RIP A-mount.
sold it last year to switch to A7 iii
my heart is broken, great six years
Missing mine a lot
Missing the ergonomics of the A77ii after switch to A7series.
I think there would have been a market for a high end A3000 successor.
@@Be-Es---___
I always thought the same thing! That'd have been an amazing camera, something like an A6500 in a compact A77II body.
I agree I have the same camera it has been a great camera and the able to use all my older manual lenses and decided to buy the 99 ll
Old Minolta 7000 user here! (Yes I am THAT old). My father bought the Minolta 7000 as it came out in the 80’s, and I borrowed it a lot, and had a lot of fun with this camera. It was the very first modern SLR, with AF, and a 3-way button (touch to measure light, half-press to focus, and full-press to take picture), and the first camera with the A-mount ever...
I have my dads 9000 and lenses. Still works today and is a great camera even today
I went from a Canon 550d to the SLT-A57 and was soooo happy with it at the time. There was some cool stuff with A-Mount and together with the beercan it was a great kit
I used to shoot the Minolta Autocord in the 1960’s. I wore a couple of them out, and still have a couple of working ones on my camera shelf. The best photographs I ever took were on that wonderful 6x6 TLR. Minolta were always great cameras.
It can be more memorial if you managed to borrow a copy of α99 II to film this piece...
Two extra points:
1. Talking about SSM motor and in-lens motor, Minolta is way behind Canon. Canon had EF 300mm F/2.8 USM in 1987, only 2 yrs later after the so-called α shock, while Minolta's first SSM lenses, AF 300 F2.8 APO G D SSM & AF 70-200 F2.8 APO G (D) SSM, didn't arrive until 2003.
2. No alternative to AF Reflex 500mm F8 and AF 3x-1x F1.7-2.8 Macro exists even in today's autofocus world.
哈哈哈哈哈 在这里也可以找到你
@@darkroom5091 哈哈德里克你好！
@M Tech Talking about wireless flash system, Minolta was really ahead of its time!
@M Tech E mount has the most healthy ecosystem in today's mirrorless world, plenty of used glasses and bodies, state-of-the-art flagship model, including α1.
I still use my Sony A100 with the minolta 50mm 1.7 and the 70-210 f/4 beercan and I love them
Love the unique look of the 50mm 1.7, my first decent lens I got when I started on a Sony A230, aah the memories
The old version or newer version? I have the original old metal one it’s awesome
@@CrashCarson14 I have the first generation of the af maxxum lens, the barrel is not made out of metal, but still very well built
I am a Minoltist since 1990. I have bought most of Minolta's best lenses and six or seven years ago I finally went digital with the a99. To this body iI added the CZ 16-35 f2.8 and the CZ 135 1.8 T* Sal. All these Minolta and CZ lenses work fantastically well on the very capable a99 (24mp really is more than enough). To all younger aspiring photographers: you can save A LOT of money by buying A mount lenses that will make pictures indistinguishable in quality from the best and often ridiculously expensive F mount lenses. I will die holding an a mount in my cold dead hands...long live the a mount.
The short format of you guys just having a fairly focused (ha) conversation on a specific topic is really good. I don't even care what the topic is. Probably.
I started photography with a Minolta X700 in 1981, fantastic camera that remained in production until 1999. In 2008 I purchased a Sony A700 so I could use Minolta glass. My favorite A-mount lens is the Minolta 28-135 f4-4.5 ("secret handshake"), excellent lens with a great range.
The thing you missed is that Sony bought Minolta and jumped 20 years into production. The a100 is essentially a maxxum body with a digital sensor in place of the film. Sensor shift ibis is almost untouched from the Minolta stuff from their early ibis. E-mount literally uses the same tech as a-mount. The only real difference between an a99ii and an a7rii is that the autofocus is moved to the image processor rather than having a dedicated one. With that change came the removal of the translucent mirror and a reduction in space. Without a-mount we don’t have e-mount or a bunch of the great bodies we use now.
i'm convinced the EF-M video has been ready to go for a while now!
I used to use M , M3 and M10 for few years . And I absolutely agree with you
This, but looks like it still makes money for Canon otherwise it would have gone much earlier.
@@billyjunks It's the Canon mirrorless system for beginners. And that's the appeal of Canon, I guess, at least for people where I live. I don't think Canon plan to do much with that system. I don't think there will be a EF-M 16-55mm f/2.8. They won't turn it Pro, which is the job of the RF-Mount now.
@@thegrayyernaut exactly, they’re the mirrorless equivalent of rebels. Though there are some good primes like the 22/2 and 32/1.4 as well as the sigma trio.
@@TonyMacina the macro with the built in ring light
RIP A-mount. The Minolta AF 70-210/4, Minolta AF 100mm f2.8 macro and AF 28-135 are all still great lenses that I use on Sony. Oh yeah, the AF 500mm f8 reflex lens, too.
In my knowledge, it is this the ONLY AF reflex
@@gregzarkodimos9711
It is and the AF only works with the centre AF point if I recall correctly. I had it on my list of lenses to buy for a long time but had the 70-400mm SSM so could not justify it.
I've been using the SLT Sony camera for 5 years and Imust tell you - that's the best mount for those who wants to try out photografy! Most of old Minolta APSC Lenses with AF are under 100 bucks! So you can have an affordable set of very different lenses and isn't it what the whole fun of fotografy is all about!!
I just wanna send some love to the Minolta 35-70mm f4, my favourite lens of all time. It lived on my (now dead) a850 at least 90% of the time and was a wonder for nearly every application you can think of. I even took up film photography again just so I can keep using that and the beercan. I pray one day manufacturers out there would resurrect 35-70mm zooms. I know there'd still be a massive audience for something like that.
i also liked 35-70 zooms. it was easier to keep quality high because the design was not too stretched.
A99 has very interesting rotatable LCD, and it's a shame that this kind of tech was abandoned.
I had an A77ii for a short time (ended up selling it and the optically very very good 16-50 2.8 SSM to fund the E 16-55 2.8) and can confirm, the LCD on that was awesome. I'd love to see Sony adapt it to the E-mount bodies. I imagine it is pretty complex and expensive to produce and assemble, though.
The fully articulated LCD used on the A77, A77ii, A99 and A99ii is awesome. It was used under license of Dolby Laboratories though, and it seems that Sony decided that they no longer wanted to pay the licensing fees to add it to their mirrorless bodies.
@@maxxuman9915 oh it's licensing issue... Thank you for info!
@@maxxuman9915 I hadn't heard about that before, and it makes perfect sense - there had to be a reason why they stopped such an awesome feature (and one of the reasons I haven't moved to E-mount). Thanks for the info!
Yes I agree that I wish I still didn't work with a mount lenses
Probably my favourite mount of them all. Still use my Dynax 5, loved my A65. Live view goodness was a game changer for me. No more crawling around to get the right angle had something to it.
Did you guys do a video like this for the Minolta MD mount. I would like to see a video like that.
I enjoyed this lookback. I've owned the a700, a33, a57, a99 in the A-mount and each was excellent in its own right. RIP to the A-mount. Thanks for giving me my start in photography!
I got into photography at the time of the digital transition and have so many good memories with the Minolta 28-70 2.8 G (such beautiful, precise reproduction of colors) and the Minolta 85mm 1.4 G, which I was able to get for reasonable prices at the time of the price drops. Such beautiful, creamy pictures! Good times. But I'm definitely glad to be in digital now.
I inherited a Minolta Dynax 7000i with some lenses from my mother and used it for a few years until I got the Sony Alpha 700 in 2009. I loved this camera and used it for many years. Until this day it has been the camera which I found to be most comfortable to hold with my hands. I got some used A-mount glass for it when I lived in Japan and shot my best pictures with it.
I have been a Minolta user since 1997. I remember it took me a while to decide between Nikon and Minolta (sorry, no Canon at that time, even though the ESO 3 was a fantastic camera), but finally went with Minolta for its pioneering technologies and more friendly price tags. I had my 1st digital camera in 2002. Not surprisingly, it was a Dimage 414. I bought 5D when it came out, then 7D, A100, A77, A99, with a handful of lenses. Though I had an A7 (1st gen) since 8 or 9 years ago with the 28-70 kit lens, I treat it as a toy. My go-to system is still A99 + ZA 24-70/2.8 + Tamron 70-200/2.8, and 85/1.4G. This month, I finally made a switch, getting myself an A7R5, plus 20/1.8G, 35/1.8, Tamron 28-75 G2, Tamron 70-180, Rokinon 135/1.8, and LA-EA5. I will still keep some of the classic A-mount lenses, maybe just for the nice memories...
Sharing glass between my Maxxums and my A100 is for some reason very satisfying. 👍
I think the A-mount 135/1.8 was the single lens that REALLY made me go "I wish I had that!" as a then Canon shooter. It's still a brilliant lens to this day.
Now I kinda want the GM though.
Thank you for bringing back the memories for using A-mount system in the old days, love this video!
Keeping 'em coming, guys. I enjoy watching y'all cover the history of these mounts, and I enjoy the fun y'all are having.
It might me interesting to see a segment on Ricoh. Their history in the camera market has interesting although, granted more interesting in the film days.
Wow, this truly hits close to home. I, too, made the same “mistake.” My first cameras were the last couple Minolta A-Mount (Purchased from The Camera Store no less). I lusted after their first digital cameras but was wooed to Canon (by probably the same shop that shall not be named).
But what really comes through in an unspoken sense here is that the “mistake” is not a mistake: this kind of history somehow plays no less into my love of photography.
This is a great video. Informative and true history behind it. Loved it. I have lots of' 'A' mount glass and SONY 'A' mount bodies too, and this clip was a real treat for ol' schoolers like me!. Gracias!! :)
When I moved in the 80s from rangefinder cameras to SLRs I ended up with Minolta (MD-Mount, then A-Mount). In the 70s and 80s I loved Sony as a HIFI equipment brand and I have to give them credit for "saving" Minolta and use the technology for ongoing innovation. Therefore I am a loyal Sony customer (I started with the A100) who is invested in the A-Mount and the E-Mount. I like both for specific reasons. My son is starting now to shoot on the A-Mount which is perfect for beginners with a limited budget or less experience. I will continue to invest into the A-Mount system in form of a full-frame camera (like the A900 or A99) when I can find a good one for a reasonable price. At the end of the day photography is often an emotional thing. When I am going out for non-professional shooting I prefer my A65 over my A7R III - it feels somehow better. After all these years the A65 is still working very well and creates fantastic pictures (with the right glass) on the same level than my old and trusted A7 (first version). I am simply loving this A-Mount camera and it is one of the best ways to get into an affordable way of high quality photography. Some reasonably good A-Mount lenses are quite cheap nowadays. Highly recommended system which will reach at some point in time "vintage" status.
The Sony a580 was my first camera. Still shooting gigs with the a99 and a77, but slowly making that transition to e-mount. If Sony drops an a99III or a77III would definently buy it.
Wow.. Flashbacks... This made me run and dig through my closet for my Minolta s700... And the wireless remote TTL flashes. I was working in a camera store at the time and was shooting Mamiya 645 when the rep brought all this great new tech in and I jumped in with both feet... I still use my Minolta 100 mm 2.8 macro lens for portraits on my a77... And have even used it on my a6300 for macro work... Great stuff!!
I think the A-mount has lenses that still have legendary performance, like the 24 mm ZA, the 85 mm, ZA, the 100 mm F 2 and the 135 mm ZA to name a few.
I am a covert to the e-mount from Canon EF. At that time I wanted A-mount lenses to use on my Sony A7R II, that were unique at that time. For example the SAL 135 1.8 ZA. I did purchase it new at the full price and used it with the LA-EA4 adapter.
The images from that lens are quite brilliant. I had never used a lens with such great colors that melted away the background in such an amazingly beautiful manner.
I say this even after I have had the Canon EF 85 1.2 II lens for a number of years.
Unfortunately the LA-EA4 did not have eye AF capabilities.
I contemplated replacing the ZA lens with the E-mount 135 1.8 GM lens to get native focusing capabilities. Comparison of the images made me realize that I really preferred the A-mount lens. The GM was too clinical and the background blur was unattractive.
Sony came up with the LA-EA5 adapter that enabled eye AF, unfortunately it did not work with my A7R III camera. So I was forced to buy the A7R IV.
I really feel that there is still a market for A-mount lenses due to their brilliant designs and uniquely beautiful images that one can get from them.
A lot of the new E-mount lenses are optically perfect but tend to be too sterile. I have heard good things about the 85 mm GM and the 35 mm GM though.
Hope Sony try’s to replicate the image rendering of their ZA lenses in the A- mount, after all photography is also an artistic endeavor.
I think Sony should enable eye AF and other AF features on the LA-EA5 adapter for the A7R III and the A7 III as well as the earlier generations.
Late to this video, but I love the Sony A-Mount system. Bought my A-99 in 2012, and my first A99-II in 2017. The lenses I've purchased along the way (Sony Zeiss 24-70 f2.8; Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8; Sony Zeiss 85mm f1.4, and the Sony G-Master 70-200 f2.8) are all amazing! Recently found out Sony had abandoned the A99-II/DSLR/SLT line totally and quickly scrambled to find/buy a new 99-II body. Took a while, but I found a new one (for under $2,800). I just feel that the A99-II features still crush it -- the 5 Axis IBIS; WiFi; auto eye AF; 12 FPS burst mode, 42MP CMOS full frame sensor, dual SD card slots, etc are still extremely good. While I know there are adaptors that are supposed to make the A-Mount lenses work on E-Mount cameras, I prefer to use the native A-mounts on the body they were designed for. Now that I have another A99-II body, I'm hoping for several more years of great photography on the SLT platform. Cheers.
I still have the alpha a390, bought it because my dad worked at sony’s factory before and knows that their qc is top notch. The camera still works after 10 years.
I have the A65. Purchased a lot of Minolta lenses in an estate sale.. It works great for me. The beercan is my favorite. I need to do more research on the adapters, but I've been having to much fun to really stop and look. I've been with Sony since the walkman.
The Dynax 7D was my first DSLR (coming from Contax film system)... R.I.P. 😢
My first DSLR as well. Loved that camera. I regret I gave it away.
I own both an a99ii and a7R3, and four G/Zeiss lenses on A-mount and absolutely love them. While I grew up on Minolta film SLR cameras, I now I shoot hybrid digital/film for all my work, as the A-mount is perfect for both camera systems. All of my professional work is on A-mount lenses for good reason. It would be a true shame if Sony drops support for the A-mount, not only for legacy Minolta users but also for film photographers; the A-mount allows hybrid shooters the option of professional glass that can be used on both film and digital cameras that produce results that will make your audience go wide-eyed every time.
The 5D had sensor stabilisation as well, it was my first interchangeable lens camera following the Dimage A1. Took that camera around the world before dropping it along the Cinque Terre in Italy which was the end of it. Moved onto the Sony a700 From there and then onto the a77. Thinking about it, all the canvas prints I have up around my house are from these three cameras.
The a77 was a serious convergence of technology being the first hybrid camera I owned. I have footage at 1080P @60fps from a Mt Everest base camp trip I still look at taken with this camera in 2011.
I still have my A77 MKI. I used it for years and passed it down to my son who also used it for years. Still works great but it has taken a back seat to our A7r3's. Sony was so far ahead of the competition.
I was a Sony "camera" user before they bought Minolta and my friend had a Maxxum7D, man that camera mad me so jealous because it was basically a button/know porkupine while my Sony had the ergonomics of a camcorder...so I was happy when things changed for Sony, just to get disappointed by them removing half the buttons on the Alpha cameras
I Still shot with a mount... (sony a77/a58)
1985 I bought a Minolta Maxxum at the Naval Exchange at NAS Keflavik in Iceland I was stationed there I was part of the Air Force Unit
as you can imagine not much selection of cameras at the time, did a lot of mail order too.
Iceland is a beautiful place to explore so I wanted a camera to get some photos I even took a course on photography learned to develop film and prints and after many Nikon and Canon cameras I find myself with a Sony a6600.
I go back further with the SRT 101. Great camera though underrated. Rokkor lenses were super especially the 15mm. The Enlarging lens had a superb contrast punch too.
I still have my SRT 101from like 1975, a tank.
Great video guys, yes, please keep this series going, this was fun.
That Minolta camera looked beautifull.
and its ergometry was/is as good!
Thanks Guys, its been quite a ride starting with my Minolta 7000 back in 85 to my Sony A77ii. I remember when Minolta sold to Sony. I had to decide weather to sell everything and switch to Nikon (too expensive for me) or just pick up a few favourite Minolta lenses at the time and collect. Sony's dedication with the A mount was always attractive since I had a bunch of pretty good glass that wasn't really useful to anyone else but me! (100/f2). Now I'm looking at my display case with my SRT-101, XD-11, XE-7, X-700, 7000, 9000... and I do enjoy pulling them out once in a while. When my kids were in hockey I spent many games wrestling with the 7D and a sigma 70-200 2.8 in supper crappy lighting conditions in old arenas. Looking back, it was amazing what digital photography was doing. Now after years of shooting in many different home town arenas I've been happy with my results. Even with my lowly A77ii and Tamron 70-200 a009, its obvious how far the technology has come! Looks like Sony's new adaptor will enable me to move to the E mount and keep me going. Too bad Sony isn't the bargain it once was when they were first getting in. I'll have to sneak a new Sony A7iv by my wife next year. I just won't mention the price!
I remember I went to Sony Store around 2010 and got the NEX-3 and said to everyone I knew that this is the future and it’s no way that a better camera can be made 😂 Said the same thing when I went from Walkman Cassette to Walkman Discman and then came the Mini Disk and then everything became digital, I was wrong every time 🤦♂️
No worries, I said bitcoin is only for nerds and no one is gonna care about social media too. The wrong is strong with me too.
@@ChristianThueringer Good to hear that it wasn’t only me 😆
@@ChristianThueringer I first read about Bitcoin when it was at 900 and thought that this is exaggerated :-D
About the cameras: Mirrorless cameras have changed very much in the last few years. Old Nex cameras (and DSLR in live view) had much slower AF than DSLR in normal mode or SLT cameras. So SLT was a very interesting approach for me.
My very first photography steps were on my dad's old 70s Minolta
Great video! I still shoot with the A-mount (a77 and a77ii) although I have E-mount cameras as well. I think it will be a few years yet before I fully move over to E-mount. A-mount may be ‘dead’ or should I say ‘unsupported’ but the cameras for now keep on working. It’s only a matter of time before Nikon and Canon retire their DSLR mounts.
My 1st camera was a a65 with the 16-50 f2.8. It outperformed the 5Dmkii in a number of ways but just went completely under the radar.
I still have that camera.
Still have my Maxxum 7D. I was at Minolta for the launch of the Dimage V and Dimage Pic all the way till the end. It was a great time great people.
RIP ! I bought a Sony A300 in 2009 and a Tamron 18-200 Superzoom, when I travel with my Motorcycle I still bring this combo along.
Since I don't have to worry about dings and scratches, and the Sony still works flawless 12 years on.
My "new" camera A7II, so I stuck with Sony, and know my menus. 😍
My mom's Minolta Maxxum 400i that I found in my mom's basement is actually what got me into photography a few months ago, and I'm very exited to finally be getting a Sony mirrorless (and, hopefully, an adapter for all my A mount lenses I have now!
One thing that surprises me is that A-mount apparently had a camera with a flip+tilt LCD screen that we can't even get on the new Sony bodies.
Great video! Please do more history and retrospective videos. Those have always been my favorite
I'm one of those Minolta-to-Sony people. Started with an SR-7 (1966--in-body [but not through the lens] meter), then SRT-201, and eventually a 7D. My first Sony was an alpha-100, which I liked very much, Jordan notwithstanding. I took it to the Galápagos, where--coupled with a Sigma 300mm f2.8--I got some outstanding images. Tried the alpha-700, didn't like it as much, and finally sold the whole kit and bought a Nikon D90. I now have a D7100, but I also have a Fujifilm X-T3 and have just ordered an adapter that will hopefully let me use my Nikon glass with the Fuji, especially my concert lens, the 70-200 f2.8 VRII. But I still have many negs and slides from Minolta days, and they have held up very well.
I almost forgot. I also had a Maxxum 450si (my first autofocus camera), Maxxum 650si, and Maxxum 800si. The 650si was a wonderful camera, really nicely laid out, and I think it inspired the design of the 7D.
My first camera was my father's Leica M3. I loved it. Years later I bought a Minolta 650.
I sold off most of my A mount lenses (along with the A77ii body) but I kept a few that I really like including the 70-400mm G lens.
I enjoyed the history lesson. I didn’t know the origins of Sony as a camera brand. I’d love more history lessons on other brands.
The A99 had the best ergonomics of any Sony camera . It’s too bad Sony did not continue to use that body style for its mirrorless lineup . A thinner A99 style body with the same reticulating screen for the A1 would have been devastating .
I remember shopping for a Minolta Maxxum to celebrate my girlfriend’s university graduation in 1987. Autofocus and auto film advance were a big deal back then. Still have the girl (she’s my wife now) and the camera! 😀 A lot of our early family memories were captured with that system. Sorry to see the A mount go. End of an era for sure.
About what $600 back then?
@@CrashCarson14 yes it was a lot of years ago but that sounds about right.
@@LyndonPatrickSmith hmm I have a 9000 and i was told that was a ton of money back then.
I loved Minolta cameras for their manual controls (in digital).
Well you missed about a bunch of great Minolta tele lenses like 80-200 f2.8 or longer primes. Also minolta even had a flagship model named alpha9 along with alpha7! Still available on ebay sometimes.I hope Sony takes the advantage of using those wonderful fully articulating lcd screens(not the flippy or tilting only) which were used on a77 and a99. It was best of the best! Also hope for a decent mirrorless version of a77 finally!
I was able to buy a Mint alpha 9 last year for my birthday and wow whats an amazing camera, going to use it today actually
Yeah, I have a Minolta 200mm f2.8 APO and it really doesn't seem like anything in E-mount is quite comparable. Minolta made some wonderful long focal length prime lenses a shame Sony isn't making a version of it.
@@verablack3137 Exactly! That lens is a masterpiece and if it find its way to the E-mount would be a dream came true specially if accepting teleconvertors! Giving 2.8 at 200mm while it weights 790g! It was front so heavy though so a redisign is essential. You should post some of it's results on your channel! People really have no idea how beautiful those wonderful Minolta lenses looked with that golden batch and ring and their outcome also were golden indeed!
A mount its far from dead for those of us committed to the platform. But sadly, the bodies and the lenses no longer made. I'll continue using them as long as my A mount cameras work. The good news, A mount lenses are stupid cheap at the minute so time to get some legendary glass at affordable prices. The bad news, possibly the greatest A mount camera ever made, the A99II, unobtanium second hand. I guess those that love them, love them a lot.
Love the speculative industry commentary!
Great video. Would love to see more of this format...
I still use my Minolta Maxxum7, never went Sony, but i did see an old Sony DSLR at a pawnshop last week, I might get it.
I bought a Sony Alpha 35 back in 2010 and still use it today. Got so many family pictures with it. Now I have a Sony Alpha 6500 and still use my A mount lenses with an adapter.
I just bought a KM Maxxum 7D to go with my 35mm Maxxum 7. masterpiece, beautiful, perfect ergonomics - and the colours and look of the photographs is wonderful! for a 18 year old camera - it's a Classic and collectable as Konica and Minolta's last (if you discount the Sony A900 which was more or less a Minolta design)
I miss the the old 135/2. Distortion free, sharp and smooth bokeh. And the 135/2.8 STF had an even smoother bokeh.
That STF is legendary and expensive as can be
I’m only on the A-Mount because my dad had a Maxxum 9000 back in the 80s. He gave me the camera and lenses and I had my own Sony A200. Been years since I’ve shot anything but I’ve recently got the interest in video, and would love to stay Sony. I’ll keep my Minolta lenses. Love the Bokeh and colors. He told me back in the day they were some of the best you could buy and the other brands were behind. Had the best tech. If you read into it Minolta had some great tech that is standard today. Some really important, expensive (even today), and amazing lenses. Sad to see but it is coming. I’ll always support the A-Mount.
Love your videos! Maybe a retrospective on the Nikon F mount? Back in the film days, Nikon kept the filter diameter at 52 so that the photographer did not have to have a bag full of filters for every lens. This must have made the lens designers crazy due to the constraints put on them. They still put out some great glass. But I think the time has come that the F mount will go away.
I've been a devoted Minolta/Sony user since the late 70s. First SLR camera was the XD-5 with a CPC 28-50 (it was actually OK) and Tokina ATX 50-250 (very good). I really enjoyed that camera. Momma don't take my Kodachrome away!
The AF age brought me to the 8000i (the last camera I ever purchased new), 7xi, and 9xi and several used prime (from 16mm to 500mm) and zoom lenses. Nirvana.
Minolta FINALLY entered the DSLR market with the 7D which I purchased when it dropped to ~1/3 the intro price. Front/Back focus issues were a sometimes a problem so I had it converted it IR and had a lens calibrated for that. Purchased another 7D that eventually died from the dreaded "first frame black" issue. BTW, 6MP was PLENTY for printing 13x19 prints.
Next up was a Sony A700. Same Front/Back focus issues as there was still no micro adjustments available yet. Then a "full frame" Sony A850. Wonderful camera! Micro AF adjustments, though not perfect with zooms, was a big help. Finally it was the A77 which has been my primary driver for several years. A few APS-C lenses were added to my arsenal - usually I use a Sigma 10-20, Tamron 16-300, or one of my MInolta FF primes.
Age has a way of catching up with you, and weight has become an issue, so I began searching for "affordable" options. Tried a (stripped down) Sony a3000. The sensor allows great photos, but the LCD and viewfinder are UNACCEPTABLE to me. I simply can't focus any adapted MF lens at all even with focus assist and it's often hard for me to use in daylight. Unfortunately, none of the grips on any of the mirrorless Sony cameras are very good IMO, except for the A3000.
Currently trying out an Olympus OM-D E-M1 (Mark I) with a 14-42 and 40-150. The 40-150 (plastic fantastic) is maybe sharper than any tele zoom I've ever used! Nice and compact and lightweight. Great for forays when weight is an issue. There's 1 big drawback however --- "serious" M43 lenses are more expensive than I can sell my comparable "serious' Minolta A glass for these days. I was planning on selling much of my A mount stuff to shift systems, but that's not looking realistic at the moment.
Enjoyed the brief history. Would love to see more
As many others have said, the A-mount is alive and kicking. I own four A-mount cameras, two of which are FF. There are so many lenses out there still to obtain and at a fraction of the cost of new glass.
Where to find?
@@hanjod.287 A lot of photographic shops have them and of course online auction sites.
I hope I can pick up an A99 ii and some glass for cheap.
Good luck on the A99II. Used prices are insane. It should cost about the same as the A7RII, but so few of them means demand is high. Of course that also means A7RII is a phenomenal deal compared to A99II with the same sensor. But I think A7RIV + LA-EA5 adapter is the smartest choice going forward since that fully supports all the old glass, and you also get to use all the wonderful new E-mount glass.
@@andrewharvey1849 fully supports the old glass??
I loved my KM5D back in the day. What a revolutionary and relatively affordable camera for the time time!
I completely agree with you. My son and my daughter still use it,
@@pierluigicapitanucci9079 Agreed, and for me the size and fit in the hand are perfect. It's a little clunky compared to my more modern camera bodies but the images from the CCD sensor are excellent for their MP. I should get the battery charger out and take it out for a spin! Y
Yes more of these please! Even the older Minolta mount ; )
The Minolta system was my first introduction to photography (Maxxum 2xi). The Minolta 7D was a tech marvel. The first DSLR to have sensor stabilization made all lens have image stabilization.
Ergonomically I have never found a camera that can rival my old a700. That one just fit perfectly in my hand. My A7ii is nowhere near as nice to hold.
I had the A200 the younger brother camera. Haven’t used it in forever but I was so fast with it all day
Try a850/a900 - same thing, but with colors that dont make you cry every time u start C1
Great video. Loved the shot of Photo Life magazine. That brings back memories.
I remember someone in my photography program back in 1987 buying a Minolta Maxxum. Most of my classmates thought it was a joke to have autofocus! I also remember joking if the Maxxum had an auto subject locator function. Take technology actually came true! Jokes on me!
And a few years later they all went Autofocus
The ergonomics and cool quirks of Minolta were amazing. I enjoyed shooting my Dynax camera. I get that it's all about megapixels now and being able to shoot 8K video but I think most people who own a camera these days are missing the point of photography. I can still grab a film camera and take a nice memory not caring about megapixels and not minding the lack of video recording.
Minolta Maxxum AF lenses from the 80s are an absolute steal. I got the 50 f/1.7 the 28 f/2.8 the 35-70 f/4 and the 70-210 f/4 "beer can" all for under $200! My Sony a300 was only $90. Cant beat it.
I remember the guys at Wolf’s Camera believing that Sony’s Translucent Mirror System was going to drive Nikon and Canon out of the top spot. Hey it gave me 7 FPS. Haha I will admit Sony’s 85mm f1.4 Zeiss lens was my favorite portrait lens till the 135mm f1.8 stole the show. I still use it from time to time.
Just bought a used A77, it is in 'excellent' condition, not a scratch. I am so looking forward to continuing to use my A-mount lenses with that beauty. Sure it's an older platform, sure they discontinued it, but you know what? That translates to cheaper second hand gear and I'm all for that. Genuinely believe that more amateurs should shop in the used market for older gear. Some of Anton Corbijn's masterpieces were shot on equipment a hell of a lot older!
I'm not a pro & an A-mount shooter since the late 80s. Choosing bet tech & stable platform, I chose the former so Minolta it is. AF, PASM, expansion card functionality, able to focus on a white wall in total darkness, intelligent flash, predictive AF, AE option in 1989. Started with Dynax 5000i with 28-135mm secret handshake, heavy stuff. Then upgraded to 8000i in the 90s shooting through to early millennium. Got the digital bug, so got bridge ultrazooms & other small enthusiast digicams but felt inadequate. So, when Sony revived the mount, bought the A350 (beautifully shaped DSLR), wanted some video & SLT tech resulted in A77. Wanted something as capable but in a smaller footprint & so went to A65. Never been happier with no desire to upgrade. The 5000i & secret handshake died but the rest are still with me incl accessories & lenses. If they all die, I'll adapt my lenses to the Fujifilm X system rather than going to E mount. But dreaming on, Minolta is quietly making cameras again; they have an ultrazoom in the market. That's how Sony started with their ray gun inspired digicams before buying K.Minolta. So, I'm hoping that the new owners will make it & buy back the A-mount from Sony.
truly A mount cameras are so underrated
In 1976, I had a MINOLTA STR101b... great camera... kept it for a few years unlike what is being done today.
These days a camera is just a computer which become obsolete very quickly... same as smartphone more or less... never had the need to change that often with film.
I picked up Minolta Af 50mm f1.7, 28mm f2.8 & 70-210 f4 with Maxxum 7000 for less than 40$ and then purchased A100 in really good shape for 65$. I took so many beautiful pictures with it. I decided to have this camera, since its 1st Sony DSLR
I think each of the lenses you got with the 7000 often cost more than the
Some of my favorite Minolta lenses: 28-135/4-4.5, 70-210/4, 50 macro, 85G, 100 macro, 200G, and the one and only 135STF, 500 Reflex.
Long user of Minoltas and also worked for Minolta in 90s. Minolta , company with such a great technology especially in eye detection AF and in early digital camera AS in body system underestimated digital cameras in the beginning. They thought people will be still using analog cameras just transforming images to digital world by photo, film scanners which actually they specialized in at that time. That was nail to their coffin...
A-mount is one of the biggest bargains in the used market. Waiting for a low mileage a77 to show up on ebay.