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- 35mm SLR Cameras
- Minolta Dynax 5
- Eriksen.'s review
Have a picture of Minolta Dynax 5 35mm SLR camera?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of Anon.
| Photograph Quality | 7/10   |
|---|---|
| Features | 9.3/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 |
| Value for Money | 9.2/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 9.2/10 |
| Overall Rating | 8.4/10 |
By Eriksen.
on 7th Feb 2002
| Features | 9/10 |
|---|---|
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 10/10 |
 Eriksen.'s recommendation | |
Very fast and precise auto-focus system, even in dim light. A bright viewfinder in-spite of "only" a mirror prism. Informative and easy to see LED readout in the viewfinder. Very accurate general metering plus spot. Wireless flash without any adaptor. Tripod mount thread and lens mount in metal. DOF. Film compartment lock. Small, light and handy.
Things like the grip sensor and the eye-start is a bit of a gimmick in my opinion, but it can, like most custom functions, be altered. And a mirror lock-up would have been nice for macro shooting.
At a street price of less than US$ 340,- (£ 240,-) the best deal on any SLR camera today has got to be the Minolta Dynax / Maxxum 5 35mm SLR camera kit. With the inclusion of two, above average, basic lenses (28-80mm & 75-300mm) and a specification list longer than any of its similar priced competitors, there aren't much else to choose from - unless you later plan to upgrade to a more professional or Digital SLR, and then want to utilize a collection of lenses. Both Canon and Nikon have a larger number of lenses readily available. And Minolta do not yet make any Digital SLR's with interchangeable lenses. They do however make an array of lenses in several classes.
Mentionable things I particularly like about the camera are the very fast and precise auto-focus system, even in dim light. A bright viewfinder in-spite of "only" a mirror prism. Informative and easy to see LED readout in the viewfinder. Very accurate general metering plus spot. Wireless flash without any adaptor. Tripod mount thread and lens mount in metal. DOF. Film compartment lock. Small, light and handy.
Things like the grip sensor and the eye-start is a bit of a gimmick in my opinion, but it can, like most custom functions, be altered. And a mirror lock-up would have been nice for macro shooting.
The Dynax 5 body is made of plastic, but has a steel lens mount. It is indeed very small and light, but doesn't give an impression of poor or flimsy build quality. Yes it will get lens heavy if you mount a very heavy high quality lens onto it. But I believe that is an abstract situation, how many entry level photographers will spend 2 - 3 times or more than the price of the entire kit on a super quality lens?
The basic lenses are not that bad at all either. Let me quote Popular Photography's conclusion on the 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D AF: "Given its well above average performance at both normal and close up shooting distances-and moderate price-we conclude that this lens is excellent value in its class."
Except for the missing mirror lock-up, the Dynax 5 is an entry-level priced SLR camera comparable to the competitions "one level higher" cameras. For sure a camera you can grow with as your experience increases.
The final choice is only for you to make when you have the camera in your hands. Do you like the lay-out? Is the viewfinder comfortable for you? Etc. Compare it with the others.
| Helpful | Unhelpful | Agree | Disagree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Total Respect: +26
Would you like to see a review that's not being listed?
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Pradeep Sharma. on 23rd Nov 2002
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Chandan. on 30th Jan 2003
canoebear. on 11th Apr 2003
Ed. on 26th Jun 2003