The Minolta Dynax 500si Super has a great performing lite body can't nock it

I have a problem with my dynax 500si camera, I can't open it, when I put the battery in then it says "help"that is all , so if anyone can tell what's problem and how to fix it then it will be great..thanks

I've had my Minolta Dynax 500si for more than 15 years and I have never had any problems. Every photo comes out perfectly and I mostly use the automatic setting. I think I've changed the battery about 4 times max in all these years. I also have a 300m zoom lens which is really fantastic and has only enhanced the quality of photos I have been able to take.
My only dilemma now is that the lens has a very fine 'spider-vein' effect developing along the edges and I'm not sure where to take it.

Zoom is good focus is good best non digital camera I have ever brought
Brought on ebay great camera good focus and vary easy to use I would totally recommend it as a first slr camera.

Focus in on picture, always dark? Changed lens, still dark. Cant see object to shoot picture ? dave444316

- Has a resonable number of settings to play and fool around with
- makes excellent pictures...
- Long battery life which I love most
- together with the 3500 minolta flash it makes excellent indoor pictures

This is my second slr and I love it. The functions are really easy to set and I love the fact that it has an automatic setting for point and shoot. Would definately recommend.

The Minolta Dynax 500si is a very Good Camera

I have bouth this Dynax 500si in 1997 with my then girlfriend from Dixons in London, England. Always wanted an SLR and buying that one was just a lucky guess as I was not in photography. Six years and three girlfriends later the camera is still with me never letting me down. I shoot about 30 films a year, and have had no problem whatsoever. I started enjoying it even more when I treated myself to an 70-210 zoom lens. I find that it takes better pictures with a kodak ultra (400) film and that is what I recommend.After that i think the brand has won me.

Major problems with double exposure,been serviced twice never been good since, must say I have never had the help problem appear on me. I'm trying to get a deal with Minolt Aust for a replacement of 404si or who knows

Bought this Minolta Dynax 500 si Super 35mm SLR camera 2nd hand and had technical difficulties - paid Minolta £150 for a full service which sorted the problem. Recently took the camera to the tropics where the humidity filled the camera with condensation. Later I dropped it on a hard floor from about 1 ft which smashed it completely. This said, great, sharp results although not the most robust feeling bits of kit.

I have used the Minolta Dynax 500si Super 35mm SLR camera as a novice but as I have turned professional the camera has really shown its shortcomings. The most apparent is its inability to focus fast and in poor lighting situations. I also have a Nikon F90X and it really gives the Minolta a run for its money but so it should, as the Minolta is built for the Novice Photographer. The Nikon is a real work horse.

My wife's had this Minolta Dynax 500si Super 35mm camera for three years. All I can say is that she must have bought the one that works, because just about everybody else on this site and at camerareview.com complains about this model's reliability, and she's had three years of sterling service from it.
I must admit, I don't much care for the plastic build and lousy slow zooms that auto-everything SLRs come with these days, much preferring the good, fast, well-built primes on my Olympus OM kit, but I accept that I'm in a minority there.
Overall, a good camera for anyone who wants the convenience of a point-and-shoot with interchangeable lenses, and the added benefit of shutter and aperture priority and manual modes if required. What more do you need? Spend any spare money on some good lenses, rather than a better body.

I am using my Minolta 505si for the last 2.5 years now and have no problem using it in extreme temperature environnments like during Minnesota winter at -20C and hot summer at 45C in India.

A good camera for beginer in photography but lacking in features and robustness for serious amateurs.

I purchased a second hand Minolta Dynax 500si camera from a well known UK photography shop chain (Jessops) about a year ago. The camera from the start had some sort of technical problem, where an error text would be displayed in the LCD panel. The word "HELP" would be shown, and the camera would lock up. This could only be rectified by removing and replacing the battery. This problem appears erratic, sometimes it is ok for 7 or 8 shots, other times it would do this after one shot only. I returned the camera to the shop, and about 2 months later it was returned - it had just been serviced and cleaned as far as the documentation claimed....and the problem still persists...I have not used the camera in extreme temperatures and I have not dropped it. In actual fact I have hardly used it. If anyone has suggestions I would be very appreciative, though in honesty, with my experiences, I would not recommend this camera.

This camera is an excellent piece of kit. It will do the job required and more. Light with excellent features. Comparable to canon/nikon and other brand makes of the same price.