Full review posted for Konica Minolta 5D SLR
By
Dave Etchells
(Friday, November 4, 2005 - 02:52 EST)
The earlier Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D was easily one of the most eagerly-awaited digital cameras in the last year or so, thanks to the legions of loyal Minolta shooters who've been so patiently waiting for a digital body.
The only issues with the 7D were its size and price. With the Maxxum 5D, Konica Minolta addressed both issues without hobbling the 5D by removing features likely to be important to the advanced amateur. In fact, they added five scene modes. The Konica Minolta 5D handles very well, looks good, and feels solid.
Images at up to ISO 800 are very usable even at 8x10 inch print sizes, which is a good benchmark. It offers a useful focal length range in the kit lens, with very high optical quality, but its big attraction is its in-camera image stabilization, extending low light shooting to nearly any lens you can mount on it. Considering that this system effectively turns all your lenses into anti-shake models, the higher cost of the 5D's body relative to competing models seems very well justified.
Negative points were relatively minor (depending, of course, on the type of shooting you're looking to do) - A slight tendency to underexpose, particularly when confronted with scenes having strong highlights, an occasionally hesitant AF system, and a tendency to lose subtle subject detail at high ISOs.
All in all, the Konica Minolta 5D is a very solid choice for anyone looking at the current field of digital SLRs, and an easy Dave's Pick. If you don't already own a lens collection by one of the other major manufacturers, the Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D deserves serious consideration.
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