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Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D How it performs In terms of performance, the Dynax 7D is a complete and professional camera. Ergonomics is really well designed, in such a way that access to all the main settings is made easy by using hardware tools, with the advantage of a minimum access to software menus and a quicker operational speed. We like the resemblance of controls of the Dynax 7D with those of a film camera; the clever ergonomics make the use of this camera easy at first. All controls look robust, and the main rings are coated with anti-skid material. We particularly appreciated the control of the exposure compensation and the one for the setting of white balance, as you can have access to them in fractions of seconds, though they can be securely locked. The wide and bright viewfinder is certainly a strength point of the camera - it is the best of its category, as far as we can see. There is no LCD display showing the main photographic functions (space available for it would very limited). However, the rear display, when it is clear from menus and images, shows settings data. This turns to be a waste of energy, as a monitor’s consumption is much higher compared to an LCD panel. Under the viewfinder, two sensors switch off the display when the eye comes close to the camera. The 2.5” display shows the images immediately after the shot, with no time lag. It is well visible even in the brightest light, and sharpness is remarkable too. The camera is switched on in two seconds: this is not a record time, but the response to the pressure on the shot button is immediate. The On/off lever is on the left side of the back, meaning that it's necessary to use the left hand to operate it, while the right one supports the camera. We would prefer a switch near the shutter button, so that you could operate it with the right hand. The autofocus is not at the top of his category in terms of both speed and precision: we'd expected a better performance. The button to turn the focus from automatic to manual is efficient, especially when continuous autofocus mode is on and you want to re-compose the image after having focused on a decentered subject. Unfortunately the lens ring turns during autofocus, so that you should take care not to interfere with its movement if you are used to support the camera from the lens. The anti-shake system does what it promises: it helps gaining about two stops. The big advantage of the floating sensor is that the antishake system works with all lenses, including wide ones. We still prefer stabilized lenses by Nikon and Canon, that send the image stabilization to the viewfinder. In that way the photographer has the visual perception of the shake; the Dynax 7D does not allow this kind of evaluation, if not afterwards. The led scale of the stabilizer viewable in the viewfinder is of little help because the user must rely on the instrument. back - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 - next |
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