Product Description

On the Maxxum 70, the AF sensor count has been increased to nine for consistently reliable focusing over a wider area of the frame. Drawing on years of experience in auto focusing technology, the new Center-Cross 9-Point system's coverage extends not just vertically and horizontally from the center point, but diagonally into all four quadrants of the frame. The result is sharp focus even when your subject's position changes unexpectedly.Autofocusing speed is one of the Maxxum 70's greatest strengths, so you're always ready to capture those magic moments you want to preserve forever.As an added benefit of the Center-Cross 9-Point AF system, the Maxxum 70 boasts a remarkable new level of responsiveness and auto-tracking ability when subjects are moving toward or away from the camera even diagonally. In addition, a red mark is superimposed on the image in the viewfinder to provide you with visual confirmation of the auto-tracking focus point.The built-in flash has a guide number of 16, and provides powerful illumination with up to 28mm wide-angle coverage. It offers a choice of Auto Flash, Fill Flash and Flash Cancel modes, as well as a Red-Eye Reduction mode that's perfect for parties and indoor events. When used in combination with any of the (D) series lenses, ADI (Advanced Distance Integration) assures proper illumination of your subject even when shooting against a very dark or light background.High-quality materials and construction provide a solid feel with sure handling. Operation is easy and intuitive, with a new 'dual-dial' control layout that provides ready access to mode and function settings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11347 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Minolta
• Model: 70 Date
• Dimensions: 9.00" h x 10.50" w x 12.00" l, 3.00 pounds

Features

• 35mm SLR camera kit with 28-100mm and 75-300mm zoom lenses
• Fast, precise focusing with 9-point AF sensor system
• Advanced AF focus-point indication accurately tracks moving subjects
• High-grade body construction for balanced, responsive handling
• Powerful built-in flash (GN52.5 in feet) for worry-free low-light shooting

From the Manufacturer
Without question, the best way to experience the joy of photography is with a 35mm Maxxum AF SLR camera. The advantages of a Maxxum AF SLR are many: outstanding image quality, the versatility of interchangeable lenses, through-the-lens viewing (what you see is what you get), creative control over focus and exposure, system accessories, and everything you need to learn the fine art of taking beautiful pictures.

Because of its full selection of features and ease of use, the Maxxum 70 Date is ideal for beginners, family users, and photo hobbyists -- value-conscious consumers who want a quality camera they can grow with.

Outstanding Image Quality
The Maxxum 70 Date has all you need to take beautiful photographs. High-performance autofocusing, state-of-the-art exposure metering, top-quality Maxxum lenses, and a wide range of exposure control modes ensure that you'll be able to capture the kind of images you'll be proud to display.

High-Performance 9-Point Autofocusing
A fast and precise 9-Point AF System makes up the Maxxum 70 Date's wide focus area. The nine sensors are laid out to the "rule of thirds" and work in unison, giving you the creative flexibility of positioning your main subject anywhere within the wide focus frame. The center crosshair sensor ensures precise focus regardless of vertical or horizontal subject contrast. In continuous AF mode, the 9-point system takes control so you can concentrate completely on viewfinder image.

14-Segment Honeycomb-Pattern Metering
The Maxxum 70 Date's state-of-the-art metering system delivers accurate exposures under a wide range of photographic conditions. 14-segment metering measures light levels from 13 segments in a honeycomb pattern across the viewfinder frame, plus the background area, with emphasis on the segments surrounding the active AF sensor.

Direct Manual Focusing
The Maxxum 70 gives you the high performance of autofocus plus the creative control of manual focus without the need to change focusing modes. With D-Series lenses, Direct Manual Focus (DMF) lets you fine-tune the focus quickly and easily using the lens' focus ring after the focus is locked by the AF system.

Built-In Flash
The Maxxum 70 Date's built-in flash provides coverage for lenses as wide as 28mm. Auto, flash cancel, fill-flash, red-eye reduction, and wireless remote flash control modes give you creative flash control at your fingertips. For greater flash output and versatility, high-powered Maxxum flash units are available as optional accessories.

Subject Program Selection
Subject Program Selection gives beginner photographers the ability to control the camera based on the subject, without a working knowledge of apertures and shutter speeds. Five modes are available:

• Portrait – controls the aperture to produce a shallow depth-of-field to isolate the subject from the background.
• Landscape – controls the aperture to produce a deep depth-of-field so that the foreground and background are sharp. Ideal for travel photos.
• Close-Up – optimizes the depth-of-field to the image magnification to produce a sharp subject with a defocused background.
• Sports Action – the AF system continually adjusts focus to follow the subject, and the AE system optimizes the shutter speed to freeze action.
• Night Portrait – balances the flash exposure on the subject with the ambient background light so that both the subject and scene are accurately reproduced in the image. When the flash is turned off, beautiful pictures of night scenes can be taken.

Exposure Compensation and Bracketing
Exposure can be compensated up to +/-3 Ev in 0.5 increments. And to ensure you get the optimum exposure for tricky high-contrast scenes, a three bracket series can be made in 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1.0 Ev increments.

3 fps Continuous Film Advance
For capturing action as it unfolds, select continuous film advance. The film advances at 3 frames per second as long as you hold the shutter-release button down.

Depth-of-Field Preview
This highly sought after feature gives you the ability to evaluate the zone of sharp focus within your image at a given aperture; making it easy to check subject and background focus or see the extent of sharp detail in macro photography.

Fully Automatic Film Operation
Loading film is simple and quick. All you do is insert the film cartridge, position the film leader, and close the camera back. The camera sets the film speed, threads the film, advances to each frame, then rewinds the film when the roll is finished. Additionally, you can activate the rewind function anytime.

Diopter Adjustment
This feature lets eyeglass wearers use the Maxxum 70 without wearing glasses, so they'll always see a full and crisp viewfinder image. A click-stop slide switch hidden behind the eyepiece cup adjusts the viewfinder from -2 to +1 diopters..

Date/Time Imprinting
The Maxxum 70 Date imprints the date and time onto the photo, when desired. Data imprinting is very useful for cataloging photographs or keeping records of important events.

Optional Maxxum Accessories
The Maxxum 70 Date is an AF SLR you can grow with. It is part of the Maxxum AF System and accepts all Maxxum AF lenses plus Maxxum HS flashes, flash accessories, viewfinder accessories, eyepiece accessories, and camera cases.

Customer Reviews

Judge the camera for what it is - and READ THE MANUAL!
First, I would like to comment on previous reviews:

As for the lens shadows: REMOVE THE SUN SHADE from the lens. If you leave the sun shade on during flash/zoom photography, you will get the "shade/shadow effect" you talked about. It's not the lens, it's the shade. This information is included in the manual (always READ THE MANUAL before posting negative reviews!)

To the user disappointed in the manual focus: USE THE FOCUSING INDICATOR. Even in manual focus, the camera will still check for focus. When the small green dot inside the view finder goes solid, you are in focus. Again, this information is in the manual. READ THE MANUAL before posting negative reviews!

Overall, the camera is an excellent value. It is packed with features that were exclusive to cameras costing hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars more just a few short years ago. Prices are dropping due to the change in market focus (everyone wants to go digital.) Where else can you get a feature packed camera like this one for under $300?

For the beginner, a good film camera like this one is a great place to start. Learn the basics and KNOW the camera before making snap judgements. If you take the time to learn the camera and how to take pictures, you will NOT be disappointed by this hardware.

Great 35mm SLR AF Camera for the money!
I've researched SLR cameras for the last few months and I always came back to the Maxxum models by Konica Minolta. Sure, price was a big factor, but also the reviews across the web from other owners and especially regarding the popular and very successful Maxxum 50 finally led me to a purchase of the Maxxum 70. Although this camera seems very sophisticated and it lets you do a lot of the creative settings manually, it's easy in P (green P in a box) which are the auto functions you can and the focusing is just perfect. It's also worth spending the approx. $70 more for the Maxxum 70 vs. the Maxxum 50 because of the focusing features and the in-screen/viewfinder display. The user guide is very helpful and explains the operations of the automatic camera functions well, although some photography knowledge will be helpful to understand especially the manual settings. So far I've only shot a roll of film and it came out perfect. The only little thing that bothered me was that in the viewfinder there were a few very tiny spots and that's why I had to exchange it for another Maxxum 70 unit, and that's why I only gave it 4 stars, although if everything would have been perfect from the start, this camera is definitely worth a five-star rating. This Maxxum 70 is a keeper and it seems to be a solid quality camera -- only time will tell if it holds up, but so far so good. The price just can't be beat, especially with all the features that the Maxxum 70 offers. Also the 28-100mm lens is a nice feature for this price range as most other models come with only a 28-80mm lens, and for a camera like this you most certainly want the 28-100mm lens.

Excellent Camera for Amateurs and Professionals Alike!
The Maxxum 70 is an excellent camera having impeccable features for the amateurs and professionals alike. The camera has fully-automated Program mode for completely automatic functionality to Manual mode for manual operations. The top shutter speed is 1/2000 of a second. The camera has 6 built-in exposure modes and 5 Subject Program modes which include Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, and Night Portrait mode. The 14-segment honey-comb metering system ensures perfect exposure for your favourite photographs. The camera incorporates eight 'local focus areas' for emphasizing focus on the specific area of the frame. The 14-segment honey-comb metering system ensures perfect exposure of your pictures.