So... I also bought a thing today

"chaozbandit" (chaozbandit) 08/13/2015 at 00:37 • Filed to: sony, a6000, minolta, maxxumm 7000

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Not sure how many other Oppos on here are into photography but this is what I managed to find today - came across the ad around 9AM, shot a few emails / texts back and forth, and purchased and brought back to home by within 12 hours.

In the ‘80s, Minolta was at the forefront of photographic technology, pioneering cameras with blazing fast shutter speeds, automatic exposure, and of course autofocus. Come 1985, they were right in the midst of providing cameras on both the consumer and professional ends - the Maxxum 7000 (and 9000) pictured above was their answer to Nikon’s latest advancements in similar technology, with both taking blows in terms of their primitive software capabilities. The M-7000 (7000 AF in Europe, -7000 in Japan) featured not a metal body (which is pretty heavy) but also emphasized the importance of in-body auto focus (but no image stabilization), as well as Minolta’s all new A-mount.

Unfortunately, Minolta was found to infringe numerous patents and eventually times got tough financially for the Japanese tech giant - at least until they got bought out by none other than Sony. Suddenly their camera line up starts to make sense, yeah? The lessons learned from Minolta’s R&D into software, body/mount/lens designs were applied to the (then new) A33 and A57 systems, going so far as to retain backwards compatibility with the existing A-mount lenses. Heck, you can even see some of Minolta’s design language in the latest Alpha series devices (A6000, A7, etc).

After shooting with my A6000 for just shy of a year, I’ve found out the hard way that my Sony 55-120mm f4.5-6.3 just wasn’t sharp enough for the kind of work I want to do (motorsports!). Having dropped quite a large sum of cash for my daily driver Zeiss 16-70mm f4 lens, I sure as heck wasn’t going to give Sony any more of my money. Being mirrorless, a lot of owners have praised the existence of Sony E-mount adapters - unfortunately I don’t have another few hundred to spend on Canon / Nikon glass, hence I had to look for something older. Enter the beer can.

Minolta’s 70-210mm telephoto is a constant f4 lens meaning it stays just as sharp near as it is far. While it is quite heavy, being all metal construction, it does have superbly quick auto focus and the zoom ring itself is pretty smooth. As for the name... well, I’m sure you can figure that one out.

Being a system nearly 3 decades old, the previous owners pretty much gave me their entire kit - in addition to the body and the beer can, they also included: 1x Minolta 50mm f1.7 prime, 2x Tiffen filters, a wired remote, flash, and some fitted carrying cases. Total cost: $60 CAD (~$80 USD) not including gas to get there. Pretty happy with the savings, although I’ll still have to pay a couple hundred to get the Sony E-to-A mount adapter in order to use the lens. But that’s a fair compromise when the equivalent Sony lens is well over $1,500 and the next best Canon lens is over 10x the price of the entire combo.

Aaaaand that was my day. To all the other Opponauts on here who do photography - do you have any experience with Sony / Minolta glass? I’d really appreciate any shooting tips you have with this (or similar) combination as well as how to shoot cars, if possible. :)

A more indepth history of Minolta’s best cameras, if you’re interested.

CB > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 00:41

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Holy fuck I am so jealous.

Also, sharing to Photography, if you don’t mind.

chaozbandit > CB 08/13/2015 at 00:46

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Go right ahead :) Hoping to shoot an event on film before the year ends

I still have a few events worth of photos from various car events in the GTA I kind of want to share on Oppo haha

I park in a garage > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 02:31

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I’ve been a Sony/Minolta shooter for 4 years now. I’ve used most of the common Minolta lenses on 4 different Sony bodies, including the beer can. Very sharp, good colours, and flares like a boy scout on ecstasy.

Not to be nit picky, but the first Sony’s with the a-mount system and related tech from minolta was actually the aXX0 series, such as a100 (2006), a200, a250, a300, blah blah blah up to 800,900. Full frame options if I remember correctly are the a750, 800, 850 and 900. the last few still sell quite decently. Sony’s SLT cameras were the aXX series (a33 in 2010).

Fun fact: aXX series cameras are technically already mirrorless cameras, as the semi translucent mirror was only used for speeding up AF. Image rendering, and anything you’re seeing on the EVF/LCD are straight from the sensor, no mirrors needed. If you break your mirror, AF will suck, but manual focus will still get you a great picture.

Many of the minolta lenses also simply got a re-badging when it came to lenses. the Sony 50mm 1.4 is one such example. Later versions moved from the 5 pin to the 9 pin system for ADI (TTL), but still were essentially the same in terms of build quality and design.

things you might notice using old minolta glass: mostly what I mentioned about the beer can. Fantastic colours and flaring. You’ll easily learn how to control the flaring, but I suggest keeping that hood on when ever possible. As with any lens line, some are sharper than others. But you won’t go wrong with the beercan, the 50mm 1.4 or 1.7. I didn’t like any of the non-contant aperture versions of any the zooms I tried. Tamron also makes some great 70-200/210mm zooms that can be had for cheap, $350-600 depending on year/style. Look for their lenses designated “SP” as part of their pro line. KEH.com and Kijiji will be your friend. ebay is sometimes ok.

As far as shooting motorsport, the biggesting thing will be practicing following(panning) the cars. AF sometimes isn’t fast enough, so you’ll want to set your focus, speed and aperture in advance. Have your fingers on the focus ring and try to adjust on the fly. Burst mode helps with this when you’re beginning as well.

Anyways, I appear to like to ramble. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have, and there is a few people, like Alex is in his heaven, who play around with sony stuff too. My gear currently is a77ii, a7ii, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8 (both sigma), FE 35mm 2.8, Rokinon FE 85mm 1.4 and a crop sensor 10-24 3.5-4.5 from ye’ old tamron.

 V8 Rustler > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 04:59

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55-120mm

I think you meant 55-210mm. Our setup is very similar!

I shot Super GT RD4 on Fuji Speedway last week on both film and digital. (Still haven’t developed the Film photos) Pictures look great, but I want a better camera, like a Sony A7.

chaozbandit >  V8 Rustler 08/13/2015 at 07:35

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120mm doesn’t have quite enough reach, even when you’re ~10m from the track :P The Minolta beercan is the 70-210mm constant f4.

I’m so jealous you got to see Super GT! I was watching the race online, and was surprised at the comeback made by the Nissans. It’s always been a dream of mine to go see the GT500 cars in person haha.

I’ve shot Formula 1 earlier in the summer, but it’s not really a spectator sport here in Canada. Sportscar wise, I’ve only laid eyes on LMP2 prototypes in action thus far, though Toyota did bring a TS030 to our local auto show.

These are from the TUSC race at Mosport, shot with the SEL55-210 - thing with that lens is, only half the images you get (on a good day maybe more) are sharp, be it stills or panning.

chaozbandit > I park in a garage 08/13/2015 at 07:54

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Haha oops! It was late and I derped on that part, but appreciate the ramble - it was really informative. I remember looking at the A300 quite a while ago too, before I got the A6000, but decided to wait for something newer to pop up.

I’ve been to Mosport on 4 separate weekends this summer, practicing my panning shots every time. I’ve gotten decently good on the slow-medium corners, but the long lens I have now doesn’t always return sharp enough photos. Could just be me though - either way, looking forward to shooting with the beercan once I find an adapter. Hopefully by the end of September for the last race of the year. The below is from the TUSC race.

Constant aperture stuff is expensive - I’m jealous! What do you think of the A7ii, and have you used any of the other A7 bodies? Now that they released a revision to the A7R, I was hoping to pick one up for portrait / landscape use, maybe the occasional auto event. Shooting with a non-weather sealed body has been a bit of a scare.

Thanks for the tips! :)

I park in a garage > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 09:13

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Might be just me, as I’m not all that bright, but weather sealing or lack thereof hasn’t stopped me from shooting anything. Really unless rain is heavy, or comes with a big wind, I seldom do much more than be quick as I can.

I buy most of my gear used, so its not as expensive as you’d think. Just really scour used sites, have a saved search with alerts in ebay, etc... you’ll find good stuff. The a7ii was my first new body, and the 35mm my first new lens.

All the a7’s are fantastic, but the revisions have a way better grip, and obviously some necessary performance tweaks to AF. the original run was a bit slow for my liking, so I waited. You can still use any a7 for any application, just some will require more work and practice that are sort of easier in the newer ones.

one recommendation, if you’re getting the sony A - E adaptor, go with the FF one (la-ea4). Its a bit pricier, but if you ever move to something like an a7, its worth it to have the full frame capability for your old lenses right from the get go.

chaozbandit > I park in a garage 08/13/2015 at 10:00

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Every time I’ve gotten rained on, it was always pretty hard - so I guess it’s just a peace of mind kind of thing. Noted on the a7, guess I better start saving up ! Having seen what they’ve done with the NEX lineup, I can only imagine what good it’s done to the newer models.

Yeah, I was already planning to get the LA-EA4, since it’s not all that much more expensive than the EA2 and it does open up more glass options. Up here, it retails for $300 new (~$220 used), so I’ll be keeping my eyes on it. Used gear / for sale threads are always your friend :P

I park in a garage > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 10:18

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“up here” indeed. Notice how I spelled “Colour”, eh? Check out henry’s photo. They compete pretty decently with adorama, B&H, etc... They have sales often too. I know i was waiting forever for a good priced EA4, but found it on sale there for $325.

MarquetteLa > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 10:59

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Nice buy!

I inherited my grandfather’s Minolta Maxxum 7000 (and 70-210mm & 50mm f/1.7 lenses) that he bought while stationed in Japan. Fantastic camera, I love using it although the autofocus is quite slow & inaccurate compared to modern systems.

chaozbandit > I park in a garage 08/13/2015 at 11:04

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Wow I didn’t notice that at all haha I’ve frequented some of their in-store used sections quite often. The lowest I’ve seen it is $299, which isn’t too bad I guess. LondonDrugs has sales on camera gear as well, surprisingly.

chaozbandit > MarquetteLa 08/13/2015 at 11:06

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Thanks! The 7000 was one of the very first to have a successful AF system back in ‘85, so it’s pretty decent for what it is. You can always mix and match with newer glass since the A mount is the same. Nothing can really be done about it’s weight, sadly.

 V8 Rustler > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 11:17

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Super GT was very cool. Actually the GT300 sound better, as the new GT500 cars are 4 Cylinder Turbo now. The best sounding cars IMO are the Z4 GT3 and the Ferrari 458. You should try taking shots with background blur, it makes the car looks as it moving and gives it a sense of speed.

Yeah, the SEL55-210 is awful. I want to sell it and get a Canon FD non-zoom telephoto lens for my two cameras.

I park in a garage > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 11:22

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They do indeed. LD actually has a pretty close relationship with sony, at least out here in the prairies. One of the Sony reps used to work there, and as such, most of the retailers, including LD seem to work together quite well. $300 is better than recommended retail of $379.

chaozbandit > I park in a garage 08/13/2015 at 11:27

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Huh, learn something new every day. Does LD have any physical stores? I can’t recall having seen any here in the East.

I park in a garage > chaozbandit 08/13/2015 at 11:36

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All over here. I think at least 5 in edmonton anyways.

chaozbandit >  V8 Rustler 08/13/2015 at 11:38

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BMW’s S65 V8 definitely makes a good noise. I’ve heard pretty much most of the current GT3 spec cars (Pirelli World Challenge) and pretty much all of them sound better than the GT cars in the Tudor United SC series, with the exception of the Corvette C7.R and 991 RSR. My personal favourite is the GT-R GT3s, although the Cadillac ATS-V.Rs make a pretty good turbo-v6 noise as well. Can’t wait for the new GT3 cars in ‘16/’17.

I’ve tried on the higher-speed sections of my home track, but my biggest issue is just getting the framing right. I’m sure it’s something that comes with experience, but having a good piece of glass makes it a bit easier :)

Sometimes the signage board in the background makes it look a bit weird.

DasWauto > chaozbandit 08/15/2015 at 18:12

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Interesting, I’ve got a NEX-5R and have considered picking up one or more lenses. I want a 35 or 50 mm prime lens and a zoom like the Sony you have. I’m gonna browse Kijiji for those Minoltas too now.

chaozbandit > DasWauto 08/15/2015 at 21:08

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Primes are a good place to start - ideally the 35mm, which is more like 50mm on full frame. Just be weary with native Sony glass, since pretty much all Zeiss stuff costs four figures. Tamron, Rokinon, Sigma all have decent budget options (the latter has a decent warranty, though I don’t know how good it is)

If you’re in the market for adapters, you can always look for used Canon / Nikon pro-glass. Even the older A-mount glass isn’t too bad.

DasWauto > chaozbandit 08/15/2015 at 21:53

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Yeah, I was thinking about getting a Canon FD adapter. 50mm F1.8s are pretty easy to find but I’ll look for the shorter focal length to work with the crop sensor.