Safe to buy 7D?

satay16 · 5th February 2006

I was planning to get my first DSLR system and had my mind set on getting the 7D with a set of lens and flash. however, i just had to rethink my plan since the news of sony and km merging surfaced. can someone give me advice on whether it is risky if i continued my plan and buy a KM system? i can't really imagine making the wrong choice and wasting thousand of dollars since KM mounts are totally different from canon and nikon.

Del_CtrlnoAlt · 5th February 2006

it won't kill u to buy a 7D... it will only create a hole for u...

djork · 5th February 2006

u might want to observe for a while first to see what sony has in store for KM before spending the cash.

Drudkh · 5th February 2006

What makes you want to buy a 7D in the 1st place?

GENO · 5th February 2006

Get D2X or MARK II n better.. MTL

drake336 · 5th February 2006

If it makes you feel better, I got the 7D body and 2 KM digital only lenses AFTER the Sony aquisition was announced... Now I am shopping around for the VC-7D (any bros wanna sell?)

But that's me, I am a sucker for Minolta. (can I rub away the Konica from my gear?

)

As the others have already mentioned, if you are not commited in any system, you should go get a N or C as you have a $hitload of lenses to choose from. (Personally, I would go for C as I think they are closer to attaining that full frame prosumer soon)

Frankly, looking for Minolta lenses (both new and old) is a real pain in the a$$...

But despite all this, the 7D is the only body I feel comfortable with (gotta love the classic minolta feel, all dials and analog switches)...

So the question is, how badly do you want the 7D body design / features?

jsbn · 6th February 2006

Well, u can always go for a D2x (w/Holy Trinity combo) or a 1DsMkII (17-40L, 70-200 f2.8, 400DO, 500L, 1200L).

Had my Minolta 5D for my 2nd camera even though it may seem like a step backwards frm my 300D, somehow I'm more comfortable & confident carrying that camera around to shoot, Sony acquisition or not.

No doubt finding accessories a pain and really Good lenses are really way out of the normal human reach, but it had forced me in a way to look differently at consumer grade lens (I'd used to snuff those EF lenses when I was back in Canon and swear by L).

Nw I'm getting by with nothing more than a kit lens (yes, I only own the kit lens) looking to improve my picture over improving my lens.

Ask urself, do u want to take pictures or do u want to just buy equipment? IMHO no acquisition news of any sort shld deter anyone frm going onto a 'soon-to-be-discontinued' brand to take good pictures.

Once u'd settled in, get the lenses u need for what u like to shoot and move onto taking great photos instead of wanking over equipment.

kacang · 6th February 2006

Originally Posted by jsbn

Well, u can always go for a D2x (w/Holy Trinity combo) or a 1DsMkII (17-40L, 70-200 f2.8, 400DO, 500L, 1200L).

Had my Minolta 5D for my 2nd camera even though it may seem like a step backwards frm my 300D, somehow I'm more comfortable & confident carrying that camera around to shoot, Sony acquisition or not.

No doubt finding accessories a pain and really Good lenses are really way out of the normal human reach, but it had forced me in a way to look differently at consumer grade lens (I'd used to snuff those EF lenses when I was back in Canon and swear by L).

Nw I'm getting by with nothing more than a kit lens (yes, I only own the kit lens) looking to improve my picture over improving my lens.

Ask urself, do u want to take pictures or do u want to just buy equipment? IMHO no acquisition news of any sort shld deter anyone frm going onto a 'soon-to-be-discontinued' brand to take good pictures.

Once u'd settled in, get the lenses u need for what u like to shoot and move onto taking great photos instead of wanking over equipment.

I agree with JSBN.

Understand what you want than get what kind of lens. I feel KM lens is difficult to get and very expensive in Singapore.

TME · 6th February 2006

Originally Posted by drake336

Now I am shopping around for the VC-7D (any bros wanna sell?)

Qutie unlikely that u can get hold of one 2nd hand unless someone is switching systems... after u use one, u will never be able to shoot vertical shots without the grip! Trust me....

Zenten · 6th February 2006

Originally Posted by TME

Qutie unlikely that u can get hold of one 2nd hand unless someone is switching systems... after u use one, u will never be able to shoot vertical shots without the grip! Trust me....

You can say that a thousand times again .........

Nobody has yet to come up with a VG for the 5D...........

satay16 · 6th February 2006

sigh.. just wondering, is the 7d even for sale anymore? i asked some retailers and they actually told me they dun have stock for 7d anymore.

jsbn · 6th February 2006

Where did u ask?

drake336 · 6th February 2006

Originally Posted by jsbn

Ask urself, do u want to take pictures or do u want to just buy equipment? IMHO no acquisition news of any sort shld deter anyone frm going onto a 'soon-to-be-discontinued' brand to take good pictures.

Once u'd settled in, get the lenses u need for what u like to shoot and move onto taking great photos instead of wanking over equipment.

Comfort with your equipment is sometimes tactile, sometimes practical, etc...

Don't think thread starter is concerned about wanking, but rather whether his substantial investment will meet an untimely demise.

KM seems to want to reward their loyal users with a tiny optics selection, but for now at least, there are available and affordable options (though pain is involved in finding them)...

From threadstarter's POV, we should understand his concern is valid, right now it will take heck of a lot of conviction to jump on the KM-Sony bandwagon.

But if you are (absolutely) convinced and ready to take the plunge, then welcome to our small (but passionate) family!

drake336 · 6th February 2006

Originally Posted by TME

Qutie unlikely that u can get hold of one 2nd hand unless someone is switching systems... after u use one, u will never be able to shoot vertical shots without the grip! Trust me....

err... yeah... you don't have to preach to a priest

tao · 7th February 2006

Originally Posted by satay16

I was planning to get my first DSLR system and had my mind set on getting the 7D with a set of lens and flash. however, i just had to rethink my plan since the news of sony and km merging surfaced. can someone give me advice on whether it is risky if i continued my plan and buy a KM system? i can't really imagine making the wrong choice and wasting thousand of dollars since KM mounts are totally different from canon and nikon.

Considering that this will be your 1st DSLR, you might wanna consider the 5D. It is much cheaper and has practically all the useful features of the 7D and is more problem free. At least if the unknown happens, your loss is not that much. Also, look more at the 2nd hand lenses to protect your investment as the depreciation of already depreciated stuff is negligible.

satay16 · 7th February 2006

Originally Posted by tao

Considering that this will be your 1st DSLR, you might wanna consider the 5D. It is much cheaper and has practically all the useful features of the 7D and is more problem free. At least if the unknown happens, your loss is not that much. Also, look more at the 2nd hand lenses to protect your investment as the depreciation of already depreciated stuff is negligible.

any particular areas that will cause me to hesitate between 5d and 7d?

and also, i am kind of new to minolta lenses. comparing with canon and nikon, how do they compare? (factors like price, quality...etc)

ps. i acidentally emptied my pm folder after reading one message. i think i saw 1 more new message. whoever is that can resent? thanks.

jsbn · 7th February 2006

The lack of a vertical grip is my relationship for love & hate for my 5D.
Love for it due to the lack of vertical grip makes it a really excellent travel companion (plus I don't have to spend money).
Hate it as its quite a pain in the *beep* when u're taking portraits. I dun have wrist muscles like that of a bodybuilder's biceps.

Personally the range of consumer lenses for Minolta are cheap & reasonable with the most expensive consumer grade lens topping at $700 & the super high end 'G' lenses (equivalent to that of expensive Canon L lens and top-grade lenses frm Nikon) topping at over $8K to $10K. U can refer to the sticky thread for prices of Minolta's lenses and compare it with other prices in Nikon & Canon subsection.

For quality, everyone here (frm my personal standard as a newbie to really great shooters like Drudkh & Sulhan) had shot with so-called 'consumer grade' lenses & produced photos that are no lacking in quality.

As for speed, whilst only top grade G lenses feature SSM to drive the lens elements to zoom & focus faster, after switching frm Canon and using their USM lenses to a slower Minolta system made me realise that there's nothing faster than ur eyes and brain. Know where to focus first in ur brain, raise ur camera look half-press and u fire.

pai · 7th February 2006

buy 4D lor!

seriously, if you're not in a hurry, can consider waiting till PMA (end of this month) to see if sony makes any announcements about future cameras or lens line-up.

at the moment, minolta mount lenses are a rather troublesome to find. stuff like teleconverters even harder. maybe when km officially hands over the factories, things will improve.

both the 5D and 7D are good cameras you can get and use right now. what the future holds is a little more uncertain.

drake336 · 8th February 2006

Originally Posted by satay16

any particular areas that will cause me to hesitate between 5d and 7d?

and also, i am kind of new to minolta lenses. comparing with canon and nikon, how do they compare? (factors like price, quality...etc)

ps. i acidentally emptied my pm folder after reading one message. i think i saw 1 more new message. whoever is that can resent? thanks.

Went thru the same thing, as far as I can summarize...

7D Pros:
Exposure dial (normal and flash)
Magnesium alloy (in most areas)
PC sync socket
Custom functions
Heavy (stable with heavy lens)
Vertical grip possible
Can practically shoot with analog switches, don't have to fiddle with menus

7D Cons:
Price

Heavy (a bit hard core for travelling)
Older firmware (according to forums)

5D Pros:
Price

Free kit lens

Light
Same res as big brother
Newer firmware

5D Cons:
Plasticky
Light (hard to shoot portrait style with big lens)
Changed exposure dial of 7D to white balance dial (this decision single-handedly made me go for the 7D

, what on earth were they thinking?)
Slightly more menu reliant

drake336 · 8th February 2006

As far as lenses go, if you are used to Canon AF, you will be a bit disappointed with KM cos it slower and less acurrate.

Consumer grades lenses similar to N, C counterparts.

G lenses also comparable to N and C...

Just that lens selection is smaller...

But older generation non-G lenses have some really great gems if you can get your hands on them...

24-50mm f4
70-210mm f4
24-85 f(I forgot)

maybe some of the KM users here can list more...

5th February 2006	#1
satay16 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,977	Safe to buy 7D? I was planning to get my first DSLR system and had my mind set on getting the 7D with a set of lens and flash. however, i just had to rethink my plan since the news of sony and km merging surfaced. can someone give me advice on whether it is risky if i continued my plan and buy a KM system? i can't really imagine making the wrong choice and wasting thousand of dollars since KM mounts are totally different from canon and nikon.

5th February 2006	#2
Del_CtrlnoAlt Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Outside the Dry Box. Posts: 16,342	Re: Safe to buy 7D? it won't kill u to buy a 7D... it will only create a hole for u... __________________ Logging Off Permanently. Those who need to contact me will know where to contact me.

5th February 2006	#3
djork Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Hong Kong, Pokfulam Posts: 1,195	Re: Safe to buy 7D? u might want to observe for a while first to see what sony has in store for KM before spending the cash. __________________ Canon 300D, 30D, 5D. 17-40 f4 L, 24-105 f4 L, 70-200 f2.8 L IS

5th February 2006	#4
Drudkh Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,019	Re: Safe to buy 7D? What makes you want to buy a 7D in the 1st place?

5th February 2006	#5
GENO Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Teddy Bear Land Posts: 2,859	Re: Safe to buy 7D? Get D2X or MARK II n better.. MTL __________________ Take both its legs down first, then cuts its tail, next is shoot between its eyes:devil:

5th February 2006	#6
drake336 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 827	Re: Safe to buy 7D? If it makes you feel better, I got the 7D body and 2 KM digital only lenses AFTER the Sony aquisition was announced... Now I am shopping around for the VC-7D (any bros wanna sell?) But that's me, I am a sucker for Minolta. (can I rub away the Konica from my gear? ) As the others have already mentioned, if you are not commited in any system, you should go get a N or C as you have a $hitload of lenses to choose from. (Personally, I would go for C as I think they are closer to attaining that full frame prosumer soon) Frankly, looking for Minolta lenses (both new and old) is a real pain in the a$$... But despite all this, the 7D is the only body I feel comfortable with (gotta love the classic minolta feel, all dials and analog switches)... So the question is, how badly do you want the 7D body design / features?

6th February 2006	#7
jsbn Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Planet Eropagnis Posts: 2,977	Re: Safe to buy 7D? Well, u can always go for a D2x (w/Holy Trinity combo) or a 1DsMkII (17-40L, 70-200 f2.8, 400DO, 500L, 1200L). Had my Minolta 5D for my 2nd camera even though it may seem like a step backwards frm my 300D, somehow I'm more comfortable & confident carrying that camera around to shoot, Sony acquisition or not. No doubt finding accessories a pain and really Good lenses are really way out of the normal human reach, but it had forced me in a way to look differently at consumer grade lens (I'd used to snuff those EF lenses when I was back in Canon and swear by L). Nw I'm getting by with nothing more than a kit lens (yes, I only own the kit lens) looking to improve my picture over improving my lens. Ask urself, do u want to take pictures or do u want to just buy equipment? IMHO no acquisition news of any sort shld deter anyone frm going onto a 'soon-to-be-discontinued' brand to take good pictures. Once u'd settled in, get the lenses u need for what u like to shoot and move onto taking great photos instead of wanking over equipment. __________________ "Wonders of the Human Mind. Unfathomable to the highest degree."

6th February 2006	#11
satay16 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,977	Re: Safe to buy 7D? sigh.. just wondering, is the 7d even for sale anymore? i asked some retailers and they actually told me they dun have stock for 7d anymore.

6th February 2006	#12
jsbn Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Planet Eropagnis Posts: 2,977	Re: Safe to buy 7D? Where did u ask? __________________ "Wonders of the Human Mind. Unfathomable to the highest degree."

7th February 2006	#17
jsbn Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Planet Eropagnis Posts: 2,977	Re: Safe to buy 7D? The lack of a vertical grip is my relationship for love & hate for my 5D. Love for it due to the lack of vertical grip makes it a really excellent travel companion (plus I don't have to spend money). Hate it as its quite a pain in the beep when u're taking portraits. I dun have wrist muscles like that of a bodybuilder's biceps. Personally the range of consumer lenses for Minolta are cheap & reasonable with the most expensive consumer grade lens topping at $700 & the super high end 'G' lenses (equivalent to that of expensive Canon L lens and top-grade lenses frm Nikon) topping at over $8K to $10K. U can refer to the sticky thread for prices of Minolta's lenses and compare it with other prices in Nikon & Canon subsection. For quality, everyone here (frm my personal standard as a newbie to really great shooters like Drudkh & Sulhan) had shot with so-called 'consumer grade' lenses & produced photos that are no lacking in quality. As for speed, whilst only top grade G lenses feature SSM to drive the lens elements to zoom & focus faster, after switching frm Canon and using their USM lenses to a slower Minolta system made me realise that there's nothing faster than ur eyes and brain. Know where to focus first in ur brain, raise ur camera look half-press and u fire. __________________ "Wonders of the Human Mind. Unfathomable to the highest degree."

7th February 2006	#18
pai Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Lala Land Posts: 1,664	Re: Safe to buy 7D? buy 4D lor! seriously, if you're not in a hurry, can consider waiting till PMA (end of this month) to see if sony makes any announcements about future cameras or lens line-up. at the moment, minolta mount lenses are a rather troublesome to find. stuff like teleconverters even harder. maybe when km officially hands over the factories, things will improve. both the 5D and 7D are good cameras you can get and use right now. what the future holds is a little more uncertain.

8th February 2006	#20
drake336 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 827	Re: Safe to buy 7D? As far as lenses go, if you are used to Canon AF, you will be a bit disappointed with KM cos it slower and less acurrate. Consumer grades lenses similar to N, C counterparts. G lenses also comparable to N and C... Just that lens selection is smaller... But older generation non-G lenses have some really great gems if you can get your hands on them... 24-50mm f4 70-210mm f4 24-85 f(I forgot) maybe some of the KM users here can list more...