upgrade 5 or 7?

[woosy]

Hi hi.. am new here. i'm bit torn within myself as to upgrade or not...
i own dynax 505 for awhile. the auto focus is bit slow. tried my hands on 5 & 7. kinda impressed as you might have guessed.
so now the question that bothers me is if i should spend the $$$ to buy a 5. do you think its similar to 505 (except faster)? 7 is too expensive. ok you might as if auto focus is important to me. well, ok lah. not die die must have. nice to have
or should i spend the $$ on the 50mm 1.7 lens instead? you know buy better lens than body...

i'm not a pro, just a amateur wannabe who takes it out when travelling.

thanks in advance

[clive]

dynax 7 is recommended

[deslim27]

Hi Woosy,

May be you can tell us more about your usage like application, frequency and importancy etc? I also own a 505, and later upgrade to Dynax 7. Primarily because 505 doesn't have a DOF button and Dynax 5 doesn't exist yet. Or else I may ask the same question like yours also

50mm 1.7 is "die die must buy" item . Cheap, fast and sharp!

[woosy]

primarily i use it to take travel photos. (need be more specific?) :P
scenery, people, objects or try some 'arty' shots.
other times would be help some frens take wedding pictures (not paid kind). which i found the auto focus really slow here. esp for those candid shots.

hey does minolta has any 50mm that can double up as a macro lens? How much?

hope this helps while i patiently wait...

ya the 50mm 1.7...

woos

[Magnus Wedberg]

Originally Posted by woosy hey does minolta has any 50mm that can double up as a macro lens? How much?

http://www.nefkom.net/miho/foto/minolta/lenses.html
Minolta has a 50/3.5 and a 50/2.8 -- both macro lenses. They are much, much rarer on the used market than the 50/1.7.

The Dynax 7 is one of the best cameras ever made. Highly recommended; worth its price. Worth saving for if you are thinking of buying a 5. The 5 is not bad, but the 7 is three times as good.

[yeocolin]

whatever macro lens, be it 50mm, 100mm, will be slower, in terms of aperture size and maybe even in AF than their 'normal cousins' non-macro. In terms of quality, the macro lens should be comparable to the non-macro ones. Ultimately, if you want to buy a macro lens, think of using it for its macro purpose rather than its non-macro purpose. The price difference between the 2 is significant and being slower, will defeat the purpose of the 50mm of being fast.

[deslim27]

Originally Posted by woosy primarily i use it to take travel photos. (need be more specific?) :P scenery, people, objects or try some 'arty' shots. other times would be help some frens take wedding pictures (not paid kind). which i found the auto focus really slow here. esp for those candid shots. hey does minolta has any 50mm that can double up as a macro lens? How much? hope this helps while i patiently wait... ya the 50mm 1.7... woos

yes. 505 AF is much slower and not as reliable as Dynax 7 especially dim/low light condition.

If I want a camera mainly for travelling alone, I would choose a Dynax 5 with Tamron 28-200mm (or 28-300mm version), plus a 50mm 1.7 (or 50mm marco - your choice). Cheaper, smaller and lighter on the move, if camera build and picture quality for large print are not a concern (anyway the 50mm is for more important shots).

May be you can use the money saved on a good flash gun? Useful for shooting friends' wedding.

I guess the important features of Dynax 7 for me that are not in Dynax 5,

- Honeycomb Meter Display
- Vertical Grip
- Mid roll rewind/reload
- Data memory
- Flash compensation
- 1/8000 sec (more versatile)
- allow changing of aperture with DOF button pressed
- better build (well, still plastic)
- more power AF motor? (Just assuming here, since using some big lens)


Just my 0.02

p.s. Sorry, I'm assuming you're poor man like me.. else wat the heck, just buy Dynax 7, no need to think! kekeke.

[vader]

That is only a fraction of what deslim27 said only. dynax 7 has a brighter screen too, dual crosshair sensors will help you focus better, weight is more balance, most functions easily accessible, etc compensation, mode changing, metering changing, drive mode like continous frame, self timer braketing just filp the dial only. what you need is something which lets you do thinks easily.

[deslim27]

Originally Posted by vader That is only a fraction of what deslim27 said only. dynax 7 has a brighter screen too, dual crosshair sensors will help you focus better, weight is more balance, most functions easily accessible, etc compensation, mode changing, metering changing, drive mode like continous frame, self timer braketing just filp the dial only. what you need is something which lets you do thinks easily.

Yeah lah.. Thanks for reminding me of my 2 favourite dials on top.. I always smiling off when see other changing these options via menu or press multiple buttons.

KM, make sure you have the 2 dials there for coming DSLR ok? Aiya, just squeeze the sensor into Dynax 7 lah!

[woosy]

thanks for all the input, really appreciate them. price is a BIG issue for me as the 7 easily cost many hundred bucks more than the 5. maybe i will get the 50mm 1.7 first and save for the 7. unless i can get my hands on someone who sells only 5's body or a 2nd hand 7.

last questions, 7 bit heavy as travel camera? what do you guys shoot with a 7?

woos

[vader]

There is someone selling in the buy & sell forum...you may call the party to check out.

[deslim27]

Originally Posted by vader There is someone selling in the buy & sell forum...you may call the party to check out.

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=55866

you mean this?

[Magnus Wedberg]

Originally Posted by woosy last questions, 7 bit heavy as travel camera? what do you guys shoot with a 7?

The 7 weighs 575g compared to the 5 which is 335g. Neither is heavy...

Everything is shootable with a 7

[Zerstorer]

Actually, if you are considering a Dynax 7, buying a 50mm f1.7 as well shouldn't be a problem. It's only $100+. Compact, fast focusing and good even when wide open.

[frisky]

Originally Posted by Magnus Wedberg The 7 weighs 575g compared to the 5 which is 335g. Neither is heavy... Everything is shootable with a 7

Heavy is subjective. Additional 240g can be considered heavy by some.

[deslim27]

Originally Posted by woosy last questions, 7 bit heavy as travel camera?

erh.. not really heavy for me.. I use it with vertical grip + 4 AA batteries most of the time, that about >800g? My friends and colleagues have different opinion though, as they are casual/holiday shooters and want something smaller and lighter. Well, it is subjective like frisky said.

Originally Posted by woosy what do you guys shoot

Don't know how to answer if the question ends like this, "with a 7".

Anything comes along.. paid or FOC (with film/process covered lah) assignment, family and hobby/leisure shooting.

[woosy]

i'm be the someone who consider the extra 200+ weight heavy. especially so if you walk or trek the whole day. it becomes 300g at the end of the day. not to add the lens yet. don't get me wrong i love the 7. (opps i end with 7 again!) :P

jus wondering,

1) where to get 2nd hand minolta stuff? most shops i checked in penisular sells nikon or canon.

2) how do you decide if its still functioning well as most people who sell would claim? faith?

woos

[yeocolin]

Hi Woosy,
I figure you'd better if you stick with the 505. The $$ spend on Dynax 5 could then be better spent on lens and film, since the marginal gains you get from D5 over 505 doesn't justify the costs. The investment in lens and film will then give you better opportunities to improve your art of photography. After all, that's what photography is about- taking pictures and improving the storytelling quality of the pictures.

Focus on the photo taking. Its the person behind the camera that counts, not the camera.

[frisky]

Originally Posted by woosy i'm be the someone who consider the extra 200+ weight heavy. especially so if you walk or trek the whole day. it becomes 300g at the end of the day. not to add the lens yet. don't get me wrong i love the 7. (opps i end with 7 again!) :P jus wondering, 1) where to get 2nd hand minolta stuff? most shops i checked in penisular sells nikon or canon. 2) how do you decide if its still functioning well as most people who sell would claim? faith? woos

Ha ha, I still remembers when I trekked some hills.....
So I planned to trek 25km over some hills, decide to dump the SLR and go for a 7hi instead....... Really glad I did that.

There are 2 2nd hand shops that stocks some minolta gear : Alex photo and TCW. Other than that, here loh.

[woosy]

thanks everyone again. yeah think will stick with what i have for the moment. (i'm sure this bug will bug me again in time to come)
gonna get the 50mm 1.7 tomorrow : )))) before the gst!