Well, the 500si is by no means a 700si but when i saw it, i thought that i had to have it. Now that i gave it a cool off period i think it would be a good idea to write a small review about it.
I've read theothermartintaylor's review about this camera and i would have to agree with it but I think it is a bit better camera than that.The Minolta has a decent AF speed-wise. It cannot compare with Canon's but it is fairly quick although a bit noisy. Sometimes it gives the impression that it's not sure if it has focused - you will hear a "wzzz - wzzz" like it is testing and then it will give the green light. It doesn't take much time but you will notice it. The layout is easy to understand and the chubby grip helps with holding the camera. The Minolta came together with the 28-80 f/4-5.6 which optically is an OK lens but nothing exciting. Dispite the relatively slow lens, the Minolta's viewfinder is nicely bright, a very pleasant surprise if you consider that this camera is a low class one.
So what is wrong with this camera? In my opinion there are 3 things that i find annoying.
a) First, the plastic lens mount. If you have any plans of putting and expensive and optically better lens, just forget it. The heavier the lens, the more chances you have to end up with the lens coming off your camera while swinging it around.
b) Uses DX settings only. You cannot push / pull the film's sensitivity. That is a serious limitation as i tend to stock my film with 400 ASA films and during summer i tend to rate it as 100ASA.
c) Finally the most distracting feature - or better the lack of it - is the continuous AF. The camera will take the picture ONLY AFTER it focuses and sadly you will find the camera hunting for focus just at the moment you want to take the shot. When doing street photography this is fundamental, you need to be able to take the picture at any given time and the Minolta will not take a pic unless it focuses first. The Canon will take the picture even if focus hasn't been completed although a smaller aperture will be chosen and the depth of field will yield a sharp picture. I am not sure if predictive AF was added to the 500si Super but i think they didn't.
I find the exposure system to be quite accurate. It doesn't have a spot option but to be honest i am satisfied with the accuracy of the honeycomb system. I use negative film anyway but still it gives correct exposes even in difficult lighting conditions. Really, It is a sound camera and if i was given it in the mid '90s i would have been thrilled with it and with the pictures it takes. But having tried other AF cameras i think that there are much better cameras out there that can produce the same nice (or better) results with better ergonomics, better build quality and more features. Some of it's shortcomings - mainly the plastic mount and the addition of a spot meter- were addressed in the next model, the Dynax 500si Super which is virtually the same camera and it is more sought after.
Conclusion
The Minolta Dynax 500si is a really cute camera. So cute in fact that I find it difficult to persuade myself to sell it. It's one of those cameras that the more you use it, the more it grows in you. It doesn't hide the fact that it was a low level autofocus camera but it does deliver nice, well exposed pictures.
Should you buy one? If you are stepping up from a point-and-shoot camera then definitely yes. If digital photography is all you ever did and you want to give film a try without spending a fortune then this is the camera to go for. If you want to buy a back up body make sure that you get it cheap. I checked a very popular website and they tend to sell for £40 with a lens (September 2010 prices) which i think it is quite steep. Not because it doesn't worth it - far from it - it's just that for an extra £10 you can get a better equipped model from Canon, Nikon or Minolta. Get it for anything less than £30 and you've got yourself a deal.
Lasting impressions
The Minolta 500si was a great little camera to use. I think it was just the right size for my hands and with the 50 f/1.7 was a neat little packet. But unfortunately it developed a "help" error and seized working. I attributed this to a possible sticky aperture actuator but i cannot be sure. Eventually i sold it for spare parts as the repair cost was exceeding the camera price
Lasting impressions
The Minolta 500si was a great little camera to use. I think it was just the right size for my hands and with the 50 f/1.7 was a neat little packet. But unfortunately it developed a "help" error and seized working. I attributed this to a possible sticky aperture actuator but i cannot be sure. Eventually i sold it for spare parts as the repair cost was exceeding the camera price
The dynax 500si super had spot meyering and a metal mount I have one with 28_80 and70_210 +3200i flash with rc100 release I use it as wellas My Nikon D300 zIt is a excellent camera for film I got the lot for 30 pound
ReplyDeleteActually, the 500SI can override the DX coding. Manual focus is nice, as it he AF system will still indicate when in focus through the viewfinder.
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