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Minolta Dynax 5

Ahh... that's a nice little camera. Many people consider the Dynax 5 a stripped down version of the well sought after 7. And it is, the specifications are quite impressive lacking only in the user interface, lesser build quality and a slower top speed. The AF and the exposure system are the same so expect this camera to deliver the goods time after time.  The AF is fast and confident and the light meter gave me perfectly exposed pictures. But as always there are some things that i would like to be different.
1) The P(anic?) button. It resets everything including the AF points which, in order to select, you need to keep pressed the AF button and at the same time turn the dial. Not very convenient and at times annoying having to do it again.
2) The size of the camera. I usually love small cameras but this one is way too small. I keep pressing the depth of field preview as there is not enough space between the camera's grip and the button.
3) The camera's back door safety feature. If you want to rewind the film mid-way through you need to:
a)Turn the camera to OFF
b)Turn the function dial to ISO
c)While pressing the function dial and the spot-AE buttons, turn the camera on
d) The back door will open.
As you probably have figured out already all the fore mentioned are highly subjective. You might love, for example the small size of the camera but for me I find it difficult to hold it. As I said the AF is quite good, for sure much faster and accurate than the 500si but still I am under the impression that the Canon 300v focuses faster and does not display the occasional hunt that sometimes is evident with the Dynax 5. Having said that, the fit and finish of the Dynax 5 is way better than this of the Canon. As so is the viewfinder - very bright and clean. Of course there are the usual 7 AF spots (multi-AF spots are not my cup of tea -my complains here) which pollute a beautiful bright screen but... hey... you cannot have everything.

Conclusion

This is one beautiful camera. It works great as a point and shoot camera, has many features that are not typical for it's category (top speed of 1/4000 for example) and give perfectly exposed pictures. Do I prefer this camera over the Canon 300v. I am not really sure. Although the fit and finish is much better the 300v with the EF 50/1.8 is a great combination that the little minolta will strangle to beat and unfortunately i am not willing to pay a £100 premium to get a 50 f/1.7 for the Minolta. So it is only for practical reasons that I will keep the Canon and propably part with the Dynax 5. But the Dynax 5 is an impressive camera, consider it a bargain if you find it for anything less than £40

Lasting impressions
I have sold this camera since. I never really got on well with it. The size of it was too small for my hands and my fingers kept pressing the DOF preview button all the time. User interface left me cold too. I am a big Minolta fan but i think that Minolta has done better. Of course the amount of responses I got telling me otherwise cannot be ignored. So get one for yourself and see what you think. You might love it (although i have to say that i didn't...)

Comments

  1. אורן26 February 2012 at 23:21

    I just returned to photographing with my Dynax 5. bought it at the twilight of Minolta - just before they sold their camera department to Sony and gave up the whole thing. I still love this camera, and even with my not-so-steady hands, I get amazingly sharp photos out of it.

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  2. Panagiotis Giannakis27 February 2012 at 00:04

    Hi,
    This is a great camera and i feel i have regretted for selling it. The two Kodak Golds were shot during cloudy weather which didn't help much i suppose. It is a nice camera, having had it with a 50 f/1.7 i would probably prefer it over the canon.

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  3. Anonymous9 April 2012 at 16:22

    I made some excellent pics with this analoge in Portugal. I also own a sony a390 but the picture quality of the dynax5 is superb. Pics are VERY sharp in compairence with the sony dslr. This camera is absolutelly a must keep. Colours are warmer etc. etc. Bought it eight years ago...

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