beachluvr
03-10-2006, 10:43 PM
Update on the KONICA-MINOLTA 5D
Several weeks ago I bought a KONICA-MINOLTA 5D with a KONICA-MINOLTA 18-200 lens. I bought it strictly for personal travels, family and fun. I own several professional film cameras and rarely shoot digitally for my work. I utilize this site because photography is my business and my passion and I’ve bought 10+ point-and-shoot digicams to take along with me on trips or just to have in my pocket to capture unexpected photo opportunities. So for me, the KONICA-MINOLTA 5D falls somewhere in between my omni-present pocket cams and my pro gear that used to go along with me on holiday.
Why did I choose the 5D over other cameras in its class? Well, I did so just a few days after KONICA-MINOLTA announced that they would be transferring their brand assets to Sony, to be fully implemented sometime in 2007. Since Sony is a prime force in digital imaging, the business transfer appears transparent to the average user on the street. In other words, as it affects a DSLR in its category, the fact is it has no effect. To me the 5D felt more “traditional”, not quite as much as the 7D, but to me just right. It’s a solid beast, feeling more robust in hand than the other brands in the category, and it is less menu-driven than most of the others, meaning direct access to those functions that can make the difference between opportunity gained or opportunity lost. Of course, KONICA-MINOLTA optics need no introduction.
Shortly after I bought the camera I took an extended holiday to refresh after publication of my latest book and get ideas for the next three in the works. I traveled through desert, frigid mountains, tropical regions, and areas of historic interest which gave me a decent feel for how the 5D performs.
In over a month of travels I would have to say the KONICA-MINOLTA 5D makes a wonderful bridge camera, lying somewhere between nearly any non-DSLR product and the $2K+ products. Time after time I felt it hit the mark better than other sub-$1000 brands. I don’t believe a subjective opinion like that can be quantified by me or anyone else, there is no such thing as a “best” or “worst” entry-level DSLR. I continually have the feeling that KONICA-MINOLTA was trying to build a camera-that-happened-to-be-digital with the 5D and 7D, as opposed to a top-selling-be-all-to-everybody product. The results were predictable … they sold their cameras to people with more than an entry-level understanding of photography, and could never meet the mass-produced sales numbers of the pop-culture brands. I can’t wait to see what their core technology is going to do when implemented in exactly one of those pop-culture brands.
What about specs? You probably know I am not a measurebator who wastes endless energy parroting “specs”. Before digital cameras, photography was a lot less about specs and a lot more about feel and control and perception. KONICA-MINOLTA understood this and built their DSLRs to be instruments that one picked up, brought to eye, and composed compelling imagery without the instrument itself getting in the way. Sadly as I scan so many other posts in this forum I can hear the screams of those who honestly believe that more megapixels will make them a better photographer or that all the other specs thrown at us by the reviewers can allow a camera to make a photograph better or worse. That is just not true. The instrument is just a tool, please remember that. You need a tool that helps you, not hinders you. Again, KONICA-MINOLTA understood that when they created the 5D and 7D. They are both capable instruments and after putting mine through hell for a month I can honestly say it is an amazing value in the sub-$1000 DSLR category.
Bottom line … claims that a particular brand or model is “best” is the height of ridiculousity. Don’t even ask the question what brand is best. When you shop for a digital SLR put specs out of your mind and put the camera to you eye. Ask yourself if you feel that the hunk of plastic and metal you’re holding can capture what your eye sees and your heart feels. Buy the camera that makes you feel good. I feel very good after coming home with priceless memories and some irreplaceable magic moments, assisted in large part by a camera that worked with me rather than against me.
Several weeks ago I bought a KONICA-MINOLTA 5D with a KONICA-MINOLTA 18-200 lens. I bought it strictly for personal travels, family and fun. I own several professional film cameras and rarely shoot digitally for my work. I utilize this site because photography is my business and my passion and I’ve bought 10+ point-and-shoot digicams to take along with me on trips or just to have in my pocket to capture unexpected photo opportunities. So for me, the KONICA-MINOLTA 5D falls somewhere in between my omni-present pocket cams and my pro gear that used to go along with me on holiday.
Why did I choose the 5D over other cameras in its class? Well, I did so just a few days after KONICA-MINOLTA announced that they would be transferring their brand assets to Sony, to be fully implemented sometime in 2007. Since Sony is a prime force in digital imaging, the business transfer appears transparent to the average user on the street. In other words, as it affects a DSLR in its category, the fact is it has no effect. To me the 5D felt more “traditional”, not quite as much as the 7D, but to me just right. It’s a solid beast, feeling more robust in hand than the other brands in the category, and it is less menu-driven than most of the others, meaning direct access to those functions that can make the difference between opportunity gained or opportunity lost. Of course, KONICA-MINOLTA optics need no introduction.
Shortly after I bought the camera I took an extended holiday to refresh after publication of my latest book and get ideas for the next three in the works. I traveled through desert, frigid mountains, tropical regions, and areas of historic interest which gave me a decent feel for how the 5D performs.
In over a month of travels I would have to say the KONICA-MINOLTA 5D makes a wonderful bridge camera, lying somewhere between nearly any non-DSLR product and the $2K+ products. Time after time I felt it hit the mark better than other sub-$1000 brands. I don’t believe a subjective opinion like that can be quantified by me or anyone else, there is no such thing as a “best” or “worst” entry-level DSLR. I continually have the feeling that KONICA-MINOLTA was trying to build a camera-that-happened-to-be-digital with the 5D and 7D, as opposed to a top-selling-be-all-to-everybody product. The results were predictable … they sold their cameras to people with more than an entry-level understanding of photography, and could never meet the mass-produced sales numbers of the pop-culture brands. I can’t wait to see what their core technology is going to do when implemented in exactly one of those pop-culture brands.
What about specs? You probably know I am not a measurebator who wastes endless energy parroting “specs”. Before digital cameras, photography was a lot less about specs and a lot more about feel and control and perception. KONICA-MINOLTA understood this and built their DSLRs to be instruments that one picked up, brought to eye, and composed compelling imagery without the instrument itself getting in the way. Sadly as I scan so many other posts in this forum I can hear the screams of those who honestly believe that more megapixels will make them a better photographer or that all the other specs thrown at us by the reviewers can allow a camera to make a photograph better or worse. That is just not true. The instrument is just a tool, please remember that. You need a tool that helps you, not hinders you. Again, KONICA-MINOLTA understood that when they created the 5D and 7D. They are both capable instruments and after putting mine through hell for a month I can honestly say it is an amazing value in the sub-$1000 DSLR category.
Bottom line … claims that a particular brand or model is “best” is the height of ridiculousity. Don’t even ask the question what brand is best. When you shop for a digital SLR put specs out of your mind and put the camera to you eye. Ask yourself if you feel that the hunk of plastic and metal you’re holding can capture what your eye sees and your heart feels. Buy the camera that makes you feel good. I feel very good after coming home with priceless memories and some irreplaceable magic moments, assisted in large part by a camera that worked with me rather than against me.