Geir Eivind Mork wrote:
I'm as one might guess a Minolta user with lots of minolta lenses. I'm
at last considering going digital, but Minolta hasn't exactly been
releasing tons of cameras to consider.

One camera is enough for me :-). But the choice is indeed rather
limited.

I currently have a Minolta 700si which predates the Minolta 7 which the
Minolta 7d is based on. And I really like the build of it compared to
the cheaper 5-series.

Absolutely, I have the 500si super, which is certainly a nice camera,
but has a very lightweight build. Luckily, the 5d I have now is of much
better build quality than the 500si. So unless you need a vertical grip
(which is only available for the 7d), you should actually be fine with
the 5d.

The main advantage of the 7d (apart from the vertical grip) is the high
resolution display. Nice, but in my view not essential.

The A100 is a nice upgrade for the pixel count, but it comes at
slightly more noise and with the ugly SONY logo. I agree with you that
the price is a bit high. There is some speculation that Sony is going
to launch a better camera early next year, which would probably let the
price of the A100 drop a bit.

It IS the image quality that is important. I love doing landscapes,
nature, mountainbike / skiing shots and urban nightlife. So it have to
be the one of the two that gives me the best result in that under same
conditions.

If you to low light shots, the 5d and 7d might have a slight edge
because of the lower noise. In just about any other aspect, the A100
should have the edge. But only you know whether that is worth the
additional money.

Thomas