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Minolta Maxxum 5



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 30th 04, 02:15 PM
Jim Spencer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Minolta Maxxum 5

Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a refurbished
body or lens?

Is the extended warranty for this camera a good idea?

We plan to buy in the next several days. Thanks in advance for your
responses!

Jim Spencer
  #2  
Old September 30th 04, 05:41 PM
Siddhartha Jain
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jim Spencer wrote:
Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like

the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.


Goto groups.google.com and type "John Doe Maxxum 5" in the search box.
Click on the first link that leads you to a post called "What lenses
for Minolta Maxxum 5". Should be useful.

See www.keh.com for used cameras and lenses.

Even if you buy used, a good condition camera body and a zoom lens will
exceed US$200, IMHO. Anyways, I am posting the prices I found on
www.keh.com for used lenses.

$119 Maxxum 5 Date Body (New)
$30 50mm f1.7 (Used)
$60 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 (Used)
$100 70-210mm f4 (Used)

Add another $50 for some decent Hoya/B+W filters.


What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a

refurbished
body or lens?


Shutter life?


My humble advise is to go digital. I did about a year back when I
started with a digital P&S (Olympus C-750) and I learned a lot because
I could afford to shoot tonnes of photos with digital, something,
atleast, I couldn't have afforded with film. A decent prosumer class
digital will cost you more initially ($300-$500) but offers lots of
manual controls like shutter, aperture, focus, white balance, ISO etc
and most have a good lens (Panasonic uses Leica lenses). Infact a few
lenses you find on prosumer digicams would cost a bomb if you bought
the same spec-ed lens for a SLR. And when you calculate the cost of a
film SLR don't forget to add the cost of a good film plus processing.

And when you have outgrown your digital P&S come back to usenet for
advice (as I did) ;-)

Cheers,

Siddhartha

  #3  
Old September 30th 04, 05:41 PM
Siddhartha Jain
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jim Spencer wrote:
Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like

the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.


Goto groups.google.com and type "John Doe Maxxum 5" in the search box.
Click on the first link that leads you to a post called "What lenses
for Minolta Maxxum 5". Should be useful.

See www.keh.com for used cameras and lenses.

Even if you buy used, a good condition camera body and a zoom lens will
exceed US$200, IMHO. Anyways, I am posting the prices I found on
www.keh.com for used lenses.

$119 Maxxum 5 Date Body (New)
$30 50mm f1.7 (Used)
$60 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 (Used)
$100 70-210mm f4 (Used)

Add another $50 for some decent Hoya/B+W filters.


What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a

refurbished
body or lens?


Shutter life?


My humble advise is to go digital. I did about a year back when I
started with a digital P&S (Olympus C-750) and I learned a lot because
I could afford to shoot tonnes of photos with digital, something,
atleast, I couldn't have afforded with film. A decent prosumer class
digital will cost you more initially ($300-$500) but offers lots of
manual controls like shutter, aperture, focus, white balance, ISO etc
and most have a good lens (Panasonic uses Leica lenses). Infact a few
lenses you find on prosumer digicams would cost a bomb if you bought
the same spec-ed lens for a SLR. And when you calculate the cost of a
film SLR don't forget to add the cost of a good film plus processing.

And when you have outgrown your digital P&S come back to usenet for
advice (as I did) ;-)

Cheers,

Siddhartha

  #4  
Old September 30th 04, 06:32 PM
Alan Browne
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jim Spencer wrote:

Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.


For general snaps and photo training wheels, the 28-80 kit lens is decent
enough. As a rite of passage for learning photography, esp. composition, buying
the 50 mm f/1.7 is a good idea as well (and these are available new and used at
very good prices). At B&H the Maxxum 5 (QD) is $150 and the 28-80 is $70 (US
Warrany). The 50mm f/1.7 is $80.

Bill and Magnus will weigh in here, I'm sure.

(Note: I often reccomend the 24-105 as a GP lens, but it is outside your budget
by a bit).

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a refurbished
body or lens?


Maxxum 5 refurbished? Hmm. Better go new. (I say 'Hmm' cause it is a relatively
new model and I'd be surprised that there any refurbs on the market...)


Is the extended warranty for this camera a good idea?


No. Or rather only if it so cheap as to be inconsequential.

We plan to buy in the next several days. Thanks in advance for your
responses!


Go for it. Great little camera, great capability for the price If your hands
are large you might find it a bit hard to work with. For most ladies it is a
perfect size.

The built in flash is okay for snaps with high speed film (400-800), but
consider a future purchase of a 2500D or 3600HS D flash as well.

Cheers,
Alan.

--
-- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource:
-- http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--
  #5  
Old September 30th 04, 06:32 PM
Alan Browne
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jim Spencer wrote:

Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.


For general snaps and photo training wheels, the 28-80 kit lens is decent
enough. As a rite of passage for learning photography, esp. composition, buying
the 50 mm f/1.7 is a good idea as well (and these are available new and used at
very good prices). At B&H the Maxxum 5 (QD) is $150 and the 28-80 is $70 (US
Warrany). The 50mm f/1.7 is $80.

Bill and Magnus will weigh in here, I'm sure.

(Note: I often reccomend the 24-105 as a GP lens, but it is outside your budget
by a bit).

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a refurbished
body or lens?


Maxxum 5 refurbished? Hmm. Better go new. (I say 'Hmm' cause it is a relatively
new model and I'd be surprised that there any refurbs on the market...)


Is the extended warranty for this camera a good idea?


No. Or rather only if it so cheap as to be inconsequential.

We plan to buy in the next several days. Thanks in advance for your
responses!


Go for it. Great little camera, great capability for the price If your hands
are large you might find it a bit hard to work with. For most ladies it is a
perfect size.

The built in flash is okay for snaps with high speed film (400-800), but
consider a future purchase of a 2500D or 3600HS D flash as well.

Cheers,
Alan.

--
-- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource:
-- http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--
  #6  
Old October 2nd 04, 03:26 AM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

The "consumer" zoom that B&H packages it with is really very good. It surprised
me. While were on the subject of the Maxxum 5, is there a way to advance the film
without firing the shutter? I'm trying to work out a system to make mid-roll
changes with the camera.

Alan Browne wrote:

Jim Spencer wrote:

Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.


For general snaps and photo training wheels, the 28-80 kit lens is decent
enough. As a rite of passage for learning photography, esp. composition, buying
the 50 mm f/1.7 is a good idea as well (and these are available new and used at
very good prices). At B&H the Maxxum 5 (QD) is $150 and the 28-80 is $70 (US
Warrany). The 50mm f/1.7 is $80.

Bill and Magnus will weigh in here, I'm sure.

(Note: I often reccomend the 24-105 as a GP lens, but it is outside your budget
by a bit).

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a refurbished
body or lens?


Maxxum 5 refurbished? Hmm. Better go new. (I say 'Hmm' cause it is a relatively
new model and I'd be surprised that there any refurbs on the market...)


Is the extended warranty for this camera a good idea?


No. Or rather only if it so cheap as to be inconsequential.

We plan to buy in the next several days. Thanks in advance for your
responses!


Go for it. Great little camera, great capability for the price If your hands
are large you might find it a bit hard to work with. For most ladies it is a
perfect size.

The built in flash is okay for snaps with high speed film (400-800), but
consider a future purchase of a 2500D or 3600HS D flash as well.

Cheers,
Alan.

--
-- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource:
-- http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--


  #7  
Old October 2nd 04, 04:41 AM
Jim Spencer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Alan Browne wrote in message . ..

For general snaps and photo training wheels, the 28-80 kit lens is decent
enough.


That's good to know. From what I gather from further reading on the
group, the 28-100 is not a good lens?

Maxxum 5 refurbished? Hmm. Better go new. (I say 'Hmm' cause it is a relatively
new model and I'd be surprised that there any refurbs on the market...)


Ebay and Overstock.com both list refurbished cameras. In part,
they're claimed to be returns of new or fairly new cameras. Isn't the
Maxxum 5 3-4 years old?

The built in flash is okay for snaps with high speed film (400-800), but
consider a future purchase of a 2500D or 3600HS D flash as well.


My wife tends to buy 200 film for the family shots. With this camera,
should I encourage the higher speeds, or was your recommendation for
higher-quality photographs?

Thanks for your response. Very helpful.

Jim
  #8  
Old October 2nd 04, 04:46 AM
Jim Spencer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Siddhartha Jain" wrote in message oups.com...

Goto groups.google.com and type "John Doe Maxxum 5" in the search box.
Click on the first link that leads you to a post called "What lenses
for Minolta Maxxum 5". Should be useful.


Thanks for the good recommendation.

See www.keh.com for used cameras and lenses.

Even if you buy used, a good condition camera body and a zoom lens will
exceed US$200, IMHO. Anyways, I am posting the prices I found on
www.keh.com for used lenses.

$119 Maxxum 5 Date Body (New)
$30 50mm f1.7 (Used)
$60 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 (Used)
$100 70-210mm f4 (Used)

Add another $50 for some decent Hoya/B+W filters.


I looked on keh.com after your post, but couldn't find the body. It
was such a great price, it must have sold

My humble advise is to go digital.


I wish I could afford to do it now. I can use the Maxxum lenses for
film cameras with digital Maxxums if I buy one later, right?

Jim
  #9  
Old October 2nd 04, 10:05 AM
Siddhartha Jain
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Jim Spencer wrote:

$119 Maxxum 5 Date Body (New)
$30 50mm f1.7 (Used)
$60 28-85mm f3.5-4.5 (Used)
$100 70-210mm f4 (Used)

I looked on keh.com after your post, but couldn't find the body. It
was such a great price, it must have sold


Oh, sorry. The new Maxxum 5 body price wasn't taken off keh. You will
find a $119 Maxxum 5 at www.beachcamera.com. And I checked their rating
at www.resellerratings.com, it seems to be good.


My humble advise is to go digital.


I wish I could afford to do it now. I can use the Maxxum lenses for
film cameras with digital Maxxums if I buy one later, right?


Well, $200 will get you a Maaxxum 5 + one decent used lens perhaps. But
like I said don't forget the film processing costs.

Yes, that is another good way to grow. You can always use the Maxxum
lenses on the digital Maxxum.

Cheers,

Siddhartha

  #10  
Old October 2nd 04, 02:08 PM
Alan Browne
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

wrote:

The "consumer" zoom that B&H packages it with is really very good. It surprised
me. While were on the subject of the Maxxum 5, is there a way to advance the film
without firing the shutter? I'm trying to work out a system to make mid-roll
changes with the camera.


It would be nice if you didn't top post...

Just cover the lens with a cap, set the highest shutter speed and smallest
aperture (f/22 ish) and press the shutter release until you reach the frame you
want.

To rewind with the leader out (this works on the Maxxum 7xi) just hit the rewind
and listen for the sound change ... switch off quickly when the reqind sound
changes. (Or buy the doohickey to extract the leader).





Alan Browne wrote:


Jim Spencer wrote:


Hi. I am planning to purchase a Minolta Maxxum 5 body and would like
advice on what lens to purchase. The camera will be used by my wife
to take snapshots of our children (probably using the auto mode
exclusively), and by me to learn photography (my only experience with
an SLR is from high school yearbook, 15 years ago.) We would like the
lens to be zoom. Our budget for body + lens is $200 or less.


For general snaps and photo training wheels, the 28-80 kit lens is decent
enough. As a rite of passage for learning photography, esp. composition, buying
the 50 mm f/1.7 is a good idea as well (and these are available new and used at
very good prices). At B&H the Maxxum 5 (QD) is $150 and the 28-80 is $70 (US
Warrany). The 50mm f/1.7 is $80.

Bill and Magnus will weigh in here, I'm sure.

(Note: I often reccomend the 24-105 as a GP lens, but it is outside your budget
by a bit).


What are the relative advantages/disadvantages to buying a refurbished
body or lens?


Maxxum 5 refurbished? Hmm. Better go new. (I say 'Hmm' cause it is a relatively
new model and I'd be surprised that there any refurbs on the market...)


Is the extended warranty for this camera a good idea?


No. Or rather only if it so cheap as to be inconsequential.

We plan to buy in the next several days. Thanks in advance for your
responses!


Go for it. Great little camera, great capability for the price If your hands
are large you might find it a bit hard to work with. For most ladies it is a
perfect size.

The built in flash is okay for snaps with high speed film (400-800), but
consider a future purchase of a 2500D or 3600HS D flash as well.

Cheers,
Alan.

--
-- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource:
--
http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--





--
-- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource:
-- http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--
 




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