Konica Minolta Maxxum 9 / Dynax 9 35mm Film Camera
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- Battery Type: 2 x 3V Lithium Battery (CR123A)
- Film Type: 35mm
- Lens Mount: Minolta A-Type
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Durable Versatile Classic
Pros
Tough, can take a beating, great features
Cons
Older system, difficult to find parts, accessories
Recommended it?
Yes
I know this is misplaced under the Maxxum 9 heading. Kindly overlook this error while Epinions creates additional categories for older camera equipment.
Do you remember when autofocus was first introduced on a single lens reflex camera in 1985-1986? Did you hear about the controversy between Minolta and Exxon when Minolta crossed the XX in Maxxum? You're probably familiar with the Maxxum 7000, then. The Maxxum 7000 was the middle of the road model of a well engineered series of cameras that started with the entry-level Maxxum 5000 and progressed up to the semi-professional Maxxum 9000.
I have owned a Minolta Maxxum 9000 for eight years now, and am very satisfied with the results I have achieved with it. The camera is really a complete system Minolta designed in the late 1980's to compete with the increasingly popular Canon EOS series and the Pentax autofocus cameras of the same era, which have not enjoyed the same success.
The Maxxum was very innovative for it's time, being the only autofocus camera to offer manual film advance and rewind, similar to the manual focus cameras offered at that time. The most significant benefit of this feature is the enhanced battery life it offers. My Maxxum has often gone through 30 rolls of film on the same set of AA alkaline batteries. The Maxxum also offers many photo oriented features, including a multiple exposure feature, a built-in 4 degree spotmeter with highlight or shadow bias, and automatic exposure and focus locks.
The most outstanding of the Maxxum's features is it's versatility. The Maxxum system offers a choice of two power drives, one a 2 frame-per-second autowinder and the other a 5 frame-per-second motor drive. The autowinder is a more basic option, while the motor drive capable of adjusting the speed almost infinitely, and offers such features as a second shutter release for vertical shooting and focus priority shooting, waiting for the body to return an "in-focus" signal before shooting and advancing. The motor drive was offered alternately with a Nickel Cadmium battery pack, or a battery holder capable of accommodating the eight AA batteries required to operate it.
Several data backs were offered for the Maxxum, including a simple date-stamp back, a basic Program back and the Super Program Back 90 which, in conjunction with the Motor Drive allowed such advanced features as exposure bracketing, in which several frames could be shot of the same subject using a range of meter settings, and time-lapse shooting.
The Maxxum 9000 has several other features which really separated it from the crowd at it's introduction. It offered a socket for attachment of a PC cord, the standard attachment for most flash systems, allowing it to be used in a studio setting. It also offered built-in dioptric correction for the near- or far-sighted, which I have found makes it unnecessary to wear glasses while shooting.
The Maxxum 9000 offered shutter speeds ranging from 30 seconds to 1/4000th of a second, and had flash shutter sync at speeds up to 1/250th of a second, which was an incredible speed for the time. In conjunction with the AutoFlash 4000, it was able to synchronize the flash at speeds up to 1/4000th of a second.
A wide variety of lenses were produced by Minolta for the Maxxum. At the height of Maxxum series I production, they offered everything from a 17mm Fisheye to a 600mm f4 super-telephoto. There are also a number of aftermarket optics manufacturers who have offered lenses for this platform. Minolta also made many quality zoom lenses for this camera, all using metal body construction that is unheard of these days. The enhanced durability of these lenses is very attractive.
The Maxxum 9000 is overall a very durable camera, although some of the plastic parts are prone to breakage, and I have found the metal parts tend to shed paint after heavy use. This does not seriously affect the performance of the camera, although I was forced to replace the entire body when the little tab that held the battery pack in place broke. The rear lens of the mirror prism has come permanently loose. The mechanical parts are as strong as ever, though, and I fully expect them to continue to work for another 15 years.
Do you remember when autofocus was first introduced on a single lens reflex camera in 1985-1986? Did you hear about the controversy between Minolta and Exxon when Minolta crossed the XX in Maxxum? You're probably familiar with the Maxxum 7000, then. The Maxxum 7000 was the middle of the road model of a well engineered series of cameras that started with the entry-level Maxxum 5000 and progressed up to the semi-professional Maxxum 9000.
I have owned a Minolta Maxxum 9000 for eight years now, and am very satisfied with the results I have achieved with it. The camera is really a complete system Minolta designed in the late 1980's to compete with the increasingly popular Canon EOS series and the Pentax autofocus cameras of the same era, which have not enjoyed the same success.
The Maxxum was very innovative for it's time, being the only autofocus camera to offer manual film advance and rewind, similar to the manual focus cameras offered at that time. The most significant benefit of this feature is the enhanced battery life it offers. My Maxxum has often gone through 30 rolls of film on the same set of AA alkaline batteries. The Maxxum also offers many photo oriented features, including a multiple exposure feature, a built-in 4 degree spotmeter with highlight or shadow bias, and automatic exposure and focus locks.
The most outstanding of the Maxxum's features is it's versatility. The Maxxum system offers a choice of two power drives, one a 2 frame-per-second autowinder and the other a 5 frame-per-second motor drive. The autowinder is a more basic option, while the motor drive capable of adjusting the speed almost infinitely, and offers such features as a second shutter release for vertical shooting and focus priority shooting, waiting for the body to return an "in-focus" signal before shooting and advancing. The motor drive was offered alternately with a Nickel Cadmium battery pack, or a battery holder capable of accommodating the eight AA batteries required to operate it.
Several data backs were offered for the Maxxum, including a simple date-stamp back, a basic Program back and the Super Program Back 90 which, in conjunction with the Motor Drive allowed such advanced features as exposure bracketing, in which several frames could be shot of the same subject using a range of meter settings, and time-lapse shooting.
The Maxxum 9000 has several other features which really separated it from the crowd at it's introduction. It offered a socket for attachment of a PC cord, the standard attachment for most flash systems, allowing it to be used in a studio setting. It also offered built-in dioptric correction for the near- or far-sighted, which I have found makes it unnecessary to wear glasses while shooting.
The Maxxum 9000 offered shutter speeds ranging from 30 seconds to 1/4000th of a second, and had flash shutter sync at speeds up to 1/250th of a second, which was an incredible speed for the time. In conjunction with the AutoFlash 4000, it was able to synchronize the flash at speeds up to 1/4000th of a second.
A wide variety of lenses were produced by Minolta for the Maxxum. At the height of Maxxum series I production, they offered everything from a 17mm Fisheye to a 600mm f4 super-telephoto. There are also a number of aftermarket optics manufacturers who have offered lenses for this platform. Minolta also made many quality zoom lenses for this camera, all using metal body construction that is unheard of these days. The enhanced durability of these lenses is very attractive.
The Maxxum 9000 is overall a very durable camera, although some of the plastic parts are prone to breakage, and I have found the metal parts tend to shed paint after heavy use. This does not seriously affect the performance of the camera, although I was forced to replace the entire body when the little tab that held the battery pack in place broke. The rear lens of the mirror prism has come permanently loose. The mechanical parts are as strong as ever, though, and I fully expect them to continue to work for another 15 years.
