Minolta AF

Konica Minolta Dynax was a name for Autofocus SLR Cameras by Konica Minolta, which had in the cameras of the Dynax series Minolta her in early 1988.

The name Dynax was the introduction of the i- series of Minolta (from 1988 ) for the first time use and was used until the beginning of 2006 for the digital models of Konica Minolta. In North America, cameras Dynax series under the name Maxxum in Japan were sold under Alpha, these names were there - unlike in Europe - but even for the first generation of auto focus cameras, the Minolta 7000AF (1985 ) counts, be used. As of mid-2006, after the withdrawal from the Konica Minolta Photo Shop, the system by Sony will continue worldwide under the uniform product name Alpha.

3.1 Analogue models ( 1985-2004 )
3.2 Digital models ( 2004-2005)

Development of the Dynax series

With the Minolta 7000 AF Minolta introduced in 1985, the first mass-produced reflex camera with built- in housing passive autofocus system based on phase detection before, bringing the Dynax series was founded. In Europe, the series was initially nameless. Only later did the name Dynax was used. In North America and in Japan they were called from the beginning Maxxum or Alpha. While the Minolta 7000 AF rather turned to the amateur who a short time later published Minolta 9000 AF was designed for professional photographers. The competitors were able to introduce similar products until much later, the first autofocus SLR camera from Canon ( analog EOS cameras from the EOS 650) was not published until 1987. Followed in 1988 with the Nikon F4 from the F-Series. Especially for the cameras of the new AF - series Minolta developed a new plug-in system for interchangeable lenses, called the Minolta A-mount. 1988 followed with the Minolta autofocus cameras i-Series cameras, the first of the Dynax series in Europe.

Parallel Minolta developed since 1996 a number of analog cameras with an APS - format called Vectis, as a rule, these were to compact cameras. With the Vectis S1 (1996 ) and the Vectis S100 (1997) brought out two Minolta SLR, these, however, were equipped with the Minolta V- bayonet, which was not compatible with the A-mount. The range of lenses was therefore also small, and the SLR of the Vectis series could not, despite good optical properties prevail in the market.

Digital Cameras Minolta provides time since 1986, the company ranks among the top providers of digital cameras at all. At photokina 1986, a still video Back (SB -90) was presented for the Minolta 9000AF. It was followed by the RD- 175 (1995), which was developed based on the Dynax 500si Super, with a resolution of 1.75 megapixels and the DiMAGE RD- 3000 ( 1998), based on the APS SLRs the Vectis series, with 2.7 megapixels - both digital SLR cameras with CCD technology.

In 1996 appeared the digital compact camera DiMAGE V, which also established the Minolta DiMAGE - model range. In the following period, Minolta focused on the development of compact digital cameras. As a technical showpiece especially the super-zoom cameras, the DiMAGE Z series with focal length ranges up to 38-420 mm and the All-in -One cameras, the A- series with integrated image stabilization system anti-shake were. Specifically, the cameras of the A series were intended range of functions as compact and lighter replacement for the much more serious SLR cameras. While leaving some accessories, how to use the program flash devices with Minolta AF hot-shoe for the analog Dynax cameras, even on these cameras, but they lacked always the ability to use interchangeable lenses with Minolta A-mount.

While competitors such as Nikon (D - series) and Canon pushed forward ( digital models of the EOS series), the development of digital SLRs in particular for professional use since the mid to late 1990s, sat Minolta for these purposes further to the analog Dynax 9 models. More vendors crowded as the mid-2000s with digital SLR cameras in the prosumer and consumer markets, brought Minolta - now with the cooperation partner Konica under the name Konica Minolta - the Maxxum 7D SLR for semiprofessional applications on the market whose classic rotary switch based control concept was inspired by the analog Dynax 7. Followed in 2005 with the Dynax 5D, the last developed by ( Konica ) Minolta and sold under its own name SLR. Both cameras are characterized by the integrated image stabilization system in the body anti-shake.

Until June 2005 Minolta and Konica Minolta claims to have 16 million lenses with A-mount had delivered.

In January 2006, Konica Minolta announced that the company will withdraw from the camera and film business from 1 April 2006. In this case, Sony will in future take over the business with digital SLRs Dynax system. Mid-2006, Sony introduced the Alpha 100 is a digital SLR based on the Dynax 5D on the market, this is beside the Minolta A-mount flash also same port as the Konica - Minolta cameras.

Technical Features

The Dynax series belonged to the Minolta AF camera system, this included not only the camera bodies, a number of lenses and flash units that were adapted to each other. So series were some features like the ADI flash technology, inherently only in combination with AF lenses with distance encoder (type " (D) " ) and an AF Speedlight HS (D ) is possible. However, ( Some of the DSLRs use an additionally accommodated in the AF drive of the camera housing rotary encoder to also assist with non- (D) lenses the ADI flash mode. However, this mode is not quite as safe as with (D) lenses. ) Other functions, such as anti - shake system of digital Dynax chassis, however, work with all (also very old ) AF lenses, even from other manufacturers.

Purely mechanical components of all Minolta AF system was fully compatible with each other, only some newer features may not be supported by older components of the camera system. The backward compatibility, however, was given. In some lenses from other manufacturers to compatibility issues were mostly resolved by a chip update.

Minolta AF lenses

With appearance of the Minolta 7000AF Minolta also brought a series of newly developed lenses on the market that have been referred to as AF lenses. For the first time the so-called Minolta A-mount was used. The lens is changed by pressing the Bajonettentriegelungsknopfes, followed by a rotation of the lens by 54 °. The back focal length, ie the distance between lens mount location and the film plane is 44.5 mm and the data exchange between the lens and camera electronics is via eight gold-plated, spring-loaded contact pins.

For Minolta AF system the engine is to adjust the focus is usually in the camera body. Minolta offers since the xi- series in late 1991 integrated motors and since the end of 2003 lenses with built-in ultrasonic motors (SSM lenses ), which from the Dynax 7 (2000) is supported by the camera bodies. ( For the Dynax 9 SSM / ADI upgrade the service is offered. )

The list of the Minolta AF lenses ranging from fisheye lenses with a 16 mm focal length on wide-angle and standard lenses to telephoto lenses up to 600 mm focal length, but also special portrait and macro lenses, and a 500 mm catadioptric lens were offered. In addition lenses were sold with A-mount also from other manufacturers such as Tamron, Sigma, Tokina and Soligor.

Together with the Dynax 7D brought Konica Minolta specially designed for digital photography AF lenses on the market: the objectives of the so-called DT series are sized to the smaller APS - C sensor format and can not be useful to an analog Minolta film camera ( full frame use ) camera. The smaller image circle of the AF DT lenses inevitably leads to a ring-shaped shading on the edge of the image of the small image format. The same applies to the DI -2-( Tamron ) and DC lenses (Sigma ) of the foreign manufacturer.

Unlike the competitors Nikon (Vibration Reduction) and Canon ( Image Stabilizer) developed Minolta initially not own, integrated in the lens image stabilization system. In several years of development, however, was made for the digital Dynax cameras a so-called anti-shake system which is integrated in the housing of the camera and can be compensated by a balancing movement of the image sensor, the camera movement during exposure.

AF: The term AF stands for Auto Focus Lenses with all Minolta A-mount.
G: Identifies the optically and mechanically high-order lenses for professional use.
SSM: The designation SSM stands for Super Sonic Wave Motor, while the autofocus setting over occurs in the lens integrated piezo elements, this technique is only found in high-quality lenses with long focal lengths application. This feature is supported by Dynax cameras manufactured since 2000, for Dynax 9 and Dynax 9Ti update the camera's firmware is required.
APO: Indicates lenses with apochromatic correction.
HS: Stands for high-speed autofocus. By a more direct translation of the AF drive and changed firmware faster focusing to occur. In general versions of the APO lenses improved with the designation HS APO.
(D): Denotes lenses (and Flashes ) that support the Advanced Distance Integration. This feature is supported by Dynax cameras manufactured since 2000, for Dynax 9 and Dynax 9Ti update the camera's firmware is required.
DT: Identifies lenses that are designed specifically for digital photography ( Dynax 5D and 7D Dynax ).

Advanced Distance Integration

In addition to the conventional TTL flash metering Minolta introduced from 2000, the specially developed ADI flash metering (Advanced Distance Integration ) are available. In the ADI flash control, it was a feature of computer flash units where the flash output was adjusted by a TTL pre-flash in the distance, the ambient light and the reflection properties of the subject. This enabled a flash light measurement, which reduced the unwanted influences of the environment or completely eliminated.

Only in combination with the Minolta AF lenses and Minolta AF flash units (D ) series, however, ADI flash metering was possible. In addition, ADI was standard only supported by Minolta AF cameras from the Year 2000, for the Dynax 9 and Dynax 9Ti this support was only possible with an update. When using other lenses, filters, attachments or close-up lenses, ADI flash metering could not be used and the TTL flash metering had to be selected. The same was true when using a wide-angle diffuser on Minolta program flash or bounce flash. Some third-party manufacturers such as Sigma ( EF 500 DG ST and EF 500 DG Super) now offer even flash units that support claims to ADI.

Anti- shake system

Digital SLR Cameras Dynax series are equipped with an image stabilization system called Anti- Shake ( AS). It prevents or diminishes at exposure times below the classical limit, the free-hand camera shake.

Developed by Konica Minolta system is based, in contrast to other manufacturers' systems, in which the lens corrections are made, on a motion of the CCD chip ( CCD shift ) and is therefore independent of the lens used. When anti-shake system, the movement direction and speed of the camera is measured via two gyroscopic sensors. These data are from the electronic correction movements for the piezo elements that move the CCD chip is calculated.

So Minolta's Anti-Shake system reduces image blur due to camera shake regardless of the lens used.

Models

Analog models (1985-2004)

Models that have not been sold under the name Dynax, but bear in North America, the name Maxxum and in Japan the term Alpha:

Minolta 7000AF (1985)
Minolta 9000AF (1985)
Minolta 5000AF (1986)

Models under the name Dynax:

Minolta Dynax 3000i (1988 )
Minolta Dynax 7000i (1988 )
Minolta Dynax 5000i (1989 )
Minolta Dynax 8000i (1991 )
Minolta Dynax 3xi (1991 )
Minolta Dynax 7xi (1991 )
Minolta Dynax 2xi (1992 )
Minolta Dynax 5xi (1992 )
Minolta Dynax 9xi (1992 )
Minolta Dynax SPxi (1992 )
Minolta Dynax 700si (1993 )
Minolta Dynax 500si (1994 )
Minolta Dynax 300SI (1995 )
Minolta Dynax 500si Super ( 1995)
Minolta Dynax 600si Classic ( 1995)
Minolta Dynax 800si (1997)
Minolta Dynax 505si (1998)
Minolta Dynax 505si Super ( 1998)
Minolta Dynax 9 (1998)
Minolta Dynax 303si (1999)
Minolta Dynax 404si (1999)
Minolta Dynax 9Ti (1999)
Minolta Dynax 7 (2000)
Minolta Dynax 5 (2001)
Minolta Dynax 7 Limited ( 2001)
Minolta Dynax 4 (2002)
Minolta Dynax 3L (2003)
Minolta Dynax 40/Dynax30 (2004)
Minolta Dynax 60 (2004)

Digital models (2004-2005)

In addition to the two analog models, digital models have appeared in the Dynax series. They carry the designation D on behalf of:

Konica Minolta Dynax 7D (2004)
Konica Minolta Dynax 5D (2005)

Minolta Maxxum 7000 Minolta Maxxum 9000 Canon Inc. Canon EOS Advanced Photo System Point-and-shoot camera Pixel#Megapixel Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Sigma Corporation Minolta 7000i Minolta 9xi

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