Minolta Maxxum 9000

The Minolta 9000 AF (in the U.S.: Minolta Maxxum AF 9000, in Japan: Minolta α -9000 ) is a professional autofocus SLR for small format film, which was presented in 1985 by Minolta. This is the only ever made ​​AF system - SLR with manual film advance. The camera holds several records and has a number of unique features.

The development of the Minolta 9000 was completed prior to the Minolta 7000. However, was from marketing considerations, the 7000 first brought to the market, and thus is generally regarded as the first AF SLR ever (which is not entirely correct, if the Nikon F3AF ( 1982/1983 ), the Pentax ME- F, an early Canon trial or the 1982 featured Yashica Contax prototype 137 AF taken into account, the latter even also with passive autofocus based on phase detection of partial images on a CCD ( instead of IR - AF) and with case -based AF drive ( instead of motors in the lenses) ). The Minolta 9000 AF, however, is certainly the first professional SLR that is embedded in an extensive range of accessories AF, which was designed almost completely new to this camera ( and its sister models).

Features and Facilities

The camera body of the 9000 is characterized particularly by its robust all-metal construction, only the pentaprism is not completely metal enclosed. The closure offered to the for that time extremely short exposure time of 1/4000 second, plus a sync speed of 1 /250 second. The camera has the usual range of automatic exposure controls (Program Mode ( depending on focal distance ), shutter priority, aperture priority and manual mode), all program parameters are fully shiftbar - both in appearance not self-evident. As metering method is a Centre-weighted average and spot metering available; latter is represented by two special modes, the lights and the shadows readings, supplements, correct in connection with the AE lock button ( AEL), the exposure to 2.3 EV and -2.7 EV. In conjunction with the optional control backplane Program Back Super 90 (PBS -90) are also multi-spot measurements, with optional automatic weighting by average ( AVERAGE), mean ( CENTER), highlight ( HIGHLIGHT ) and shadow (shadow ) are offered, as well as user-definable program curves.

Other features include interchangeable focusing screens, a latching and disengageable Preview button with continuous working aperture until the trigger ( not the same as earlier with the so-called Final Check System cameras, the further measures even up to open the lock ), Viewfinder lighting and a built-in eyepiece shutter to protect against extraneous light.

The camera is embedded in the AF Camera System, Minolta, which offers an extensive range of AF lenses ( Minolta A-mount ) flash units and camera- specific and system accessories, including, for example, one with up to 5 frames / second fast transporting motor drive (MD - 90 ) and a Winder ( AW -90 ), a feature-length film magazine for up to 100 shots ( EB -90 ) and an early forerunner of a digital back wall, then called still video Back ( SB-90/SB-90S ) with a resolution of 380,000 pixels and records the data on mini disks. This, however, was only available in Japan.

AF model

The camera belongs - next to the Minolta 7000 and Minolta 5000 - the AF series, and thus the first generation of auto focus cameras. The name Dynax was in Germany only with the i- series (1988 ff ) introduced; in the U.S., the AF series has been marketed under the product Maxxum.