Compared to the 9xi and the 700si, some components are one notch below, with a shutter limited to 1/4000 sec, an auto-focus sensor analyzing 3 zones instead of 4, no LCD overlay in the viewfinder and no “creative Card” slot. The Maxxum 600si is clearly engineered to a price point. The Maxxum 600si’s mode control knob – it looks and feels really cheap. In addition to which a few rotating switches control the auto-focus setup and the metering modes. Instead of being designed with a modal interface (press the FUNC button to access a menu, and navigate the menu with the control wheels), the 600si is covered with dedicated knobs and rings to control the flash, the exposure mode, exposure compensation, and the drive mode. High level, the 600si is a cheaper variant of the 700si, somehow spec’d down technically, with a very different user interface and a lighter build. The Minolta 600si – it looks like a “pro” – but its very light construction feels very “consumer” And its influence could still be felt in the Konica-Minolta 7d, and in more recent Sony digital SLRs. The design of its interface was so well received that it served as a model for the high end Maxxum 9 and 7 launched at the end of the century. And because they had taken heat about the user interface of their xi generation of cameras, they took the opposite route for the 600si. The 600si was at the same time Minolta’s cheapest enthusiast auto-focus SLR, and the test bed for the ergonomics of the future Maxxum 9, 7 and 7d.Īfter the launch of the 700si – at a higher price point than its predecessor the 7xi, Minolta had a gap to fill in their line-up. The Minolta 600si – one switch for every function Follow CamerAgX – a new life for old gear on Top Posts & Pages If you’re in the same frame of mind, welcome. I love taking pictures, I love old cameras, and that’s all it is about. And they will still be shooting film 10 years from now. People paint, ride horses, wear mechanical watches and play vinyl records for a multitude of reasons, some of them unsuspected 150 or 20 years ago. In the nineteen eighties digital watches did not kill mechanical watches, and vinyl records are making a comeback 20 years after CDs were launched. In the nineteenth century, photography did not kill watercolor painting and cars did not drive horses to extinction. But there is such an ample supply of nice second hand cameras that finding one you like is not a problem.įilm cameras are now extraordinarily cheap, and as long as you’re in no hurry to see your images and don’t take too many pictures, using SLRs or rangefinder cameras from yesteryear is a rewarding experience. It’s a different experience, and using different tools make you see the world differently. But I also love shooting with film cameras.
Like anybody else, I use digital cameras.
About old film cameras, and the pictures you can still make with them.