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Minolta
Alpha Dynax Maxxum 507si 600si 650si Classic Panorama Date Camera Web
Site Development Notes v
2002-05-20 19:22
How did this web site get itself together? Pure unadulterated passion for Minolta's wonderful photographic equipment offering! Read on, and give me feedback (see below) when you're done. Thanks! |
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Please browse and enjoy, offer feedback, and return often!
| Minolta
Alpha Dynax Maxxum 507si 600si 650si Classic Panorama Date Camera Notes on the Evolution of this Web Site |
 Minolta
Hi-Matic E - Although this is the oldest Minolta camera I own, it's
the newest in my entourage. Until I build yet another Minolta
web page on this camera, though you can search for a few web resources.
Here's my mini-review.Pros: MORE than 100% viewfinder, Light weight, Quiet, Simple, Stable, Inexpensive, Reliable. Cons: Light fall off at image edges, Barrel distortion, Hard to find battery and unpredictable battery life, No through-the-lens image confirmation or exposure calculation, Unsophisticated auto exposure calculation. Yet, even with it's faults, I love my Minolta Hi-Matic E camera and the images it helps me produce. Even JPEGed down for the web, look at some of the sharp detail in the image of a towel and wall surface in my web image at http://www.geocities.com/peterblaisephotography200161214/00.jpg.html I consider the 'feel' of this camera as if it were an early Minolta SR T or XE or X-700 camera! The shape and feel and placement of controls on the Hi-Matic E is Minolta-perfect for my hands! |
 Minolta
SR T 100 - In 1985, I 'inherited' an already old 1963 Minolta Manual
Focus SR T 100 Camera System with a Minolta Manual Focus 50mm f/2 Lens.
I continued to use it happily and well for 15 additional years.There are many web references regarding this camera, though most can be found searching for the "Minolta SRT-101" camera, the 100's big brother. |
 Minolta
X-700 - Finally requiring service for a nonfunctioning meter, I
traded my Minolta SR T 100 for a used and serviced Minolta Manual Focus
X-700 Camera - with Auto Exposure. See my system equipment page at http://www.geocities.com/peterblaise/minoltamf/index.htm
and many other web references.Do you like my X-700 equipment page? Would you like me to build an equivalent web site about my Minolta 600si camera system setup, including the Minolta 5400HS flash? |
 Minolta
??? - As my hunger for automation grew, especially for increased
focus and exposure accuracy, I checked out the newer Minolta Auto Focus
camerasI looked at the affordable Minolta QTsi, HTsi, XTsi and XTsi series of cameras, but they were so different from the Minolta X-700 - scarcely any knobs, they were all push button! They were each fine cameras in their own rite, and I probably would have been happy with any one of them if I hadn't been accustomed to the well designed knobs on the Minolta SR T 100 and Minolta X-700 camera! What was I going to do? It seemed that all the newer automatic camera used complex push buttons! Argh! |
 Minolta
600si - So, all the newer automatic cameras use complex push buttons
... except one, then two models - and both from Minolta! I began
reviewing the control knob based Minolta 600si and Minolta 9, both fully
Auto Focus and Auto Exposure and Auto Flash and Auto Film Wind Camera
Systems. I downloaded and read the owner's manuals from http://www.minoltausa.com
for both cameras, and I played with both at local camera shops.Deciding on the less expensive used Minolta 600si camera, I bought the second one I handled, along with a Minolta VC-507/600 Vertical Control Grip. What a joy to use! So simple, intuitive - and the pictures were not only swell, but with auto focus and auto wind, they were coming fast and furious, roll after roll! Then, as I spent hours reviewing and cleaning up the sudden resulting masses of images, I wondered how to make my original images 'better' to begin with, rather than just collecting lots of shots and working them over later. I read some part of the original owner's manual each time I use the camera. You can get an original printer version from many sources. Try http://www.minoltausa.com and various resources for used camera equipment such as http://www.keh.com or http://www.cameta.com and many others. |
 Magic
Lantern Manual - "Slow down," I said to myself. "You've
got a great and sophisticated camera in the Minolta 600si, with easy
and simple controls. Why not learn to totally understand them and use
them wisely, deliberately, intentionally."So I got this third-party book on the camera to supplement my original Minolta owner's manual, and studied and applied what I learned. I have read this book at least three times, and I also plan on reading it again every year I own and use the camera! Note: When Magic Lantern wanted to cover the Minolta 9 camera, they made it an addendum to this Minolta 600si manual! Minolta Maxxum 600si/Maxxum 9 - Magic Lantern Guide by Thomas Maschke and Peter K. Burian. Softcover, 5 x 7-1/2", 192 pages, Black and White and color illustrations. "This Magic Lantern User Guide will take you beyond the instruction manual." Supplement for the new Maxxum 9 included. Retail: $19.95 http://www.camerabooks.com may have it at this link. http://www.amazon.com may it at this link. |
 Hove
Manual - Still hungry, I special ordered the British book, too.I have also read this book at least three times, and I also plan on reading it again every year I own and use the camera! Minolta Maxxum 600si (Europe: Dynax 600si) Complete User's Guide By Damian Dinning & John Clements. (1995). Hove. Soft-cover, 5 x 7 1/2", 173 pages, color photos. "This book will take you beyond the instruction manual for the Minolta Maxxum 600si (Europe Dynax 600si)." Price: $23.95 http://www.camerabooks.com may have it at this link. I got mine e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y through http://www.whsmith.co.uk |
 The
Minolta 600si Workout Video! - I even got the Minolta official "get
familiar with your new camera" video. I find it informative,
but the presentation seems a little dated in it's entertainment aura
rather than offering an intense technical reference.I got mine on closeout through http://www.porters.com |
 Beyond
The Owner's Manual at CameraReview.com - I culled the best of the
Magic Lantern and Hove books and wrote my own addition to the Minolta
Owner's Manual and published it to http://www.camerareview.com/templates/reviews.cfm?camera_id=115
along with about 3 dozen other Minolta 600si users. |
 Beyond
The Owner's Manual at Yahoo! Minolta Group - I also to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Minolta/message/9144
where there are about 1,700 members. |
 Beyond
The Owner's Manual HERE! - Finally evolved as a semi organized collection
here at http://www.geocities.com/minolta5096si600si650si/minolta5096si600si650si-beyond-the-owners-manual.htmlBut I still want to understand the real innards of this camera. More. More! I want MORE! Where do I look? |
 Minolta
Service Manual - Can I learn too much? Of course not, so I ordered
the official Minolta Service Manual for the camera. The final pages
within it contain the extended check list upon which I expanded in the
Check List at this site.The service manual is way technical and depends on specialized tools and indirect measurement and adjustment, such as measuring shutter accuracy as a voltage range on a test device. Not useful in the field. However, I found the checklist and some other points useful, so I incorporated them into this site - saves you ~$30US! This CHECK LIST describes the quality of operation warranted by Minolta to general users. When inquiring about quality or camera inspection, refer to this CHECK LIST. Use this list also when checking operation before and after purchase or repair. Use the standard Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 lens for the checks except where other lenses are mentioned. To see this expanded version of Minolta's checklist, rebuilt as a series of web pages, go to http://www.geocities.com/minolta507si600si650si/minolta507si600si650si-checklist01.html I got mine calling Minolta USA directly. http://www.minoltausa.com |
 More?
- Yet, even the checklist from the Minolta Service Manual stood on it's
own as different and independent from the other sources. I found
that I was still referring to and reviewing two or three sources to
help me understand, master and get the maximum benefit from any feature
of the camera.Using a photocopy of the Minolta Owner's Manual (I only carry photocopies in the field) I started to doodle my own understanding of camera control groups: Metering Controls, Focus Controls, Exposure Controls, Flash Controls, Drive Mode Controls, and so on. Okay, all in one place, but definitely in need of cleaning up, and still lacking a sense of which controls to use, in what order. |
 In
Order And In Complete Control - One byproduct of reading and rewriting
all this information - I was finally memorizing and learning it all!
Finally, I could write an organized and complete set of references on
the camera from memory! Here's page 1 - made up of 4 quadrants containing:1 - Power 2 - Film & Exposure Setting 3 - Lens 4 - Focus Control 5 - Metering 6 - Exposure Control ... and all the controls that belong to each section ... |
 Now
To Build A Web Page! - I think I got it all - 1 and 1/2 pages of
basic controls, grouped, in order of use, and with a sense of completeness
that the brief explanations the owner's manual lacks for me. Here's
page 2 - only 2 quadrants left, containing:7 - Drive Mode Control and I also revisited the rest of 5 -Metering Control ... and that's it! Doing this all by hand on paper gave me a challenging exercise to really know my camera well. I'm getting there! All this is as much for me as it is for you! So, come back here for my next enhancement to this web site ... "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Minolta 507si 600si 650si Photographers" ... or something like that! So, aside from the Check List and Beyond the Owner's Manual and web publishing any interesting brochures, I guess I'll work on all the details of the features and benefits of numbers 1 through 7 above and let you know when I've got the next 'chapter' ready ... if you send me your inquiry at peterblaise@yahoogroups.com |
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Thanks
for your interest!
Peter Blaise Monahon mailto:peterblaise@yahoogroups.com and visit http://www.peterblaise.com See also http://www.minoltaphotography.com, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minoltaphotographybookclub and http://www.geocities.com/peterblaisephotography |
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