Timefire's Full Review: Konica Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus Film Camera
I purchased the Maxxum HTsi Plus this spring. This camera replaced my 400si, which I had owned for about four years. The HTsi Plus is a major improvement, with its lighter weight, brighter viewfinder, greater versatility and faster autofocus (AF). My other camera is a 600si, a very capable unit but a little bulky when you want to travel light. You will appreciate the HTsi Plus' light weight if you wear it around your neck for any length of time. My wife especially loves the light weight of the HTsi Plus, she calls it her camera now. It's probably one of the best values around in an AF SLR. If you're considering a Rebel G or a Nikon F60 (N60 in the US)you really must look at this camera. If you're considering another Minolta like the QTsi or STsi, the HTsi Plus outperforms them in pretty much every way, for roughly the same price.
The performance of the new three-point crosscut AF was a pleasant surprise. I took this camera to a wedding and found that it focused faster and better than my trusty 600si! No worries about getting that shot of the bride walking down the aisle. The viewfinder is nice and bright, even in low light at the wedding reception.
I have yet to put slide film through the HTsi Plus, but with fall coming I will definitely do that. Since it uses the same excellent 14-segment meter as the 600si, I think it will perform superbly.
The high speed flash sync is a great feature for daytime fill. I use it extensively on my 600si and am very glad to have it on this camera. You need the 5400HS flash to make it work, but if you invest in this powerful flash you won't regret it. Being able to use flash at all shutter speeds is handy when you want to give an outdoor portrait just the right amount of flash fill.
Another of my favourite features of the Maxxum system is wireless off camera flash. You can use either the 3500xi or 5400HS to get great off-camera lighting, without wires, with complete automatic control. Its fantastic for portraits or closeup photography and super easy to use.
The HTsi Plus is a wonderful, lightweight, easy to use SLR and performs great. I only have a few dislikes about it. It's a little noisy for my taste, and I wish it had flash compensation and depth of field preview. A vertical grip like I have for my 600si would be appreciated. But this is still a great camera for point and shooters or more advanced photographers.
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