Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus: May I shoot you ?
Written: Jun 24 '00 (Updated Oct 07 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fully automatic... Fully manual you choose
Cons: None yet !
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| roadiem's Full Review: Konica Minolta Maxxum HTsi Plus Film Camera |
I've finally outgrown my Minolta QTsi Maxxum (see epinion http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-311B-87FCE4D-391A9167-prod4), and bought big brother. I replaced the QT with the much better Minolta HTsi Plus Maxxum. There is so much difference between these two camera's that I felt like I've won the lottery. For about seventy-five dollars more, I walked away with ten times the quality of equipment.
The HTsi Plus gives you a much faster and accurate auto focus, and tons more creative control over the QTsi. With the HTsi Plus, not only can you leave the camera in complete auto program mode, which all you have to do is click the shutter to focus and shoot, but you can choose to set some or everything in full manual mode.
HERE'S WHAT YOU GET:
A three-point AF sensor is able to catch and track a subject quicker and more precisely than the previous AF system used in comparable Maxxum's. The new AF system is 2.7 times wider, and consists of two vertical side bars plus a central segment that is in the shape of crosshairs enabling it to focus accurately on both vertical and horizontal subjects. AF fine-tuning, which fine tunes the focus during the split second interval of time it takes for the shutter to release after the button is pressed, and a more powerful central processing unit which shortens focusing time during lens drive and accommodates the increased number of AF sensors. The first time I took this camera out it blew me away how much faster it was than my old QTsi. Plus there's a little star wars thing going on when you look through the view finder, lots of lights and stuff.
FOR FULLY AUTOMATIC:
Full-Auto mode will let you concentrate completely on the subject or scene by giving the camera full control over focus and exposure. It continuously analyzes subject distance and movement, lighting, and lens focal length, then automatically maintains the best combination of shutter speed and aperture for the photo.
In addition to full auto mode, the Maxxum HTsi Plus offers five different subject program modes. Each mode is designated by an icon in the data panel that shows the type of subject or scene for which it is best suited.
Portrait Mode is best suited for full-frame photographs of people. In this mode, the camera favors larger apertures which will soften the background, making the main subject stand out.
Landscape Mode can be used to photograph larger area's like mountain ranges, fields etc. This mode maximizes depth-of-field by favoring small apertures. The camera continuously monitors and adjusts the shutter speed to help prevent blur caused by camera shake.
Close-Up Mode helps capture detailed macro photographs. It is best when shooting flowers and smaller things like this. This mode selects the optimum aperture/shutter speed combination for maximum depth-of-field with extreme close-ups.
Sports/Action Mode uses fast shutter speeds for fast action. Continuous AF tracks moving subjects and predictive AF maintains precise focus between frames, good for auto racing or the fast soccer player in the house.
Night Portrait Mode, when used with flash, synchronizes the flash with a slow shutter speed to balance the flash exposure on the subject with the background’s available light. When used without flash, it can be used to capture long exposures of night scenes.
FOR THE BUDDING PROFESSIONAL IN YOU:
A/S/M modes allow users to take full creative control by choosing the aperture, shutter speed, or both. In Aperture-Priority mode, the photographer can select apertures in 1/2 stop increments, and the camera will automatically select the correct shutter speed. In Shutter Priority mode, you select shutter speeds in one stop increments, and the camera will automatically set the best lens aperture. In Manual mode, you take full creative control over the process by selecting both the shutter speed and the aperture, while referring to exposure indicators in the viewfinder. Additional functions such as spot metering, slow-shutter sync, exposure compensation, exposure bracketing, double-exposure mode, wireless remote flash control, and a remote release terminal increase the HTsi Plus’ creative potential even further.
What all this means to you is way better photographs for not a ton of money. What it means to me is I will have to read some more photography books and learn a lot more about settings and things like this to better equip me to use this camera to it's full potential. I grew out of the QTsi in about six months, now I'll have fun growing into this HTsi.
I was looking into the XTsi Maxxum, but for sixty bucks more than the HTsi Plus, the only thing it offered is three functions I would never use. A "fake" panoramic mode, a date back (which will put the date on your photo's...ugly), and "eye start" which will start the auto focus when you look through the eye peice, pressing down the shutter button half way does this any way... big deal.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
I opted to upgrade the offered lens to a MZ lens, which instead of 28mm-80mm 4.0 to 5.6 is a 35mm-70mm 3.5 to 4.5 a little faster and more reliable for auto focusing. All of the auxillary lenses I previously bought for my old QTsi fit right on to the HTsi Plus, as well as all of the filters, so it was just sell the QT on eBay and order the HTsi plus, a no brainer.
The next step up from this would be getting me into about the six hundred dollar range, so for the money this is the absolute best you can do. It will give you access to every type of accessory available for the entire Maxxum line, and I do not forsee needing anything better than this camera for quite a while.
If you are doing research for a future camera purchase, I feel you need look no further than the Minolta HTsi Plus Maxxum. It is everything every body less than a full professional will need and then some.
P.S. I invite you to check out some photo's I have taken. Copy and paste the URL into your browser and enjoy...... Mike
http://www.geocities.com/roadiem/photos.html
Recommended:
Yes
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roadiem
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About Me:
I'm a 41 year old auto mechanic who is hooked on Blues Music, and Phonics
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