Requiem For A-Mount: A look back at Minolta and Sony's DSLR Mount
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- čas přidán 21. 05. 2021
- Sony's A-mount cameras are no longer available in some markets, likely marking the end of the A-mount originally developed by Minolta back in 1985. We look at some of the important contributions the A-mount made to the photography industry.
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I'm still a current A mount shooter and appreciate your retrospective. Funny coincidence that yesterday I ordered an A mount lens from Lensrentals and they emailed me back asking if I was ordering for the correct lens mount ! LOL !
A-Mount!
Me too.... A Mount user
Lol exactly the same shit happened to me! They all think cause the mount is dead to them then we must be zombies!
gearheads who shoot moving pictures... what can you do?...
Still an a-mount shooter as well. Bought the 16-50mm f2.8 just last year! The only thing that has made me even think about upgrading to an e-mount camera are the Sirui anamorphic lenses
My Sony A99 and my Minolta lenses didn't realize that A Mount is dead, so they keep on taking pictures. A mount is dead, long life to A mount cameras and lenses
@Pier, the phrase "is dead" is just a shorthand for "is dead end". Means, its future is a dead end. That in turn means, the user community won't attract anyone new, so it will be aging, and end up as a small club of old blokes.
Pentax is a perfect example, by now it is a brand of old men, and among those: only the ones who always have shot Pentax, and among those: only the ones who are too old to try out something more modern / advanced (or at least something not quite as "dead").
@@tubularificationed Yes, I know that no more lenses and cameras with A-Mount will be produced, and probably no more assistance on them will be assured in the future, and I agree that this is a chapter of the photography history that is closing. But there are a lot of cameras (film or digilital ones) and a lot of enses all around the world.
@M Tech You're right about this. An I think that it's only a marketing chois; I can't see technical reason in not allowing a fully compliance amopng the mark 3 series of A7* and the LA EA5, which is the ultimate A-mount E-mount adapter. A simple firmware upgrade can address this but it seems that they don't want. At the end of the day, if the LA EA5 worked fully, I could evaluate to buy a A7III, but I'm not planning to change all my lenses (too expensive), so I'll keep on using my A99, my A850 and my Minolta Dynax 5 for b&w films.
@@tubularificationed Not just a matter of "too old to try out something more modern". When I bought into the a-mount with the a55 the body technology was cutting edge and the legacy glass was a bonus. Now - I've sunk so much into the legacy glass that I just want to keep using it because it's great and I don't want to retool.
And to the adaptors!
I'm not a pro, so my hardware has not been thrashed, but my A77 from 2012 and my A99ii from 2017 are still going strong. They still feel right in my hands compared to any e-mount I have used.
The screen on my A55 died last week :(
My A99 & Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8 are still my fave combo for portrait work
The Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha 7D was a masterpiece, albeit with some flaws. I still have it and love it. The user interface is as photographic and logical as it can get.
Yes I still have my Dynax 7D as a final line of backup. It's now 18 years old, and has outlasted my A77ii which died on me last year. I also have an A7iii and an A700. I agree that the A100 looked cheap, and it wasn't until the A700 came out that I started to see Sony as a serious option for a semi-pro photographer. That camera is a solid workhorse.
I still have my Maxxum 7D and it just keeps on going -- yes the odd glitch but it is such an amazing camera its hard to consider parting with it -- that said I just pulled the trigger on an A77ii body with only 6000 actuations and in excellent condition and I put two years warranty on it .. but my 7D will stay with me .. and hopefully I will get to like and enjoy the A77ii - looks like a lot of camera for sensible money .. greetings from Ireland ..
The Maxxum 7D was based on the film Maxxum 7 35mm, considered by many to be the best 35mm camera ever (minus need for Nat Geo survivability).
Best ergonomics, ever - hands down. When taking action or event/concert photos you NEED to have good ergonomics so you can memorize the controls in the dark and never have to look at the digital screen (if you do, you miss the shot).
@@phyrr2 Completely agree. Plus the Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum 7 had the best metering system of any analog DSLR especially for landscapes, with metered values for different zones displayed on the rear LCD. So you could easily verify and adjust the exposure for all parts of the image at once without reframing. The viewfinder's optical quality is also second to none. A real photographer's camera, most of which was carried over to the digital successor, and some of the best features even to the Sony A700 / A900 / A850. Like the very high quality optical viewfiinders and the incredibly useful manual shift function that was carried over right from the analog predecessors. "Full auto" shooters might not care but Sony even included it in today's Alpha DSLMs.
Physically the 7D was great but the processor/software was very meh.
My first camera was A100, I bought it in 2014 and used for a year. Then I've tried A77 and A57 up until 2017 then moved into mirrorless. A mount will be always memorable to me 😭
You know what we want?
A unsung cameras of yesteryeat video on the minolta dynax 9.
That should rise its price to the roof
And you have a spare on you are looking to sell?!? But also, yes that would be a good video for you guys to do.
A thousand times yes!
More like the 7, the more advanced brother. Sure the 9 had the 1/12.000 shutter speed with composite carbon fibre blades, but the 7 introduced us to larger screen menu system that you didn't need the manual to understand the custom functions. I had the 9, a beast of a camera, but i've kept the 7, which is just a joy to hold and use, and even implemented a STF function in body, no need for the 135 STF.
@@Nick_Parau I’ve read about both camera and they’re awesome and a true last stand for Minolta that kept up with the other 2. They still had it back then and could have been great.
No wait until I have bought one again, I sold mine to get an A700. :(
The a100 was my first DSLR. It still functions and it certainly has served me well. The one lens I always wanted was the 50mm macro f2.8. One day I’ll pull the trigger and buy it.
My first "real" camera was an Sony A65. I absolutely loved that camera so much.
Me too... It's hard to say goodbye... Sniff...
Mine was the A77
Still have mine as a backup. Trustable tool it is.
Have an a55 and a65 that use alot
The A77M2 is still the favourite camera that I've ever used. RIP A-mount.
sold it last year to switch to A7 iii
my heart is broken, great six years
Missing mine a lot
Missing the ergonomics of the A77ii after switch to A7series.
I think there would have been a market for a high end A3000 successor.
@@Be-Es---___
I always thought the same thing! That'd have been an amazing camera, something like an A6500 in a compact A77II body.
I agree I have the same camera it has been a great camera and the able to use all my older manual lenses and decided to buy the 99 ll
It can be more memorial if you managed to borrow a copy of α99 II to film this piece...
Two extra points:
1. Talking about SSM motor and in-lens motor, Minolta is way behind Canon. Canon had EF 300mm F/2.8 USM in 1987, only 2 yrs later after the so-called α shock, while Minolta's first SSM lenses, AF 300 F2.8 APO G D SSM & AF 70-200 F2.8 APO G (D) SSM, didn't arrive until 2003.
2. No alternative to AF Reflex 500mm F8 and AF 3x-1x F1.7-2.8 Macro exists even in today's autofocus world.
哈哈哈哈哈 在这里也可以找到你
@@darkroom5091 哈哈德里克你好！
@M Tech Talking about wireless flash system, Minolta was really ahead of its time!
@M Tech E mount has the most healthy ecosystem in today's mirrorless world, plenty of used glasses and bodies, state-of-the-art flagship model, including α1.
I went from a Canon 550d to the SLT-A57 and was soooo happy with it at the time. There was some cool stuff with A-Mount and together with the beercan it was a great kit
I used to shoot the Minolta Autocord in the 1960’s. I wore a couple of them out, and still have a couple of working ones on my camera shelf. The best photographs I ever took were on that wonderful 6x6 TLR. Minolta were always great cameras.
Old Minolta 7000 user here! (Yes I am THAT old). My father bought the Minolta 7000 as it came out in the 80’s, and I borrowed it a lot, and had a lot of fun with this camera. It was the very first modern SLR, with AF, and a 3-way button (touch to measure light, half-press to focus, and full-press to take picture), and the first camera with the A-mount ever...
I have my dads 9000 and lenses. Still works today and is a great camera even today
Keeping 'em coming, guys. I enjoy watching y'all cover the history of these mounts, and I enjoy the fun y'all are having.
RIP A-mount. The Minolta AF 70-210/4, Minolta AF 100mm f2.8 macro and AF 28-135 are all still great lenses that I use on Sony. Oh yeah, the AF 500mm f8 reflex lens, too.
In my knowledge, it is this the ONLY AF reflex
@@gregzarkodimos9711
It is and the AF only works with the centre AF point if I recall correctly. I had it on my list of lenses to buy for a long time but had the 70-400mm SSM so could not justify it.
I still use my Sony A100 with the minolta 50mm 1.7 and the 70-210 f/4 beercan and I love them
Love the unique look of the 50mm 1.7, my first decent lens I got when I started on a Sony A230, aah the memories
The old version or newer version? I have the original old metal one it’s awesome
@@CrashCarson14 I have the first generation of the af maxxum lens, the barrel is not made out of metal, but still very well built
A99 has very interesting rotatable LCD, and it's a shame that this kind of tech was abandoned.
I had an A77ii for a short time (ended up selling it and the optically very very good 16-50 2.8 SSM to fund the E 16-55 2.8) and can confirm, the LCD on that was awesome. I'd love to see Sony adapt it to the E-mount bodies. I imagine it is pretty complex and expensive to produce and assemble, though.
The fully articulated LCD used on the A77, A77ii, A99 and A99ii is awesome. It was used under license of Dolby Laboratories though, and it seems that Sony decided that they no longer wanted to pay the licensing fees to add it to their mirrorless bodies.
@@maxxuman9915 oh it's licensing issue... Thank you for info!
@@maxxuman9915 I hadn't heard about that before, and it makes perfect sense - there had to be a reason why they stopped such an awesome feature (and one of the reasons I haven't moved to E-mount). Thanks for the info!
Yes I agree that I wish I still didn't work with a mount lenses
Thank you for bringing back the memories for using A-mount system in the old days, love this video!
This is a great video. Informative and true history behind it. Loved it. I have lots of' 'A' mount glass and SONY 'A' mount bodies too, and this clip was a real treat for ol' schoolers like me!. Gracias!! :)
i'm convinced the EF-M video has been ready to go for a while now!
I used to use M , M3 and M10 for few years . And I absolutely agree with you
This, but looks like it still makes money for Canon otherwise it would have gone much earlier.
@@billyjunks It's the Canon mirrorless system for beginners. And that's the appeal of Canon, I guess, at least for people where I live. I don't think Canon plan to do much with that system. I don't think there will be a EF-M 16-55mm f/2.8. They won't turn it Pro, which is the job of the RF-Mount now.
@@thegrayyernaut exactly, they’re the mirrorless equivalent of rebels. Though there are some good primes like the 22/2 and 32/1.4 as well as the sigma trio.
@@TonyMacina the macro with the built in ring light
Great video! Please do more history and retrospective videos. Those have always been my favorite
The short format of you guys just having a fairly focused (ha) conversation on a specific topic is really good. I don't even care what the topic is. Probably.
Probably my favourite mount of them all. Still use my Dynax 5, loved my A65. Live view goodness was a game changer for me. No more crawling around to get the right angle had something to it.
Great video guys, yes, please keep this series going, this was fun.
I started photography with a Minolta X700 in 1981, fantastic camera that remained in production until 1999. In 2008 I purchased a Sony A700 so I could use Minolta glass. My favorite A-mount lens is the Minolta 28-135 f4-4.5 ("secret handshake"), excellent lens with a great range.
I Still shot with a mount... (sony a77/a58)
Great video. Would love to see more of this format...
I've been using the SLT Sony camera for 5 years and Imust tell you - that's the best mount for those who wants to try out photografy! Most of old Minolta APSC Lenses with AF are under 100 bucks! So you can have an affordable set of very different lenses and isn't it what the whole fun of fotografy is all about!!
I inherited a Minolta Dynax 7000i with some lenses from my mother and used it for a few years until I got the Sony Alpha 700 in 2009. I loved this camera and used it for many years. Until this day it has been the camera which I found to be most comfortable to hold with my hands. I got some used A-mount glass for it when I lived in Japan and shot my best pictures with it.
I just wanna send some love to the Minolta 35-70mm f4, my favourite lens of all time. It lived on my (now dead) a850 at least 90% of the time and was a wonder for nearly every application you can think of. I even took up film photography again just so I can keep using that and the beercan. I pray one day manufacturers out there would resurrect 35-70mm zooms. I know there'd still be a massive audience for something like that.
i also liked 35-70 zooms. it was easier to keep quality high because the design was not too stretched.
Enjoyed the brief history. Would love to see more
I got into photography at the time of the digital transition and have so many good memories with the Minolta 28-70 2.8 G (such beautiful, precise reproduction of colors) and the Minolta 85mm 1.4 G, which I was able to get for reasonable prices at the time of the price drops. Such beautiful, creamy pictures! Good times. But I'm definitely glad to be in digital now.
Always happy to watch you guys chat it up
I think the A-mount 135/1.8 was the single lens that REALLY made me go "I wish I had that!" as a then Canon shooter. It's still a brilliant lens to this day.
Now I kinda want the GM though.
The Dynax 7D was my first DSLR (coming from Contax film system)... R.I.P. 😢
My first DSLR as well. Loved that camera. I regret I gave it away.
It might me interesting to see a segment on Ricoh. Their history in the camera market has interesting although, granted more interesting in the film days.
Great idea! Would be great to see more of that type of videos.
I was one of the Minolta diehards. I bought my first SLR in 1982, a Minolta XG1 with a 50mm f/1.2 lens while in the Navy. That camera recorded every place I went, Giza Plateau, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Masada, The Vatican, Pisa, Florence, the Virgin Islands. Shot thousands of rolls of film and never had a mechanical failure. Always Kodak film. Then I went the 400si many years later. I still use the XG1 and 400si from time to time. keeping the skills sharp. Now a Nikon shooter. Looking to go home with a Sony mirrorless. Keep up the content like this and I'll keep watching. BTW: DP review is my go to source for reliable info and my next camera purchase. Keep up the good work.
The 5D had sensor stabilisation as well, it was my first interchangeable lens camera following the Dimage A1. Took that camera around the world before dropping it along the Cinque Terre in Italy which was the end of it. Moved onto the Sony a700 From there and then onto the a77. Thinking about it, all the canvas prints I have up around my house are from these three cameras.
The a77 was a serious convergence of technology being the first hybrid camera I owned. I have footage at 1080P @60fps from a Mt Everest base camp trip I still look at taken with this camera in 2011.
I enjoyed this lookback. I've owned the a700, a33, a57, a99 in the A-mount and each was excellent in its own right. RIP to the A-mount. Thanks for giving me my start in photography!
Wow, this truly hits close to home. I, too, made the same “mistake.” My first cameras were the last couple Minolta A-Mount (Purchased from The Camera Store no less). I lusted after their first digital cameras but was wooed to Canon (by probably the same shop that shall not be named).
But what really comes through in an unspoken sense here is that the “mistake” is not a mistake: this kind of history somehow plays no less into my love of photography.
Late to this video, but I love the Sony A-Mount system. Bought my A-99 in 2012, and my first A99-II in 2017. The lenses I've purchased along the way (Sony Zeiss 24-70 f2.8; Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8; Sony Zeiss 85mm f1.4, and the Sony G-Master 70-200 f2.8) are all amazing! Recently found out Sony had abandoned the A99-II/DSLR/SLT line totally and quickly scrambled to find/buy a new 99-II body. Took a while, but I found a new one (for under $2,800). I just feel that the A99-II features still crush it -- the 5 Axis IBIS; WiFi; auto eye AF; 12 FPS burst mode, 42MP CMOS full frame sensor, dual SD card slots, etc are still extremely good. While I know there are adaptors that are supposed to make the A-Mount lenses work on E-Mount cameras, I prefer to use the native A-mounts on the body they were designed for. Now that I have another A99-II body, I'm hoping for several more years of great photography on the SLT platform. Cheers.
I have been a Minolta user since 1997. I remember it took me a while to decide between Nikon and Minolta (sorry, no Canon at that time, even though the ESO 3 was a fantastic camera), but finally went with Minolta for its pioneering technologies and more friendly price tags. I had my 1st digital camera in 2002. Not surprisingly, it was a Dimage 414. I bought 5D when it came out, then 7D, A100, A77, A99, with a handful of lenses. Though I had an A7 (1st gen) since 8 or 9 years ago with the 28-70 kit lens, I treat it as a toy. My go-to system is still A99 + ZA 24-70/2.8 + Tamron 70-200/2.8, and 85/1.4G. This month, I finally made a switch, getting myself an A7R5, plus 20/1.8G, 35/1.8, Tamron 28-75 G2, Tamron 70-180, Rokinon 135/1.8, and LA-EA5. I will still keep some of the classic A-mount lenses, maybe just for the nice memories...
Wow.. Flashbacks... This made me run and dig through my closet for my Minolta s700... And the wireless remote TTL flashes. I was working in a camera store at the time and was shooting Mamiya 645 when the rep brought all this great new tech in and I jumped in with both feet... I still use my Minolta 100 mm 2.8 macro lens for portraits on my a77... And have even used it on my a6300 for macro work... Great stuff!!
That Minolta camera looked beautifull.
and its ergometry was/is as good!
I think the A-mount has lenses that still have legendary performance, like the 24 mm ZA, the 85 mm, ZA, the 100 mm F 2 and the 135 mm ZA to name a few.
I am a covert to the e-mount from Canon EF. At that time I wanted A-mount lenses to use on my Sony A7R II, that were unique at that time. For example the SAL 135 1.8 ZA. I did purchase it new at the full price and used it with the LA-EA4 adapter.
The images from that lens are quite brilliant. I had never used a lens with such great colors that melted away the background in such an amazingly beautiful manner.
I say this even after I have had the Canon EF 85 1.2 II lens for a number of years.
Unfortunately the LA-EA4 did not have eye AF capabilities.
I contemplated replacing the ZA lens with the E-mount 135 1.8 GM lens to get native focusing capabilities. Comparison of the images made me realize that I really preferred the A-mount lens. The GM was too clinical and the background blur was unattractive.
Sony came up with the LA-EA5 adapter that enabled eye AF, unfortunately it did not work with my A7R III camera. So I was forced to buy the A7R IV.
I really feel that there is still a market for A-mount lenses due to their brilliant designs and uniquely beautiful images that one can get from them.
A lot of the new E-mount lenses are optically perfect but tend to be too sterile. I have heard good things about the 85 mm GM and the 35 mm GM though.
Hope Sony try’s to replicate the image rendering of their ZA lenses in the A- mount, after all photography is also an artistic endeavor.
I think Sony should enable eye AF and other AF features on the LA-EA5 adapter for the A7R III and the A7 III as well as the earlier generations.
The Sony a580 was my first camera. Still shooting gigs with the a99 and a77, but slowly making that transition to e-mount. If Sony drops an a99III or a77III would definently buy it.
The thing you missed is that Sony bought Minolta and jumped 20 years into production. The a100 is essentially a maxxum body with a digital sensor in place of the film. Sensor shift ibis is almost untouched from the Minolta stuff from their early ibis. E-mount literally uses the same tech as a-mount. The only real difference between an a99ii and an a7rii is that the autofocus is moved to the image processor rather than having a dedicated one. With that change came the removal of the translucent mirror and a reduction in space. Without a-mount we don’t have e-mount or a bunch of the great bodies we use now.
I go back further with the SRT 101. Great camera though underrated. Rokkor lenses were super especially the 15mm. The Enlarging lens had a superb contrast punch too.
I still have my SRT 101from like 1975, a tank.
Chris it's been 9 months since your excellent "Best Camera Backpack for 2020" video. Since it's almost the summer travel season would love to see a update for 2021. BTW love your water tank torture test. Can't tell you how many times, setting my bag down I find the bottom soaked through :(
Sharing glass between my Maxxums and my A100 is for some reason very satisfying. 👍
This vid should've been twice as long covering the mounts in more details, especially some crazy and unique Minolta (pre-Konica-Minolta) stuff, like the one-and-only mirror tele lens with AF (MAF 500/8), STF lens, functionality expansion cards, unique body of some camera models (full titanium edition of Dynax 9) etc... There sooo much weird stuff in this system :D
Weird but what made them a different company. Really should have had A mount supporters that could go into deatail on the history.
I have a beautiful copy of the Minolta MF 135 f2.8 [T4.5] STF with original velvet lined case, box and papers in mint condition. Used on Sony a55, a99 and a99ii bodies. Sure you lose 1/3 of a stop to the translucent mirror and 1 1/3 of a stop to the apodisation filter: but the images! I once showed the bokeh to a professional film maker and his partner said "you use bokeh like that" and his response was "i can't make bokeh like that".
When I moved in the 80s from rangefinder cameras to SLRs I ended up with Minolta (MD-Mount, then A-Mount). In the 70s and 80s I loved Sony as a HIFI equipment brand and I have to give them credit for "saving" Minolta and use the technology for ongoing innovation. Therefore I am a loyal Sony customer (I started with the A100) who is invested in the A-Mount and the E-Mount. I like both for specific reasons. My son is starting now to shoot on the A-Mount which is perfect for beginners with a limited budget or less experience. I will continue to invest into the A-Mount system in form of a full-frame camera (like the A900 or A99) when I can find a good one for a reasonable price. At the end of the day photography is often an emotional thing. When I am going out for non-professional shooting I prefer my A65 over my A7R III - it feels somehow better. After all these years the A65 is still working very well and creates fantastic pictures (with the right glass) on the same level than my old and trusted A7 (first version). I am simply loving this A-Mount camera and it is one of the best ways to get into an affordable way of high quality photography. Some reasonably good A-Mount lenses are quite cheap nowadays. Highly recommended system which will reach at some point in time "vintage" status.
A very entertaining episode, thanks.
Love the speculative industry commentary!
Great video! I still shoot with the A-mount (a77 and a77ii) although I have E-mount cameras as well. I think it will be a few years yet before I fully move over to E-mount. A-mount may be ‘dead’ or should I say ‘unsupported’ but the cameras for now keep on working. It’s only a matter of time before Nikon and Canon retire their DSLR mounts.
I still use my Minolta Maxxum7, never went Sony, but i did see an old Sony DSLR at a pawnshop last week, I might get it.
I hope I can pick up an A99 ii and some glass for cheap.
Good luck on the A99II. Used prices are insane. It should cost about the same as the A7RII, but so few of them means demand is high. Of course that also means A7RII is a phenomenal deal compared to A99II with the same sensor. But I think A7RIV + LA-EA5 adapter is the smartest choice going forward since that fully supports all the old glass, and you also get to use all the wonderful new E-mount glass.
@@andrewharvey1849 fully supports the old glass??
Cool video, I would like to see more of it - although not necessarily more dying mounts too soon, hopefully!
I have the A65. Purchased a lot of Minolta lenses in an estate sale.. It works great for me. The beercan is my favorite. I need to do more research on the adapters, but I've been having to much fun to really stop and look. I've been with Sony since the walkman.
1985 I bought a Minolta Maxxum at the Naval Exchange at NAS Keflavik in Iceland I was stationed there I was part of the Air Force Unit
as you can imagine not much selection of cameras at the time, did a lot of mail order too.
Iceland is a beautiful place to explore so I wanted a camera to get some photos I even took a course on photography learned to develop film and prints and after many Nikon and Canon cameras I find myself with a Sony a6600.
Thank you. I really enjoyed this episode.
I was a Sony "camera" user before they bought Minolta and my friend had a Maxxum7D, man that camera mad me so jealous because it was basically a button/know porkupine while my Sony had the ergonomics of a camcorder...so I was happy when things changed for Sony, just to get disappointed by them removing half the buttons on the Alpha cameras
My very first photography steps were on my dad's old 70s Minolta
That was insightful 👏
My 1st camera was a a65 with the 16-50 f2.8. It outperformed the 5Dmkii in a number of ways but just went completely under the radar.
I still have that camera.
Great as always
I remember I went to Sony Store around 2010 and got the NEX-3 and said to everyone I knew that this is the future and it’s no way that a better camera can be made 😂 Said the same thing when I went from Walkman Cassette to Walkman Discman and then came the Mini Disk and then everything became digital, I was wrong every time 🤦♂️
No worries, I said bitcoin is only for nerds and no one is gonna care about social media too. The wrong is strong with me too.
@@ChristianThueringer Good to hear that it wasn’t only me 😆
@@ChristianThueringer I first read about Bitcoin when it was at 900 and thought that this is exaggerated :-D
About the cameras: Mirrorless cameras have changed very much in the last few years. Old Nex cameras (and DSLR in live view) had much slower AF than DSLR in normal mode or SLT cameras. So SLT was a very interesting approach for me.
Love your videos! Maybe a retrospective on the Nikon F mount? Back in the film days, Nikon kept the filter diameter at 52 so that the photographer did not have to have a bag full of filters for every lens. This must have made the lens designers crazy due to the constraints put on them. They still put out some great glass. But I think the time has come that the F mount will go away.
Hello from Japan. Love your videos❗️👍🙂 Fyi, the 1965 Canon Pellix had a semi-transparent film as a fixed mirror.
Nice video and good look back at Minolta (Especially for someone in his 20s who doesn't even recognise the name), I think the real test is ahead though, whether people continue to use the lenses adapted for modern bodies well after its discontinuation like the M42. That's a real legacy for a mount.
One thing that surprises me is that A-mount apparently had a camera with a flip+tilt LCD screen that we can't even get on the new Sony bodies.
RIP ! I bought a Sony A300 in 2009 and a Tamron 18-200 Superzoom, when I travel with my Motorcycle I still bring this combo along.
Since I don't have to worry about dings and scratches, and the Sony still works flawless 12 years on.
My "new" camera A7II, so I stuck with Sony, and know my menus. 😍
I sold off most of my A mount lenses (along with the A77ii body) but I kept a few that I really like including the 70-400mm G lens.
Great video. Loved the shot of Photo Life magazine. That brings back memories.
I remember someone in my photography program back in 1987 buying a Minolta Maxxum. Most of my classmates thought it was a joke to have autofocus! I also remember joking if the Maxxum had an auto subject locator function. Take technology actually came true! Jokes on me!
And a few years later they all went Autofocus
Yes more of these please! Even the older Minolta mount ; )
My first ever camera was the Minolta 3xi which was fairly quickly replaced by the 5xi.
My happiest memory with Minolta, though, was definitely the Dynax (Maxxum) 7 film camera, which wasn't complicated at all. If was very well laid out with manual controls for the main functions - very much the Fujifilm-before-Fujifilm-ish. And it had some very unique features like mid-film reload and data saving (EXIF-before-EXIF).
My A99ii doesn’t get enough love now that I’ve mostly migrated to E mount, but there are still some features of that camera that I miss. I’m happy that I can now use lenses like the 135/1.8 on E-mount with the latest adapter.
Since you've started talking about mounts, it might be interesting to see a look back at some other mounts that have been discontinued, but had impact on the industry. Especially since people sometimes love using vintage glass (and not all interesting vintage glass is on Leica's M mount that's somehow still around to this day)
Well you missed about a bunch of great Minolta tele lenses like 80-200 f2.8 or longer primes. Also minolta even had a flagship model named alpha9 along with alpha7! Still available on ebay sometimes.I hope Sony takes the advantage of using those wonderful fully articulating lcd screens(not the flippy or tilting only) which were used on a77 and a99. It was best of the best! Also hope for a decent mirrorless version of a77 finally!
I was able to buy a Mint alpha 9 last year for my birthday and wow whats an amazing camera, going to use it today actually
Yeah, I have a Minolta 200mm f2.8 APO and it really doesn't seem like anything in E-mount is quite comparable. Minolta made some wonderful long focal length prime lenses a shame Sony isn't making a version of it.
@@verablack3137 Exactly! That lens is a masterpiece and if it find its way to the E-mount would be a dream came true specially if accepting teleconvertors! Giving 2.8 at 200mm while it weights 790g! It was front so heavy though so a redisign is essential. You should post some of it's results on your channel! People really have no idea how beautiful those wonderful Minolta lenses looked with that golden batch and ring and their outcome also were golden indeed!
Still have my Maxxum 7D. I was at Minolta for the launch of the Dimage V and Dimage Pic all the way till the end. It was a great time great people.
I still have the alpha a390, bought it because my dad worked at sony’s factory before and knows that their qc is top notch. The camera still works after 10 years.
I have several 35mm Minolta cameras. I am looking for some new lenses. This was helpful, thanks!
I am a Minoltist since 1990. I have bought most of Minolta's best lenses and six or seven years ago I finally went digital with the a99. To this body iI added the CZ 16-35 f2.8 and the CZ 135 1.8 T* Sal. All these Minolta and CZ lenses work fantastically well on the very capable a99 (24mp really is more than enough). To all younger aspiring photographers: you can save A LOT of money by buying A mount lenses that will make pictures indistinguishable in quality from the best and often ridiculously expensive F mount lenses. I will die holding an a mount in my cold dead hands...long live the a mount.
I still have my A77 MKI. I used it for years and passed it down to my son who also used it for years. Still works great but it has taken a back seat to our A7r3's. Sony was so far ahead of the competition.
It was the a55 that made me switch from Nikon and it was life changing. I really miss rummaging through eBay looking for old Minolta glass. Hopefully they add support for the LA-EA5 and A7C so I can use my old Minoltas without SSM. The colours and contrast is so awesome in those lenses.
I remember shopping for a Minolta Maxxum to celebrate my girlfriend’s university graduation in 1987. Autofocus and auto film advance were a big deal back then. Still have the girl (she’s my wife now) and the camera! 😀 A lot of our early family memories were captured with that system. Sorry to see the A mount go. End of an era for sure.
About what $600 back then?
@@CrashCarson14 yes it was a lot of years ago but that sounds about right.
@@LyndonPatrickSmith hmm I have a 9000 and i was told that was a ton of money back then.
I enjoyed the history lesson. I didn’t know the origins of Sony as a camera brand. I’d love more history lessons on other brands.
The A99 had the best ergonomics of any Sony camera . It’s too bad Sony did not continue to use that body style for its mirrorless lineup . A thinner A99 style body with the same reticulating screen for the A1 would have been devastating .
I just bought a KM Maxxum 7D to go with my 35mm Maxxum 7. masterpiece, beautiful, perfect ergonomics - and the colours and look of the photographs is wonderful! for a 18 year old camera - it's a Classic and collectable as Konica and Minolta's last (if you discount the Sony A900 which was more or less a Minolta design)
I remember the guys at Wolf’s Camera believing that Sony’s Translucent Mirror System was going to drive Nikon and Canon out of the top spot. Hey it gave me 7 FPS. Haha I will admit Sony’s 85mm f1.4 Zeiss lens was my favorite portrait lens till the 135mm f1.8 stole the show. I still use it from time to time.
Nice work
You coule have added some great lenses such as the 35/2, 100/2, 400/4.5, 600/4, 200/4 macro and many more I can't remember like that
Great vid. Do a vid on Pentax in the industry since it came out with a new DSLR.
Thanks Guys, its been quite a ride starting with my Minolta 7000 back in 85 to my Sony A77ii. I remember when Minolta sold to Sony. I had to decide weather to sell everything and switch to Nikon (too expensive for me) or just pick up a few favourite Minolta lenses at the time and collect. Sony's dedication with the A mount was always attractive since I had a bunch of pretty good glass that wasn't really useful to anyone else but me! (100/f2). Now I'm looking at my display case with my SRT-101, XD-11, XE-7, X-700, 7000, 9000... and I do enjoy pulling them out once in a while. When my kids were in hockey I spent many games wrestling with the 7D and a sigma 70-200 2.8 in supper crappy lighting conditions in old arenas. Looking back, it was amazing what digital photography was doing. Now after years of shooting in many different home town arenas I've been happy with my results. Even with my lowly A77ii and Tamron 70-200 a009, its obvious how far the technology has come! Looks like Sony's new adaptor will enable me to move to the E mount and keep me going. Too bad Sony isn't the bargain it once was when they were first getting in. I'll have to sneak a new Sony A7iv by my wife next year. I just won't mention the price!
I loved Minolta cameras for their manual controls (in digital).
I have two Minolta Maxxums. I transitioned to the a100 then a77. Awesome times.
My mom's Minolta Maxxum 400i that I found in my mom's basement is actually what got me into photography a few months ago, and I'm very exited to finally be getting a Sony mirrorless (and, hopefully, an adapter for all my A mount lenses I have now!
And it is still an amazing one, I mean i learnt (and still learning) with my a58, and no doubt, it is still in some scenarios more than what I need :)
Years and years ago when they came out with the a99 I had never even heard of it and was wondering why there was a Sony section of the camera department at best buy and checked out the SLT technology and was amazed and thought that Sony had really figured something out, and followed their cameras pretty closely since then
I loved my a100, 50mm f1.4 Minolta lens was great