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 !
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.
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 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.
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 😭
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.
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.
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
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.
@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 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.
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...
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 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 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.
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.
@@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 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 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!
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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...
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 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.
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.
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.
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!! :)
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 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.
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.
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!!
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
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.
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 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.
I'm not a pro & an A-mount shooter since the late 80s. Choosing bet tech & stable platform, I chose the former so Minolta it is. AF, PASM, expansion card functionality, able to focus on a white wall in total darkness, intelligent flash, predictive AF, AE option in 1989. Started with Dynax 5000i with 28-135mm secret handshake, heavy stuff. Then upgraded to 8000i in the 90s shooting through to early millennium. Got the digital bug, so got bridge ultrazooms & other small enthusiast digicams but felt inadequate. So, when Sony revived the mount, bought the A350 (beautifully shaped DSLR), wanted some video & SLT tech resulted in A77. Wanted something as capable but in a smaller footprint & so went to A65. Never been happier with no desire to upgrade. The 5000i & secret handshake died but the rest are still with me incl accessories & lenses. If they all die, I'll adapt my lenses to the Fujifilm X system rather than going to E mount. But dreaming on, Minolta is quietly making cameras again; they have an ultrazoom in the market. That's how Sony started with their ray gun inspired digicams before buying K.Minolta. So, I'm hoping that the new owners will make it & buy back the A-mount from Sony.
A mount its far from dead for those of us committed to the platform. But sadly, the bodies and the lenses no longer made. I'll continue using them as long as my A mount cameras work. The good news, A mount lenses are stupid cheap at the minute so time to get some legendary glass at affordable prices. The bad news, possibly the greatest A mount camera ever made, the A99II, unobtanium second hand. I guess those that love them, love them a lot.
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 own both an a99ii and a7R3, and four G/Zeiss lenses on A-mount and absolutely love them. While I grew up on Minolta film SLR cameras, I now I shoot hybrid digital/film for all my work, as the A-mount is perfect for both camera systems. All of my professional work is on A-mount lenses for good reason. It would be a true shame if Sony drops support for the A-mount, not only for legacy Minolta users but also for film photographers; the A-mount allows hybrid shooters the option of professional glass that can be used on both film and digital cameras that produce results that will make your audience go wide-eyed every time.
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!
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!
I love my a68, I got a very new one from a person who used it pretty little. In Brazil still has some lenses Minolta, Sigma, Tanron and Sony, for mount A, but not so easy to find, unfortunately.
You were 6 yo in 1985? Wow, you're junior, I was deep into Minolta and loving it and was not ready for AF, hated it at first but with time I got myself a 9000 and was blown away after testing a few lenses, the contrast and sharpness was way better than I was used to compared to my older manual SR (No it's not "MD mount, it's SR mount, MC and MD are the meter coupling and for P and minimum diaphragm control) so I was hooked on Minolta and still am: 200 lenses plus and counting. Today it's Sony digital though but still using my old A mount lenses with LA-EA4.
My first camera was the Minolta XG-1 with the Rokkor 45mm lens. Memories... Is Minolta lens technology / old blueprints not still at the core of Sony's current lens systems?
I’m only on the A-Mount because my dad had a Maxxum 9000 back in the 80s. He gave me the camera and lenses and I had my own Sony A200. Been years since I’ve shot anything but I’ve recently got the interest in video, and would love to stay Sony. I’ll keep my Minolta lenses. Love the Bokeh and colors. He told me back in the day they were some of the best you could buy and the other brands were behind. Had the best tech. If you read into it Minolta had some great tech that is standard today. Some really important, expensive (even today), and amazing lenses. Sad to see but it is coming. I’ll always support the A-Mount.
The A-Mount is dead... hurray!!! That means that we have seen prices drop and drop for Sony and Minolta lenses. Pick up your Sony Zeiss Planar lenses... Grab all Minolta lenses you fancy: your beercan, your 85mm. And why not throw in a quirky Asahi Super Takumar?... Meanwhile, my old A99 ver.I keeps ploughing on. Yes it's a teenager now, but that beast makes me happy every time I pick it up.
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
The Minolta system was my first introduction to photography (Maxxum 2xi). The Minolta 7D was a tech marvel. The first DSLR to have sensor stabilization made all lens have image stabilization.
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.
I bought a Sony Alpha 35 back in 2010 and still use it today. Got so many family pictures with it. Now I have a Sony Alpha 6500 and still use my A mount lenses with an adapter.
Well, I guess you're right. The Nikon 1 series probably wasn't taken from us "too early". By the way, I still have my A77 II, and in fact, I'm going on a shoot today and might use it (as secondary to my A7 III).
In 1976, I had a MINOLTA STR101b... great camera... kept it for a few years unlike what is being done today. These days a camera is just a computer which become obsolete very quickly... same as smartphone more or less... never had the need to change that often with film.
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!
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!
This segment made me sad because it reminded me of one of my life's regrets. I had used Minolta film SLRs and had some great Minolta AF lenses - the 85/1.4, the 100/2, and the 200/2.8 were my favorites. (I always kept hoping Minolta would re-issue the amazing 135/2 from the X series in AF mount, but it never happened.) But then I decided I needed a DSLR, and Minolta just wasn't keeping up, so I unloaded my whole Minolta system for a (blecch) Nikon D100. If only I could have afforded to hold onto my Minolta lenses for all the years it took for Sony to get its act together, I'd still be using them on a Sony today…
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!
I'm one of those Minolta-to-Sony people. Started with an SR-7 (1966--in-body [but not through the lens] meter), then SRT-201, and eventually a 7D. My first Sony was an alpha-100, which I liked very much, Jordan notwithstanding. I took it to the Galápagos, where--coupled with a Sigma 300mm f2.8--I got some outstanding images. Tried the alpha-700, didn't like it as much, and finally sold the whole kit and bought a Nikon D90. I now have a D7100, but I also have a Fujifilm X-T3 and have just ordered an adapter that will hopefully let me use my Nikon glass with the Fuji, especially my concert lens, the 70-200 f2.8 VRII. But I still have many negs and slides from Minolta days, and they have held up very well.
I almost forgot. I also had a Maxxum 450si (my first autofocus camera), Maxxum 650si, and Maxxum 800si. The 650si was a wonderful camera, really nicely laid out, and I think it inspired the design of the 7D.
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.
My biggest issue with the mirrorless from Sony is the handling, at least of those I've tried. I had the a700, a77 and a99 years ago and they all handled the big Minolta AF and Sony Zeiss lenses very well that is the physical size of the camera felt right in your hands. They also had good button placement and menus were easy to memorize. I still feel uncomfortable using the a7r and a6300 I have now. I am not sure if its gotten any better with more recent offerings but the general feel and handling are the biggest reasons I would consider going backward to say an a99 or a99ii at this point. I've been out of photography for a while so that's why I don't have anything newer. I don't like the options for adapting (EA3 or EA4), but I've heard Sony has done well with the EA5 I am just not ready to drop the cash for the bodies that support it yet.
The new menu layout on bodies with XD processors, like A7IV is something that should've been in the mirrorless line since the beginning. But finally, the settings make sense and they're easy to find. Moreover, body design improved quite a lot for >hand-on< usage, though one could argue that the first generation A7 bodies were jacket-pocketable if paired with something like a new Viltrox 28mm f4.5 chip lens.
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 🤦♂️
@@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.
Minolta Maxxum AF lenses from the 80s are an absolute steal. I got the 50 f/1.7 the 28 f/2.8 the 35-70 f/4 and the 70-210 f/4 "beer can" all for under $200! My Sony a300 was only $90. Cant beat it.
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).
Just bought a used A77, it is in 'excellent' condition, not a scratch. I am so looking forward to continuing to use my A-mount lenses with that beauty. Sure it's an older platform, sure they discontinued it, but you know what? That translates to cheaper second hand gear and I'm all for that. Genuinely believe that more amateurs should shop in the used market for older gear. Some of Anton Corbijn's masterpieces were shot on equipment a hell of a lot older!
Sony user here. First one was rhe Sony A200. A rather basic yet capable camera. Also the A65, SLT did really improve things. And then? A7, going full frame. Can't complain, it is a good ride!
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
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".
I inherited Sony A55 from my dad, and last year managed to upgrade to A77 II Using A-Mount in 2023 is still very fun especially with excellent yet relatively cheap to get Minolta lenses. However it naturally feels difficult in terms of lens choice compared to the much more common Canon EF, Nikon F, or even Sony's own E-Mount here
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 :(
Sony should make a E-Mount camera with a A-Mount body. I held the Sony A77 and A99 they have very nice grips.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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 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
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 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.
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.
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
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Did you guys do a video like this for the Minolta MD mount. I would like to see a video like that.
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
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.
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.
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.
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...
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 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.
Keeping 'em coming, guys. I enjoy watching y'all cover the history of these mounts, and I enjoy the fun y'all are having.
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.
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.
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.
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!! :)
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.
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.
I Still shot with a mount... (sony a77/a58)
My very first photography steps were on my dad's old 70s Minolta
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.
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.
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!!
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
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??
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 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.
I'm not a pro & an A-mount shooter since the late 80s. Choosing bet tech & stable platform, I chose the former so Minolta it is. AF, PASM, expansion card functionality, able to focus on a white wall in total darkness, intelligent flash, predictive AF, AE option in 1989. Started with Dynax 5000i with 28-135mm secret handshake, heavy stuff. Then upgraded to 8000i in the 90s shooting through to early millennium. Got the digital bug, so got bridge ultrazooms & other small enthusiast digicams but felt inadequate. So, when Sony revived the mount, bought the A350 (beautifully shaped DSLR), wanted some video & SLT tech resulted in A77. Wanted something as capable but in a smaller footprint & so went to A65. Never been happier with no desire to upgrade. The 5000i & secret handshake died but the rest are still with me incl accessories & lenses. If they all die, I'll adapt my lenses to the Fujifilm X system rather than going to E mount. But dreaming on, Minolta is quietly making cameras again; they have an ultrazoom in the market. That's how Sony started with their ray gun inspired digicams before buying K.Minolta. So, I'm hoping that the new owners will make it & buy back the A-mount from Sony.
truly A mount cameras are so underrated
Thank you for bringing back the memories for using A-mount system in the old days, love this video!
A mount its far from dead for those of us committed to the platform. But sadly, the bodies and the lenses no longer made. I'll continue using them as long as my A mount cameras work. The good news, A mount lenses are stupid cheap at the minute so time to get some legendary glass at affordable prices. The bad news, possibly the greatest A mount camera ever made, the A99II, unobtanium second hand. I guess those that love them, love them a lot.
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. 😍
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 own both an a99ii and a7R3, and four G/Zeiss lenses on A-mount and absolutely love them. While I grew up on Minolta film SLR cameras, I now I shoot hybrid digital/film for all my work, as the A-mount is perfect for both camera systems. All of my professional work is on A-mount lenses for good reason. It would be a true shame if Sony drops support for the A-mount, not only for legacy Minolta users but also for film photographers; the A-mount allows hybrid shooters the option of professional glass that can be used on both film and digital cameras that produce results that will make your audience go wide-eyed every time.
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!
That Minolta camera looked beautifull.
and its ergometry was/is as good!
I love my a68, I got a very new one from a person who used it pretty little. In Brazil still has some lenses Minolta, Sigma, Tanron and Sony, for mount A, but not so easy to find, unfortunately.
The slt-a55 was my first real camera, I had bought the 16-50 2.8 to replace the kit lens.
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.
You were 6 yo in 1985? Wow, you're junior, I was deep into Minolta and loving it and was not ready for AF, hated it at first but with time I got myself a 9000 and was blown away after testing a few lenses, the contrast and sharpness was way better than I was used to compared to my older manual SR (No it's not "MD mount, it's SR mount, MC and MD are the meter coupling and for P and minimum diaphragm control) so I was hooked on Minolta and still am: 200 lenses plus and counting.
Today it's Sony digital though but still using my old A mount lenses with LA-EA4.
Sharing glass between my Maxxums and my A100 is for some reason very satisfying. 👍
A-mount is one of the biggest bargains in the used market. Waiting for a low mileage a77 to show up on ebay.
Do another one about the 4/3 format the one that came before m4/3
My first camera was the Minolta XG-1 with the Rokkor 45mm lens. Memories...
Is Minolta lens technology / old blueprints not still at the core of Sony's current lens systems?
I’m only on the A-Mount because my dad had a Maxxum 9000 back in the 80s. He gave me the camera and lenses and I had my own Sony A200. Been years since I’ve shot anything but I’ve recently got the interest in video, and would love to stay Sony. I’ll keep my Minolta lenses. Love the Bokeh and colors. He told me back in the day they were some of the best you could buy and the other brands were behind. Had the best tech. If you read into it Minolta had some great tech that is standard today. Some really important, expensive (even today), and amazing lenses. Sad to see but it is coming. I’ll always support the A-Mount.
The A-Mount is dead... hurray!!! That means that we have seen prices drop and drop for Sony and Minolta lenses. Pick up your Sony Zeiss Planar lenses... Grab all Minolta lenses you fancy: your beercan, your 85mm. And why not throw in a quirky Asahi Super Takumar?... Meanwhile, my old A99 ver.I keeps ploughing on. Yes it's a teenager now, but that beast makes me happy every time I pick it up.
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 Minolta cameras for their manual controls (in digital).
The Minolta system was my first introduction to photography (Maxxum 2xi). The Minolta 7D was a tech marvel. The first DSLR to have sensor stabilization made all lens have image stabilization.
Great video! Please do more history and retrospective videos. Those have always been my favorite
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.
I bought a Sony Alpha 35 back in 2010 and still use it today. Got so many family pictures with it. Now I have a Sony Alpha 6500 and still use my A mount lenses with an adapter.
Great video guys, yes, please keep this series going, this was fun.
Well, I guess you're right. The Nikon 1 series probably wasn't taken from us "too early". By the way, I still have my A77 II, and in fact, I'm going on a shoot today and might use it (as secondary to my A7 III).
In 1976, I had a MINOLTA STR101b... great camera... kept it for a few years unlike what is being done today.
These days a camera is just a computer which become obsolete very quickly... same as smartphone more or less... never had the need to change that often with film.
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!
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!
This segment made me sad because it reminded me of one of my life's regrets. I had used Minolta film SLRs and had some great Minolta AF lenses - the 85/1.4, the 100/2, and the 200/2.8 were my favorites. (I always kept hoping Minolta would re-issue the amazing 135/2 from the X series in AF mount, but it never happened.) But then I decided I needed a DSLR, and Minolta just wasn't keeping up, so I unloaded my whole Minolta system for a (blecch) Nikon D100. If only I could have afforded to hold onto my Minolta lenses for all the years it took for Sony to get its act together, I'd still be using them on a Sony today…
I miss the the old 135/2. Distortion free, sharp and smooth bokeh. And the 135/2.8 STF had an even smoother bokeh.
That STF is legendary and expensive as can be
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
I'm one of those Minolta-to-Sony people. Started with an SR-7 (1966--in-body [but not through the lens] meter), then SRT-201, and eventually a 7D. My first Sony was an alpha-100, which I liked very much, Jordan notwithstanding. I took it to the Galápagos, where--coupled with a Sigma 300mm f2.8--I got some outstanding images. Tried the alpha-700, didn't like it as much, and finally sold the whole kit and bought a Nikon D90. I now have a D7100, but I also have a Fujifilm X-T3 and have just ordered an adapter that will hopefully let me use my Nikon glass with the Fuji, especially my concert lens, the 70-200 f2.8 VRII. But I still have many negs and slides from Minolta days, and they have held up very well.
I almost forgot. I also had a Maxxum 450si (my first autofocus camera), Maxxum 650si, and Maxxum 800si. The 650si was a wonderful camera, really nicely laid out, and I think it inspired the design of the 7D.
I wish that you would do a comparison between the Sony Zeiss 16-35 F/2.8 SSM A Mount, Mark 1 and Mark 2.
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.
I have two Minolta Maxxums. I transitioned to the a100 then a77. Awesome times.
My biggest issue with the mirrorless from Sony is the handling, at least of those I've tried. I had the a700, a77 and a99 years ago and they all handled the big Minolta AF and Sony Zeiss lenses very well that is the physical size of the camera felt right in your hands. They also had good button placement and menus were easy to memorize. I still feel uncomfortable using the a7r and a6300 I have now. I am not sure if its gotten any better with more recent offerings but the general feel and handling are the biggest reasons I would consider going backward to say an a99 or a99ii at this point. I've been out of photography for a while so that's why I don't have anything newer. I don't like the options for adapting (EA3 or EA4), but I've heard Sony has done well with the EA5 I am just not ready to drop the cash for the bodies that support it yet.
The new menu layout on bodies with XD processors, like A7IV is something that should've been in the mirrorless line since the beginning. But finally, the settings make sense and they're easy to find. Moreover, body design improved quite a lot for >hand-on< usage, though one could argue that the first generation A7 bodies were jacket-pocketable if paired with something like a new Viltrox 28mm f4.5 chip lens.
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.
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.
Minolta Maxxum AF lenses from the 80s are an absolute steal. I got the 50 f/1.7 the 28 f/2.8 the 35-70 f/4 and the 70-210 f/4 "beer can" all for under $200! My Sony a300 was only $90. Cant beat it.
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).
Just bought a used A77, it is in 'excellent' condition, not a scratch. I am so looking forward to continuing to use my A-mount lenses with that beauty. Sure it's an older platform, sure they discontinued it, but you know what? That translates to cheaper second hand gear and I'm all for that. Genuinely believe that more amateurs should shop in the used market for older gear. Some of Anton Corbijn's masterpieces were shot on equipment a hell of a lot older!
Sony user here. First one was rhe Sony A200. A rather basic yet capable camera. Also the A65, SLT did really improve things. And then? A7, going full frame.
Can't complain, it is a good ride!
A200 was pretty good for a beginner
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".
I inherited Sony A55 from my dad, and last year managed to upgrade to A77 II
Using A-Mount in 2023 is still very fun especially with excellent yet relatively cheap to get Minolta lenses. However it naturally feels difficult in terms of lens choice compared to the much more common Canon EF, Nikon F, or even Sony's own E-Mount here