I can’t wait to buy the new Minolta dSLR, but I also want to try some new techniques using the Minolta wireless flash system. Using the 3600 or 5600HS flash units, you can do some really creative things. They flashes come with little feet so you can place them anywhere (as well as on the camera’s hotshoe or a tripod) and bounce the light off the wall, ceiling, or a reflector. I think the quality of portraits is greatly enhanced by using this technique. You can see some excellent examples, and read about Minolta’s wireless flash system at Gary L. Friedman’s site. The cool thing is, I can use wireless with my old 507si film camera too. The wireless system is controlled by the on-camera flash, which is why all modern Minolta cameras have a built-in flash. The Maxxum 9 was criticized because it had a flash (most “pro” systems don’t have a built-in flash because the quality of the flash output is not sufficient), but people failed to realize that the built-in flash was included because it could wirelessly control all the other flash units.

Minolta (now Konica-Minolta) has had some great innovations, most notably the first AF system, wireless flash, and some would say the new in-camera anti-shake system. But I, and many others, would say that where Minolta is really ahead of the pack is with their intuitive user-interface. My Alpha 507si (Maxxum 650si) has a great “lever and dial” interface that is so easy to use, and lets you see nearly all of your camera’s setting just by glancing at the camera itself, not some tiny lcd display. The great thing is, the camera doesn’t have to be on. It’s such a great design. Minolta carried on this type of design with their Maxxum 9, 7, and now Digital 7 models. You can read an excellent article on the Minolta Maxxum 7 by Gary L. Friedman at his site.

I guess I am a big fan of Minolta, ant that is because of the great cameras that they have produced in the past, and the cameras that are sure to come in the future!