As the first professional autofocus SLR system ever made, the Minolta 9000 AF sports a number of unique features showing the transition from electro-mechanical cameras to the next generation of fully electronic cameras.

For this reason, the 7000 is often considered to be the first ever autofocus-capable SLR[Note 1] In any case, the Minolta 9000 AF was the first professional SLR system featuring a wide range of autofocus-capable accessories, with the New York Times calling it "The first 35-millimeter automatic-focusing camera built for professional use"[1] and "revolutionary",[2] and Leif Ericksenn, editor-in-chief of Photo Methods magazine calling it "one of the most astonishing cameras of the decade".

The body of the Minolta 9000 is a robust all-metal construction, with the pentaprism being the only component not to be completely encased in metal.

Furthermore, an optional back "program back super 90" (PBS-90) provided multi-spot measurements, with optional automatic weighting by average (AVERAGE), mean (CENTER), highlight (HIGHLIGHT) and shadow (SHADOW), as well as user-definable program curves.

[1] The Minolta 9000 also accepted a variety of focusing screens, a lockable button for depth of field preview, lighting of the viewfinder and a built-in eyepiece to protect the eye of the photographer from lateral light.