Minolta A-mount system

The Minolta A-mount system was at first marketed as Maxxum in North America and α (Alpha) in Japan and the rest of Asia.

In Europe, early Minolta A-mount cameras were initially identified by a 4 digit number followed by AF.

The system also included an extensive range of auto-focus lenses, flashes, a motor drive and other accessories.

[6] Unlike the 7000, the 9000 had no internal motordrive and thus holds the position as the world's only autofocusing SLR with manual winding, but with the addition of the motor drive MD-90 a photographer could get up to 5 frames per second.

The 7000i supported the Maxxum lens system, and other previously introduced accessories such as the remote cords.

The expansion card system provided a way to add features to the camera, such as multi-spot metering, or re-program the built-in AE modes to favor faster shutter speeds or smaller apertures, such as the sports action card.

Essentially added a PC flash-sync terminal, ME capability, spot metering and faster shutter to the 7000i feature-set.

It has a prominent visible built in flash and was released in 1995, the ISO settings range 25-5000, the focal plane shutter speeds: 30 seconds - 1/2000.

It is considered an entry-level camera because of the lack of manual, shutter, or aperture, priority capability.

A version of the 300si offering an additional panoramic mode with part of the viewfinder and film opening masked off top and bottom.

The Dynax/Maxxum/α-9, Minolta's last professional film body, was released in 1998 and started the 5th and final generation of their 35 mm autofocus camera line.

The 9 was the first Minolta to use a radically different user layout, with many buttons, instead of the "computerized" interfaces tried earlier especially in the i and xi series.

This interface was then refined and proved to be a major hit with consumers and reviewers alike, was largely copied over to the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, and also kept in later advanced amateur/professional Sony digital cameras.

The 9Ti had the same features as its regular counterpart with the exception of the silver finish and lighter weight of the titanium shell, a "wet type" rubber grip, knobs with relief labels in orange color instead of the standard model's knobs with phosphorescent paint, and a brown leather shoulder strap.

A small batch of Dynax 9Ti bodies with 8-digit serial numbers in the #199011xx range and lacking the accessories surfaced in Germany between 2002 and 2006 (presumably assembled by Minolta's European Service Center in Bremen from 9Ti spare parts), dubbed the Dynax 9Ti II to distinguish it from the original 4-digit limited series of the 9Ti.

In the second and third hardware revision of the 9, including all SSM/ADI upgraded units, a special procedure (requiring no tools) can be utilized to reconfigure the camera to behave like the 9Ti and subsequently invoke the limited model's extra functions also in the black model.

Amongst its many unusual features, it had an STF function which could emulate the Smooth Trans Focus effect by doing multiple exposures while varying the aperture — something done neither before nor since.

Perhaps most noteworthy and radical was a huge LCD navigation display on the rear of the camera's film door.

This Maxxum offered the maximum shutter speed of 1/8000, a maximum frame rate of 4 frames/second, autofocus control with a 16-bit CPU coupled with a 14-segment honeycomb-pattern metering and the support of Minolta's ADI (Advanced Distance Integration) with its "D" series lenses.

The Dynax/Maxxum/α-7 was noted to be a good camera among many photographers and rave reviews on the Internet and magazines alike.

It featured a larger internal film data memory, a slightly more refined finish of the exterior and golden-colored labels.

The Dynax/Maxxum/α-5 incorporated advanced autofocus (AF) technology, powerful film drive, relatively fast shutter speeds, and several creative features including 14 custom functions, into a small and light silver-colored SLR camera body.

First of two sixth generation Minolta film cameras marketed as the Dynax 40 in Europe and the Maxxum 50 in the USA.

Entry level camera which took the crown as lightest and smallest AF 35 mm SLR.