The Minolta Maxxum 7000 – Photography was never the Same

Today’s post is the first in a series that I’ll be doing on the first wave of 35mm SLRs that occurred in the mid to late 1980s. And since this is the first in that series, what better camera to start off with than the camera that started it all – the Minolta Maxxum 7000 – also known as the Dynax 7000 – or simply the “7000” in parts of the world other than the US. 

Now, I credit Minolta for giving us the first truly successful autofocus SLR. But they weren’t really the first to market for autofocus. Interestingly, Konica (who would go on to merge with Minolta in 2003) released the very first autofocus camera – the C35 AF- way back in 1977. It was a point-and-shoot, compact film camera and not an SLR. The first true autofocus SLR was the Polaroid One Step SX-70 – which used active sonar to achieve focus. 

But, the SLR form we usually think of when we hear those three letters had its autofocus roots in the 1981 Pentax ME-F. The ME-F had focus sensors in the body and required a special motorized lens to operate in full auto mode. And, as far as I can tell, there was only one lens available.

In 1983, Nikon released the F3AF – which was just as it sounds – an autofocus version of its flagship F3 camera with a special AF finder. And like the Pentax it required specialized lenses – of which there were only two. 

In 1985, Canon released the autofocus T-80 with three available lenses. But that was marketed as an entry-level camera with only program exposure modes. And, neither the Pentax ME-F nor the Nikon F3AF nor the Canon T-80 really caught on with consumers.

But, also in 1985, Minolta unleashed the Maxxum/Dynax 7000 and – as they say – the rest is history. So, how did the Minolta meet with such success and not end up as a footnote like the Pentax, Nikon and Canon? Because Minolta created an entirely new system based on autofocus. The 7000 wasn’t a retrofit of an existing model. It was brand new, created from the ground up as a pro-sumer/enthusiast level camera with multiple exposure modes. And with it, came a brace of great lenses and dedicated accessories. Minolta was all-in on the Maxxum at a time when the other major camera makers were still trying to decide if this autofocus thing was just fad.

And as it turned out, of course, it was NOT. Check out the video below for detailed info on the 7000. We’ll also visit the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum for shoot!