I have come into the possession of some old Minolta SLR gear - my girlfriend's dad gave them to me to see if I could get it working, or if not, flog it on ebay. There's a Minolta 7000 AF body, a 35-70mm AF lens and a 70-210mm AF lens. The lenses are in superb condition, but I can't get the body working - I put in new batteries but the power just seems to come and go, so I guess it's not really worth fixing and I'll sell it for parts.

I was wondering if the old Minolta AF lenses are compatible with the newer Dynax range? Instead of getting very little for the lenses on ebay, I could buy a s/h Dynax body and then he has a working slr outfit.

Can you use the old AF lenses with the newer Dynax bodies, or would I get much for the lenses if I sell them on Ebay?

Howdy,

You may want to check the CR2016 battery located under the metal plate in the battery compartment, often times this is the problem, it is for the back up and it also is the power for the LED screen, without it the camera will not operate correctly.

Dave

How can you use "old" and "AF" in the same sentence?

Ha - I was thinking the same thing. When I read "old Minolta SLR gear," I was thinking of the SRT series.

Kids! Any autofocus camera is new!

Hmm...
In this case truly ancient might be better. Check with your Minolta distributor but this is likely among the many "ancient" AF cameras for which there are no new parts available... so any "repair" is suspect. FWIW I remember how ancient the 7000 seemed the first time I switched on a Canon EOS 650. That camera (and the 630) raised the bar far higher than the 7000 or the 2020 could aspire and essentially made them obsolete in an instant.
Celac.

...I was wondering if the old Minolta AF lenses are compatible with the newer Dynax range?
Yes these lenses (A Mount) are compatible with the entire range of Dynax/Maxxum Minolta bodies (i/xi/si and 5,7,9 Dynax/Maxxum's, and the all new “digital” 7d). Occasionally Minolta would “repackage or dress-up” an older lens model (metal housing) with a newer style housing (typical plastic) to reduce costs and make the lens more marketable; but as a general rule the metal version, despite being older, is more valuable then the newer plastic version. For your information the names Dynax and Maxxum where the marketing labels (branding) used in the European and American markets; both can be used interchangeably (i.e. a Maxxum 700si is the same as a Dynax 700si).

SatinSnow's suggesting regarding the hidden battery is likely your best hope for getting the body to function; as others have indicated the 7000 has been out of production and it’s improbable that you could have it repaired.

For pricing information you could try an Ebay search or ask your local photo dealer for information. Best of luck!

Kelly Camera Repair in AZ still works on these as well as many other out of production cameras of all makes, they have the capibility to make parts in house for many of them, I shot with a 7000 until just recently and it was still a good shooter, albiet a bit slow by todays standards, but they were a workhorse and if repaired still can be.

If your looking to just sell, then ebay is your best bet to get pricing information on these as well as others.

Dave

Ah yes, perhaps I should have said 'older Minolta AF'.

At least that's not as bad as what I saw on Ebay earlier today - a Canon D30 described as a 'classic camera'! 3 years old, 3.2mp, and totally obsolete - the only thing 'classic' about it is that it cost £3,000 3 years ago and now it can't be given away.

Anway... I've replaced the internal battery and so the LCD display is now working - but that's about all. I've put in 4 new AAA's and still nothing.

Have you checked the battery compartment terminals for corrosion and sprung contacts? A common problem in older equipment thats been stored with batteries in it.

One thing might help -- GENTLY abrade the battery contacts to remove any possible oxidization. An ordinary pencil eraser should work well here. Blow off any residue as well as you can and reinstall the batteries.

Kelly Camera Repair in AZ still works on these as well as many other out of production cameras of all makes, they have the capibility to make parts in house for many of them, I shot with a 7000 until just recently and it was still a good shooter, albiet a bit slow by todays standards, but they were a workhorse and if repaired still can be.

If your looking to just sell, then ebay is your best bet to get pricing information on these as well as others.

Dave


Do you have address of KELLY REPAIR and telephone number?
My email address is ncfii@hotmail.com.. THwe 7000 was a great camera..