What Minolta was the top of the line?

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning;

Some others have suggested the Maxxum 9. I agree. I have one also. It is being used also for adaptor testing. At some point, it might be treated to a Sony/Carl Zeiss lens.

Also for "frank;" I am interested in an XK.

[Graham.b]

I still have and will allway's will, a 800 si, very quick and quiet. My wife has the 600 classic. I did have the 7000 and still regret getting rid of it.

Graham

[Ondrej1]

Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha 9, top line (9 class), can be upgraded for SSM lenses. Full list of Minolta/Sony A-mount cameras can be found here

[yurihuta]

Someone mentioned the XE. I think this is the same as a North America XE-7. This had the sweetest sounding shutter I have ever personally heard. I really enjoyed photographing with this body. Mine was all black and I kick myself from time to time for selling it.

[dynachrome]

Of the AF cameras the 9Xi was the top model until the Maxxum 9 came out. The XK was nominally the top non-AF camera. I say nominally because it sold poorly and was not upgraded past the AES finder. The XD-11 had both shutter priority and aperture priority automation and the X-700 had TTL flash metering. When I decided to get a 35mm SLR with a removable finder I bought a Canon F-1 instead. I still enjoy using my SRT cameras and I really like the X-700 with the 280PX for flash work. The Canon F-1 accessories are easier to find than those for the XK so I don't lnpw whether I will ever get an XK. I suppose the XK Motor was the ultimate manual focus Minolta SLR.

[unohuu]

Maxxum/Dynax 9 if you want the fastest shutter speed available on a film body. The Maxxum/Dynax 7 was actually the newer body already capable of the SSM lenses, but it was the "prosumer" model. Either a fine camera to use and own...and coupled with some of the spectacular Minolta glass, you can't go wrong. My wife still shoots film with an STsi and I keep thinking I should replace the Maxxum 7 body that I grew to love before the switch to the Nikon F100.

[FilmOnly]

I bought an XG-M not too long ago, and am liking it very much. I do not know if it, in objective terms, should be called "best," but it has all that I require (and prefer) in an SLR:

--metered manual operation
--a shutter speed range of 1-1/1000 (a couple of slower speeds and a 1/2000 setting would be ideal, but I would rarely use them)
--excellent viewfinder--in terms of both brightness and display features
--good handling characteristics
--solid build
--the availability of a winder and/or motor drive (it offers both)
--access to quality lenses

Considering the fact that I paid $50 for my near-mint (and hardly used) example, I cannot imagine a better overall choice. I have added a Motor Drive 1. I also bought a near-mint MD Rokkor-X 50/1.7 for a whopping $9.05, and have yet to pay more than $40 for an MC lens. Before I forget: I have used and owned a number of SLRs, and the XG-M's viewfinder is the best I have come across--big, bright, and very life-like.

[Karl K]

The Maxxum 9Ti was the top of the line. It was a titanium bodied version of the 9, with some upgraded firmware. Some folks consider this camera to be the finest 35mm AF SLR ever made. I think there were only about 1000 produced. I had two and foolishly sold them. The 7 was a scaled down version of the 9; many shooters prefer the 7. If you want to spend less, I would suggest the 600si as a full featured, albeit amateur-oriented body.