New film body... ??

[Anbesol]

Ok so, I've reentered college. One of the classes I'm taking is a b/w film photography class. My old Maxxum 5 was broken when my son decided to lift up the mirror and poke the shutter curtain. So, I need a new film body. I was initially thinking of just another Maxxum 5, but I considered also a Maxxum 70 and I am especially fond of the Maxxum 7. The 7, of course, costs 3 times as much - I found one for $120, and the thing usually goes for ~ $200, but the 5 is going for only ~ $40. As you may know, the 5 has all of its manual controls buried in a few button system and is a cumbersome camera to manually control. Buuut, I am thinking that this semesters class may be the end of my use in film anyway, so, I just don't know what I should do. If theres a purpose for having a film body beyond this class, then I would be much happier with the Maxxum 7, which has an interface very much like the A700. Or, if this class is the very end of my film use, save the ~$80 and get a maxxum 5, which isn't bad it just has annoying manual controls.

I dont know much about the Maxxum 70, it looks to have better manual controls than the 5, anybody here ever work with the maxxum 70?

Ah, and almost forgot, I'm also taking the opportunity to (finally) use my Leica rangefinder, so the maxxum wont be the only film body I'm using there. Believe it or not, I think the manual controls on the leica are easier to use than on the Maxxum 5.

anyway, I know its kind of a silly question but I'm wondering to myself and thought you guys might have some good input or thoughts on the matter.

Thanks in advance

[OldClicker]

For this Maxxum specific and detailed, I would try

http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forums.html

Terry

[PWhite214]

The price on the 7 has been dropping. I have a couple and love using them. I would definitely spend the extra money.

Phil

[Anbesol]

Okay, I put way too much thought into this, and I stopped thinking and just did what was obviously right - and got the Maxxum 7. Wooooo, can't wait to try it out. The button layout looks almost identical to the A700, I should probably feel right at home with it. Adorama to the rescue, I can't believe they had it so lower priced than anywhere else, they still have a couple on there for $149, with excellent + ratings, (I saved $20 for the just plain excellent one).

[HelenOster]

.....got the Maxxum 7....Adorama to the rescue, I can't believe they had it so lower priced than anywhere else, they still have a couple on there for $149, with excellent + ratings, (I saved $20 for the just plain excellent one).

Delighted to hear it! But do let me know if you need any after-sales support.

[Anbesol]

It came in, what an impressive beast! Its a "Dynax" instead of the Maxxum, so its a foreigner.

The interface is awesome, exceeding my expectations. I even wish Sony kept some of this design in with their A700.

I now have the best film camera in my class, I'm heading up there tonight, I will be sure to show it off and make all my classmates jealous. I also have a Leica rangefinder (ELW) with a 50mm Zeiss lens, so I now have the TWO coolest cameras in class, haha.

Helen - Sale price was awesome, transaction went smoothly, shipped quick, better than described, very pleased with this experience! Adorama rocks!

[Anbesol]

Okay I went up there and they all started chanting and slobbering over it.

Haha, nooo, I sort of hoarded it and didn't let anyone set their grimey eyes or hands on it...

After shooting a roll of film, I now see how obvious this choice really should have been, this body is way more pleasant to use than the Maxxum 5. Thanks for the push phil.

[PWhite214]

You are welcome. Check out the display that shows the exposure value for each sensor on the grid. I wish this display was on the A700. Great for landscapes

Phil

[Anbesol]

I've been trying for a while to figure out how it is triggered, I finally figured out it was an AEL+Display toggle, I guess it makes sense it is tied with AEL. That is pretty awesome, it does sort of beg the question - why hasn't sony used this feature?