Konica Minolta STsi

Review Date
June 4, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Reviewed by
fluke , Intermediate

Price Paid
$100.00 at Henry's ebay store

Photography Experience
21+ years , Outdoor

Summary
Came with 28 - 80 Zoom + filter, and in very good condition.

My experience with film cameras is largely with manual cameras ie: you've got to set the f stop, shutter speed, focus, zoom, etc. Up to now, I though automatics were for wimps :)

I purchased this camera on Ebay as an emergency backup, as my digital died along with my two film cameras, one a minolta SLR and the other a point and shoot. I ran two rolls of film through it (Kodak Ultra 400 and Kodak Gold 200) to see how this camera would perform.

In well lit areas, no problems: autofocus works fine and the color balance seems to be good.

Indoors, under artificial lights, the color balance changes and is noticeable even if you use the flash, though this is something that any film camera would have to contend with and may be a comment more on the film. The flash range is short - 8 feet maximum. Taking pictures without a flash and using an equivalent f stop and shutter speed, I had the impression that the meter is a bit conservative - I'm tempted to go one stop lower or one shutter speed lower to overexpose the film by one point according to the camera.

The controls are usable once you get used to them though the "spot" button and the manual focus buttons both seem a bit awkward to use at the start. PASM modes are easy to get to. If this camera is like my digitals which died (that's another story....), don't cheap out on the batteries!!!!

Recommended film by a certain camera store rep: Fujifilm 400 for general purpose (you do have up to 1/2000 of a second for a shutter speed) and Fujifilm 200 for outdoors. I'm testing that now and will comment once I get the prints back.

Overall, a good camera if you have two people using it: one a technophobe and the other a technophile.....

Strengths
- Easy to use automatic mode (what can I say - point and shoot...)
- Manual mode accessible, and once you get comfortable with the controls, you have a fair bit of lattitude with how the camera takes pictures.
- spot metering is nice, seems to work well.
- good shutter speed range (I didn't get anywhere near the extremes on either end, no matter how I pushed it...)
- good aperture range, though I wish it would go a bit lower (down to 2.8...)

Weaknesses
- I just don't like plastic cameras.....
- flash is weak
- remote control for shutter is expensive (54 CAD)
- a bit awkward for manual focus

Similar Products Used
My other cameras:
Yashica 44
Minolta SR1 (yes, I am an old timer)
FujiFilm A120
Kodak E8xx (8 megapixels, not a bad point and shoot, though it didn't take kindly to being dropped :(

Customer Service
Can't comment, though Henry's gave a 27 month warranty on it....

Review Date
July 30, 2004

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by
Marvol , Intermediate

Price Paid
$400.00 at the Netherlands

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
When I decided my zero-function P&S was to go, I had only a limited budget to buy an SLR. The only competition for the Dynax 404si was the Canon EOS 300, but as I recall the Minolta had several features the Canon lacked, and still was cheaper. I bought a kit (the Dutch way) that included the Tamron 28-105 lense instead of the Minolta 28-80 - a choice I never regretted.

As has been mentioned before, the 404si is ideal for beginners who want a camera to grow with during their first years with an SLR. It has all the fully automatic functions to make it an advanced P&S and that give you very good pictures in most of the situations. Later on I found the weaknesses in especially the AF, which always is slow and in low light becomes almost impossible to use - I missed a fair amount of shots due to the AF searching in vain.
By that time, you can switch to manually focussing and using aperture or shutter priority to start and create special shots. All this is easily achieved by simple control dials and switches.

Before I left the whole lot at a bus stop never to see it back, it had taken me hundreds of good and dozens of great pictures. Just know what the weaknesses of the camera are and avoid them, you'll not be disappointed.

The price advantage this camera held is diminished with the availability of the clearly better Dynax 5 at reasonable second-hand prices (get one of these instead if you have the choice), but it still is a great beginner's camera. Just because it isn't all that good, it forces you to get better yourself.

Strengths
Light (even though heavier than the newer Dynax 5)
Inexpensive
Full-auto to full-manual
Many features for the price

Weaknesses
Autofocus both slow and inaccurate at low light
Trigger-happy to use auto-flash (so I always had it switched off)
Apart from that, none for such a low-priced camera

Similar Products Used
Dynax 5

Customer Service
Not needed

Review Date
June 2, 2004

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by
Bishop's grad , Casual

Price Paid
$0.00 at Costco

Photography Experience
0-1 years , Outdoor

Summary
Received this Camera with 28-80mm lense as a birthday gift after expressing some interest in getting an SLR. Initially the novelty of having a 'real' camera wore off and I started getting roll after roll of bad pictures back from lab. Since the camera has so many stop-gaps and dummy-proof features I was never sure if I was messing up or the camera was using its 'brain'.
I decided that I wanted to know i was in full control so I bought a Nikon FE fully manual camera.
Recently as a favor to friends I acted as a supplementary photographer at their wedding. I used my Nikon with a 28-200, Reala rated at 80iso and a polarizer as my main camera, but took my Stsi with the same film, and a polarizer as a test.
I shot 10 rolls on my Nikon, and would at various times shoot with my Stsi on full auto(one roll with Stsi).
The Nikon photos turned out as well as I would expect with my experience level, the Minolta photos turned out either out of focus or blurry.

I have read about and looked at the Pentax 'Ist', for the value it seems to be a better choice. Also the Nikon N65 or N50 seem to be better cameras as well.

If you are set on having auto focus invest in another brand, or an older higher level camera.
If you want to learn to learn the basics invest in an older Nikon FE, FM, F2 or a Minolta XD-11 or XD-7. They are roughly the same price and a better build quality.

Strengths
Great in bright sun, on manual focus, in manual mode(as long as you know about fstops and shutter speeds).

Weaknesses
Absolutely horrible in autofocus mode, especially in dim light. If you attempt to use Aperture priority mode and the light is dim you will end up with what seems like a full second worth of exposure and a print that looks like you had caffeine jitters.
The auto focus searches like a blind man in the dark.

Review Date
February 3, 2004

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Reviewed by
youthguymatt , Intermediate

Price Paid
$250.00 at Ritz

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
This was my first SLR and I loved it. from fully auto to fully manualm this camera really helps you to learn the basics of photography. Everybody seems to agree that the price is a great attribute. This camera takes some great outdoor shots and does a good job metering. Indoor is another story, the autofocus is pretty picky and the built in flash gives many pictures a disposable camera look, but is solved with a larger, after market flash. I do miss the Depth-of-Field preview, and wish this camera had one. Obviously your choice of film is 1/2 of the equation for a good sharp picture, but this camera does its half pretty well...outside.

Strengths
great outdoor shots
perfect for the learning photographer
easy to use
PRICE

Weaknesses
The camera is lost indoors
The flash is at amature night

Similar Products Used
Canon AL-1
Nikon

Customer Service
Not needed

Review Date
June 13, 2003

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.33 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by
Carl McDaniel , Expert , from Williamsport, Pa USA

Price Paid
$672.00 at Ritz Camera in Bosco

Photography Experience
21+ years , Outdoor

Summary
I bought the STsi Maxxum on 5-9-01. At first I got good pictures. I then found out the flash did not work. I took it to Ritz Camera in the Lycoming Mall and they sent it to their repair shop. I bought three extra years warrenty on it.
Good thing I did. It was returned to me and for some time it worked okay, but now the flash does not work again. I am going to take it back to Ritz agin on Monday morning. I do a lot of traveling and I will never trust this camera again.How can I get rid of this lemon and maybe get another model that I can trust. I also have the Minlota X-370.
Carl F.

Strengths
Takes good outside pictures.

Weaknesses
The flash ....

Similar Products Used
X-370

Customer Service
Good but they cannot be responsible for this lemon