5 Shots From Minolta’s Entry Level AF SLR – The Dynax 300si

Hey Keith. I haven’t seen a new “crap camera” review on a while but it’s good to see you review a good one here! So here’s a question. With program exposure modes, you’re changing the camera’s bias between aperture vs shutter speed right? I understand the action mode will make the camera shoot faster shutter speeds, essentially making it shutter priority. So which of the other modes will do the opposite? I think the modes also affect focusing bias as well, near vs far. I mostly don’t use program mode, just aperture priority or manual but I’m open to change if I understand it.

Lovely images Keith, they are all very crisp looking and I do like the composition with the Harmonica player. Minolta did have a habit of getting things right throughout their range of cameras. I had 2 XG2s a very long time ago and miss them, so I am working on a damaged XD5 at the moment, if I can get it going it should feel familiar. I have little Minolta ALF which punches above its weight and even a mid eighties plastic AFZ which makes better images than it ought to.

Hi Keith, very nice photographs. My favorite is the harmonica player.

Thanks for this article, Keith – the spirit of a day truly captured in pictures. The 300si is a wonderful camera as your excellent photos amply demonstrate.  The metering is always impeccable, and I’d say this camera aligns very well with the founding principles of this website, as it can serve as a straightforward point and shoot (albeit it’s not the most compact of cameras), but also provides light touch creative control via the scene modes.  If you’ve still got the 500si, from memory, I think its viewfinder displays the aperture and shutter speed choices the 500si (and presumably the 3 00si) makes while you shoot in each of the scene modes, three of which provide the fundamental creative control all photographers use day-to-day: wide aperture for subject separation (‘Portrait’), narrow aperture for everything in focus (‘Landscape’), fast shutter speed to avoid subject blur (‘Sport’).  Actually, it’s the not knowing precisely what these aperture and shutter speed settings are at any given time that lift a cognitive burden and make the 300si such a fun camera to use.  The ergonomics are also terrific; the generous moulded grip means that the camera sits really comfortably in the hand with the forefinger poised naturally over the shutter release button and the thumb over the scene mode selection button.  The task of cancelling the flash after you turn on the camera (a nuisance with many 35mm compacts too) is at least easy to do without moving your hand, as the ‘off switch’ sits conveniently next to the shutter release. This aside, I think the only thing that could improve the 300si would be an indication in the viewfinder of which of the scene modes is currently selected, as you could then confidently scroll through them without lifting your eye from the camera. Full credit to the Minolta 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens too. Produces photos worthy of a prime, well thought of on the Dyxxum website, and available, like the camera, for really next to nothing. Overall the 300si combines fun, low cost, creative control and terrific results comparable to any 35mm SLR.  The shutter release/mirror return even sounds great! Love it.

I very much enjoyed your review, and agree with your conclusions and the comments so far. This type of (now) cheap camera provide so much for so little outlay. The images you show would not disgrace cameras costing several two more zeros added on to what you paid. I have a particular affection for Minoltas from this era, and have three of them. The kit lenses are great, but if you can bag their AF 50mm f1.7 which are around £40, you'll not be disappointed. The results I've had from this nifty fifty have been excellent. Credit again for highlighting the fun factor of these cameras.