Minolta Maxxum 8000i

The Minolta Maxxum 8000i is a 35mm camera. It belongs to the group of automatic SLR cameras for the 35mm format. It is the successor of the Minolta Maxxum 7000i and was sold in North America. The feature set has remained relatively the same as its predecessor. The main changes were the shutter speed, the viewfinder and the LCD screen.

The camera was introduced in the 1990s. In Japan, the model is known as the Minolta Alpha 8700i. In Europe, photographers could buy a functionally identical model as the Dynax 8000i.

As known from SLR cameras, the lenses can be exchanged. For this purpose, a Minolta A bayonet was installed. There are many lenses with different focal lengths for this mount. Depending on the lens, the choice of aperture values also varies. The 35mm camera has an autofocus system, but also offers the possibility to adjust the focus manually.

The Minolta Maxxum 8000i also has an exposure meter. It is designed for films in a range from ISO 25 to ISO 6400. These values can be set manually. When automatically reading the film speed, the camera technology can only cover a range from 25 to 5000. The sensitivity is read out via the DX coding on the film cartridge.

The camera has four exposure modes. The photographer can either choose all the settings himself, have the camera set all the values, or choose only one of the values (aperture or shutter speed) himself. The automatic exposure modes can be influenced by exposure compensation. The shutter speed ranges from 1/8000 second to 30 seconds. There is also a Bulb mode for long time exposures.

For long exposures, the camera should be mounted on a tripod. There is a thread on the bottom of the housing for this purpose. The display is located on the upper side. It provides information about the number of photos taken. There is also an indicator when the self-timer is on. The self-timer has a lead time of ten seconds. A flash can be connected via the proprietary port.

According to the manual, the camera weighs 600 grams without films and batteries. The dimensions of the housing without lens are 15.3 x 9.3 x 6.9 cm. A 2CR5 battery (eBay / Amazon*) is responsible for the power supply.

Film transport is automatic on this model. The motor in the camera manages up to three frames per second. At the end of the film roll, usually after about 36 frames, the film material is automatically rewound into the cartridge. Then you can remove the film and take it to be developed.

Films for the Minolta Maxxum 8000i

What kind of films can you use with the Minolta Maxxum 8000i? In principle, any film for the 35mm format can be used. Suitable and very solid films for the Japanese 35mm camera that you can still buy today are the Kodak Ultramax 400* and the Ilford Delta 400*. Both films are well suited for everyday shooting and can convince in independent test reports. Of course, you can also use films from other manufacturers. Here we can name Foma, Rollei, Fujifilm, Adox or Lomography as suppliers.