The Dynax 5D is Konica Minolta's first entry-level digital SLR, designed for beginners. Launched in July 2005, it's a smaller, lighter, simplified version of the earlier Dynax 7D, while sporting the same 6 megapixel resolution and unique built-in Anti-Shake mechanism.

The 7D, launched in September 2004, was the first digital SLR to feature built-in Anti-Shake capabilities. Unlike rival systems which are built-into specific lenses, Konica Minolta's solution is built into the camera body itself and actually shifts the CCD sensor to counteract any wobbles. By fitting it in the body, it effectively turns any lens you attach, new or old, into an anti-shake model.

The Dynax 7D was relatively large and heavy, but the new Dynax 5D is a much smaller and lighter camera. Like its budget rivals, some of the weight reduction is thanks to the viewfinder Penta-prism being swapped for a cheaper and lighter Penta-mirror.

The 7D's considerable 30 external controls have been reduced to a more approachable 21, although there's still plenty to keep most enthusiasts happy. New features include white balance bracketing, enlarged playback of RAW files and vertical image playback, but while the main screen remains a generous 2.5in size, it's resolution has almost halved from the 7D to keep costs down.

In this review we'll take an in-depth look at the Dynax 5D. The unit we tested was running a final production firmware version 1.00e. One final note on regional variations: in this review we have used Konica Minolta Europe's model naming convention. Readers in the USA should substitute Maxxum 5D for Dynax 5D and Maxxum 7D for Dynax 7D.

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