If you are concerned about the "softness" of the lens...
It can easily be taken care of in post-processing.... but most of your shots are not going to be used for PROFESSIONAL pourposes... so don't wory about it and get the lens you want.

I will publish theistcas soon as I can. Thank you.

I will send you an email and we can negotiate a price for some of the film. I will need to know how many roll you woukd want and which asa. The asa I have the most of is 800 asa.

Ok, I will send to you as soon as I get them sorted out.

I will try, but it will take a while. I have not looked at them for a long time, but they have all been kept in metal padded carry cases, so all are in pristine condition. I am not even sure what they are worth, now. We may just have
To negotiate the prices. By the way, all of the lenses will fit the Sony DSLR cameras.

I have a multitude of Minolta Maxxim 35 mm cameras, lenses, flashes accessories I would like to sell. All are lightly used. I also have several cases of expired film of all asa's that could go with some of them. These are all the earlier PROFESSIONAL models. I have several each of just about every lens made as well as most models of cameras. These cameras were very expensive when they were new... usually between $1,200 to $2,000 and more. I bought them all used years ago... most of them on Ebay. When I wanted a new lens or a flash, I found it more economical to buy a whole kit than just what I needed, so I have a lot of duplicates. In fact, I have at least 7 COMPLETE kits. Models of bodies include... 5000i, 700, 7000, 7000i, several 8000i, lenses and flahes too numerous to mention. Exposure cards, battery grips, cases, and much more. All are in perfect working order, although they have not been used for years, since I swithed to all digital. Let me know if you are interested in any of these. The more you buy, the better the price. There are still some photographers who prefer 35 mm film cameras... let me know who you are.

I always take my photos with cropping in mind. If you frame the picture to the frame in your camera (Usually 4x6 size) then enlargements are nearly impossible. Making sure that you have more than enough extra in the frame makes it possible to make an 8x10 out of the 4x6 frame size. Then you crop the picture to 4x6 or 5x7 or 8x10 or even 8.5" x11 full page print. If you have a camera of AT LEAST 18 megapixels, then cropping should not be a problem. Most current DSLR's have at least 18 megapixels. The older ones such as the Cannon 10D, 20D, 30D etc. early Rebel cameras as well as the other brands early DSLR's had only a 6 or 8 megapixel sensor. These lower megapixel cameras would begin pixelization when cropping and would lose quality. With todays newer higher megapixel cameras, you can crop several decent quality pictures from the same shot without too much degradation to the picture. Of course if you are wanting a WALL-SIZED print, then the cropped photos will not work well... but most of us do not print that large of picture. Usually there is no need to print anything larger than a FULL PAGE 8.5" x 11" Print unless you are on a very special professional PAID job. Basically, do what works for you and your tastes, but do a lot of experimentation and get a lot of on the job training ... as well as listen to what more experienced photographers tell you... but what works for one photographer may not work for another one.

The first rule of photography is lighting. Making sure that the lighting is correct and good is a must... such as having the sun to you're back... unless you want a siloette. Next rule is POST-PROCESSING is a MUST for digital puctures.... But, you should go into you're camera's "set-up" and adjust the "contrast" and "color vividness" this will give you sharper pictures. But be aware that some pictures could have a little too much contrast depending on which shot you are taking. Also, I have found that (especially if you are NOT going to "Post-process", you usually have to turn up the exposure on the camera to a +1 or +2.. or the picture will usually come out too dark. But the best teacher is to experiment with your camera. Take a lot of pictures with different settings. "Practice makes perfect" as the saying goes. Also, no matter what anyone tells you, lens quality DOES make a huge difference. If you are trying to use the "KIT lenses" such as the 18-55, and such. You will never get good, sharp pictures like the Pros. Until you can invest in the "L" series lenses that the Pros use, you cannot get Pro results..... but keep experimenting and adjust for additional contrast and vividness of color. ALSO, try shooting some "Black and white" photos. Your camera should be able to be set for that. "Post processing" can do that for you as well. Something else you might try... find a good used Canon 60D or 70D camera. They can be bought fairly reasonably on Ebay or a good used camera store... an 80D would be even better, but it is a little more expensive. These are the closest cameras to the PRO...FULL FRAME cameras that you can get. Good luck and keep shooting.

Actually I did not notice the dates on these threads. I just assumed they were current.

Even though you mentioned a lesser price range. If you are intending to by new rather than used, I would recommend you take a close look at the Canon 80D. It is much closer to a professional camera than the others you mentioned. Yes, it might cost anither $400 or so, but it will have a much better Pro feel and a lot more Pro features. Keep in mind that this is likely to be the last camera you will need to buy, so the extra money will be well worth it. The 80D will feel much better when you put heavier lenses on it. It is built much sturdier than the other two cameras you are considering as well. It has faster shutter speeds, better video, newer and better sensor, bigger megapixel capacity, faster flash sinc and many more features I cannot begin to list. Check out the Canon 80D. Make sure that you get at least the 18-135 is lens even if ylu have to get a very good used lens. Also invest in a very good flash. As you already know, the lens and the lighting is what is most important in photography.

The 60 D with the 18-135 lens would be the better camera. NEVER BUY a Canon camera with the 18-55 lens. It is a very cheap lens and you will not like the results. Also you will always kick yourself for not having the ability to zoom in closer. You will like the 60 video as well with the 18-135 lens. The o ly benifit of the cheap 18-55 lens is that it is not as heavy, but in all other aspects the 18-135 is lens will suit you better. Check around, you can get the 60D with the 18-135 for a little less money than you mentioned. Check Robers Camera, B & H, and KE Camera.

I have had the Canon 60 D with the 18-135 is lens for more than 3 years. Absolutly NO focus problems at all.
Sometimes focus oroblems are NOT the fault of the camera body, but can actually be a problem with the lens. The better lenses tend to work better than the cheaper lenses. I never use the 18-55mm lens that comes with most camera packages.
I had upgraded from the Canon 20D and the 20D did a great job for me for many years, but the 8 megapixel camera just did not give me enough room for cropping. Also in addition to the 18 megapixels, the 60D has great video as well. I found that the focusing in video was very good and fast too.

If you want the latest features and a 24 megapixel camera for a reasonably low price without actually going into the megabucks pro camera bodies, the new Canon 80D is the one to go to.... but if you can get by wih an 18 megapixel camera, the Canon 60 D is by far the best buy. And it has fantastic video as well. It is much better built than the Rebel abd T series...and is sealed as well. It has a much better feel to it especially if you use heavier lenses. The 60D will adjust your iso speeds in 1/3 increments automatically if you want it to. The 60 D with a 18-135 lens will do just about everything a beginning photographer will ever need. In fact many Pro photographers still use the 60D. Yes there are much better Pro cameras that shoot "full frame" but to get much of a better quality photo than the 60D, you woyld need to spend thousands of dollars on a body and especially lenses.

I would save just a little bit more money and buy a Canon 60d with an 18-135 is lens. The 60 D is an 18 megapixel camera. The 60 d will automatically set and change your ISO settings in program mode and automatic mode. You will get good photographs with little or no effort. The 18-135 is zoom lens will be almost all you need for near and far picturs until you learn more about photagraphy. The 60D also has almost all of the Pro features that the mire expensive Pro cameras have, so, you can experiment with these features and learn more about pro photigraphy. You can get a really good 60D camera and 18-135 lens on e-bay (but be very careful) and ypu can check B&H an Ke camera shops as well. Usually for about $400. If you are really wanting to get a very good but inexpensive camera, a Canon 60D is my choice.

You can get a Free download of Photoshop CS2 at adobe online with the free code to make it work. It is an older version of the PRO version, but it is much better the Elements. Once you have perfected CS2 then you can decide if you want to invest in the newer versions of the software. I have been using CS2 for many years and it does all I need.