How does the 9000s autofocus compare to that of newer Maxxums?
The 9000 represents Minolta’s first generation of autofocus cameras – it has a single, horizontal autofocus sensor. In practice the 9000 autofocuses well in almost all situations and is very accurate. However it is more bothered by low light, low contrast or fast moving subjects than newer Maxxums. The 9000’s autofocus is also slower than that of newer Maxxums, but for most users the speed is still quite tolerable. (For example, the 9000’s autofocus speed may become a problem if you do mostly sports photography, but you will find it easily fast enough to follow your child playing with your dog). A good trick to greatly increase the 9000’s autofocus speed is to use lenses which have small, light, rear focusing elements (for example the 28 to 135 f/4-4.5 zoom). The 9000 also lacks the predictive autofocusing of some newer Maxxums. 8/ Can the 9000 autofocus in low light? Not quite as well as later Maxxums. Minolta quotes the autofocus working sensitivity as EV 2 to 19 at ISO 100. A review
