Minolta's 7000 — the first integrated-AF 35mm SLR, Minolta A mount, 1985.
The Minolta 7000, launched in 1985, was the first 35mm SLR with an integrated autofocus system, placing the AF motor and drive inside the camera body rather than the lens. It was sold as the Maxxum 7000 in North America and the Alpha 7000 in Japan, and it introduced the new Minolta A bayonet that would carry the autofocus system forward for decades. This is a genuine historical milestone in camera design.
It is a single-lens-reflex using the Minolta A mount, with body-integral autofocus driven through a slot coupling to AF lenses. It offers program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual exposure modes with through-the-lens metering. The electronically controlled focal-plane shutter and motorised film advance both depend on battery power. Settings and exposure data are presented on an LCD panel, a departure from the dials of earlier manual bodies.
The 7000 suits a photographer who wants early autofocus convenience with full program-through-manual control, and it handles as a straightforward everyday and travel camera. Its button-and-LCD interface was new for its time and remains simple to operate. The main limits are the first-generation autofocus speed and the total reliance on working electronics and batteries.
On the used market, check the LCD panel for missing segments or bleed, a known weakness of mid-1980s bodies. Test autofocus drive and the motorised film advance and rewind, confirm the electronic shutter fires at all speeds, and inspect the foam light seals for perishing. Verify the meter and mode buttons respond, budget for the correct battery, and note that as a fully electronic body it will not operate without power.