Hi ratto! Caught you post! To be honest, I've only had the A1 about six or seven weeks, and I have'nt had a lot of time to test it (especially outside!). I have used it in the studio and have yet to find anything to fault it. The viewfinder is the best I've seen outside a DSLR. I used a Fuji 6900z previously, and that was grainy, but the A1 is very very clear! One little niggle (and if anyone knows how to get around this, I'd be grateful!) is that the viewfinder darkens when the shot is focused, almost like some kind of DOF preview. As yet, I have'nt found any reference to why it does this or how to turn it off! The Minolta A1 is well put together, and if you have used a "7", then you'll find your way around easily. I opted for the battery pack which will house 2 Lithium batteries. I have used this 2 battery set up in the studio for 6 hours, without recharging the cells. So scores on the battery life for me! (The packe also allows the camera to be used in "portrait" orientation more easily, which I find better for the kind of work I do. The images themselves are excellent (IMHO). I do tend to wash my work thru Photoshop, but work I have done for other people involving "straight" shots has been very well received. At the end of the day, its down to choice. I was lucky enough to be able to blag the use of the A1 for a weekend prior to purchase, and this influenced my decision. Dunno if this is any help to you, but its my ten pence worth! Cheers:)