Minolta 7000 Maxxum AF

Here's a historical plastic camera for y'all! Introduced thirty nine years ago in February 1985, this film camera, the Maxxum 7000, was the first to feature both integrated autofocus (AF) and motorised film advance. Minolta also moved away from their metal chassis cameras and previous MD/MC lens mount in favor for a new autofocus A-mount. But it wasn't exactly a camera that made Minolta rich. Minolta's autofocus design was found to infringe the patents of U.S. corporation Honeywell and Minolta was ordered to pay Honeywell damages, penalties, trial costs and other expenses in a final amount of $127.6 million! Anyways, fast forward to 2003 and Konica and Minolta joined forces, but only for a short period. Because in 2006 they decided to shut down their camera business -- and sold it to Sony. That's why the autofocus A-mount is still in use -- on Sony's many digital A(lpha) cameras