Although slightly less intimidating than its more expensive sibling, it still reeks of heavy-duty photo firepower. The black-bodied camera is made of carbon fiber and plastic. Remember: D-SLRs are commitments so expect to buy a bag in order to carry all the goodies around. When you add the things you’ll need such as a lens, CompactFlash card and battery it tips the scales at 33.4 ounces. The 7D has a magnesium body accounting for the extra weight. The Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D is a bruiser of a camera, weighing in at 20.8 ounces for the body only, six ounces less than the 7D. Now is this the D-SLR of your dreams? Click on, my friends, click on… After shooting with the Maxxum 5D we found saving cash is a very good thing. Now we’re big fans of saving money–as long as the value and quality is still there. The 5D comes with a 18-70mm zoom while the 7D gets a 28-100mm lens selling for $899 and $1,289 respectively. In the case of the Maxxum 5D, it’s $400 less than the 7D for the body only ($799 versus $1,199) and close to that including a lens. Depending on the company you’ll save hundreds. Witness the original Nikon D70 and the new D50 Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras, the Olympus E1 and Evolt E-300, the original Pentax *ist D and the new *ist DS2. Companies typically introduce loaded models at high prices then follow-up with slightly stripped down editions for less. The new 6.1-megapixel Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D is part of a fast-growing D-SLR trend.