Minolta's cheap compact camera is a cheeky Hasselblad lookalike

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The Minolta MND65 might look like a Hasselblad, but that’s where the similarities end

Two product images of a white Minolta MND65 on a white background, showing the rear and front of the camera, with a woman taking a selfie on the rear LCD
The Minolta MND65 seems to take its design cues from Hasselblad's X System cameras (Image credit: Minolta)

I’m going to come right out and say it: Photo Rumors is absolutely right, and this Minolta MND65 bears a bit of a cheeky resemblance to Hasselblad’s legendary X System cameras. And no, I’m not suggesting it’ll be a patch on the aspirational Swedish manufacturer’s wears, but in the words of Oscar Wilde: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, after all.

One area where this cheeky little camera does trump Hasselblad – and pretty much every other major brand for that matter – is price. At the time of writing the folks over at Adorama have it listed for $149, with a $199.95 RRP, making it a potential contender for the best cheap cameras, review pending of course.

The top-down view does reveal a rather slim profile (Image credit: Minolta)

The gray and black version is the most Hasselblad-esque, but it comes in five additional colors, all black, and white with blue, purple, red, or teal faceplates. So let’s dive into the specs. If you’ve ever wanted a 56-MP camera for under $200, you’re in luck. Well, kind of… You see, as I said when I got my hands on a few cheap compact cameras at the Photography & Video Show, you wouldn’t expect a 200-MP camera phone to hold a candle to most cameras from the big brands, and I think it’s fair to assume the same applies here.

The back of the camera boasts a rear selfie camera (Image credit: Minolta)

After all, despite Adorama’s spec list touting “56MP Photo Resolution”, it also states, “Resolution: 13MP”, but it's unclear whether the latter relates to the rear-facing selfie camera or not. The Minolta also boasts 4K 60fps Ultra HD video, but with no literature on sensor size, it's difficult to take these stills or video specs with anything other than a grain of salt. Other features include an 18x digital zoom from the fixed 52mm f/2 lens, built-in Wi-Fi, a 3-inch rear LCD, and built-in optical image stabilization.

Now, I wouldn’t feel right without mentioning the situation regarding the Minolta name. After all, Minolta was a very well-respected camera brand that ultimately sold off camera assets to Sony in 2006. The Minolta name is now licensed by a company called Elite Brands, so while the brand name is alive and well, don’t expect the same heritage.

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Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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