Fuzzy Logic Puts Minolta In Sharp Focus

When the closest thing yet to a "thinking" camera--the Maxxum 7xi from Minolta Corp.--shows up in stores this summer, it should ignite a new technology race in 35mm single-lens-reflex (SLR) cameras. So smart that it actually anticipates a shutterbug's desires, the Maxxum 7xi will rock the industry even harder than the first Maxxum did back in 1985, predicts Minolta. That's when the Ramsey (N. J.) company stunned its rivals by unveiling the first SLR with automatic focusing. Within two years, autofocusing boosted Minolta to No. 1 in SLRs, deposing longtime king Canon Inc.

The Maxxum 7xi gets its smarts from fuzzy logic, a special breed of artificial-intelligence technology. With it, the camera's microchip brain can evaluate scenes faster and more completely than it could using ordinary digital logic. As soon as you get the camera to your eye, the 7xi analyzes the image in the lens and determines whether it's a landscape, portrait, or closeup, and whether the subject is moving or still. Then, it activates the programmed-exposure system best suited for that kind of photo--and even zooms the lens automatically to frame the picture for you. So unless you feel the camera goofed, the only thing left is to snap the shutter. All this automation doesn't come cheap. The Maxxum 7xi's list price will be $900, and even discounters probably won't go much below $700.