newbie needs some help...

[feiticeria]

I bought a used Minolta Maxxum 5 body with Sigma 24-70mm F3.5-5.6 lens and I'm having a few concerns...my biggest problem is this odd sound I get whenever I turn the camera on/off. The sound is similar to a toy R/C car, but louder. It only happens when the lens are on the body, so I'm assuming it has something to do with the lens and not the body? Am I putting the lens on improperly? Any ideas....second, I thought with SLRs, I should be able to see what I'm focusing on through the viewfinder? I haven't had the time to take it outside yet, but I thought I should at least get a idea from my shots indoors...finally, I was wondering if anyone can turn me to a website that can help me get used to my Maxxum 5?

Thank you in advance,
feiticeria

 

[Annette]

I thought with SLRs, I should be able to see what I'm focusing on through the viewfinder?

If you're not seeing what you're focusing on ... what are you seeing?

 

[feiticeria]

Oops, sorry, wrong choice of words, I meant to say, when I look through the viewfinder, I can't see which areas are sharp and which are blurry when I use, say the Potrait mode.

 

[molested_cow]

Hmmm..... regarding the sound question, I will call and ask the person you bought the camera from too.

So what exactly do you see? Do you mean the focus doesn's show in the view finder? Are you on auto focus mode? Maybe the indoor light is so low that the auto focus doesn't work.

 

[Annette]

Oops, sorry, wrong choice of words, I meant to say, when I look through the viewfinder, I can't see which areas are sharp and which are blurry when I use, say the Potrait mode.

Oh - the "depth of field preview". I don't have that on my camera and don't know how it works. I thought I had read that there's a button you have to push or set. I can't be certain though.