Hey Jim,

"I never did understand who Minolta could send a DSLR to market with an AF system that was worse than what they had in a film camera produced 10 years ealier."

LOL, believe it or not, I felt that Canon did the same thing when they released the Canon D30/D60. The AF on those models was significantly worse than the AF on the Rebel film camera (a camera with a price tag of 1/20th of what they were charging for the D30 when I purchased it). Having said that, while I have never used the Minolta for focus tracking, I have had the opportunity to use one with a friend of mine. I love the body and the bright viewfinder. The ergonomics are also really quite good.

Having said all that, I am sure you will learn to get used to the 30d pretty quickly. It is a very capable camera - and the ergonomics are also good.

I look forward to seeing some of your bird shots as you get them.

James