The Maxxum 7 and Maxxum 9 were flagship cameras in the Minolta stable. The Maxxum 7 had the most features of any of the series, and all features were accessible by dials or a single button push. The back on the camera has an LCD panel that displays exposure information. The display will rotate 90 degrees with the orientation of the camera, keeping the text horizontal.
The Maxxum line of cameras were marketed as Dynax cameras in Europe and as Alphas in Asia. The modern Sony Alpha name is inherited from Minolta; Sony acquired Minolta in mid-2006. Originally, the Maxxum mark had a crossed-XX much like Exxon's logo. Exxon won in a lawsuit against Minolta, so Minolta had to stop using the crossed-XX mark. Lenses so marked are rare and desired by collectors. There is no difference in quality between a given lens with the crossed-XX the equivalent one without.
Another eBay writer has a short article on Minolta lens bargains. These are overperforming lenses for the price. The list also includes some of the top performing lenses, with top prices to match, such as the Minolta 35mm f/1.4, a $1400 lens in its day. Recommended, of course, is the 50mm f/1.4, which still goes for a pretty penny today.
Wikipedia has much information on the A-mount system and this humble blog has more resources for the A-mount enthusiast.
