I have a minolta 500 i think its called, are those good cameras for taking professional looking pictures?

i see others pictures and they are very clear and crisp or have a certain finish to them that makes them look magazine ready, but even though i take my pictures in an slr manual camera it doesnt look any different then when i take pictures with a cheapo automatic focus camera. why is this, do i need better film then basic kodak 400 color? do i need to use filters, adobe? and how can i do the same with my no frill digital camera?? just give me hints pointers etc...i want to get out of the rut im in.

We have just bought a Milnolta Dimage Z2.. YOU would not believe the wonderful pictures we are getting with it. We are long time hobby photographers and have Nikon's, Cannons, you name it... but, this Camera is THE BEST EVER!! Our daughter just bought her one and is getting the same quality pictures. I will be Glad to send you a sample if you will IM me and tell me where to send pic. Cajun Jo

You have pretty much answered your own question. It's not so much the camera, but the experience of the photographer. If you owned a Stradivarius violin but only were up to Twinkle, Twinkle, you'd have a long way to go.
Shoot what you own. Take a class. Try something new. Then, invest in the most expensive outfit you can afford.

You can take a "professional" looking picture with just about anything. The glass is more important than the camera. A tripod will help make your picture sharper (clear & crisp) as it will reduce any motion blur. I always use the lowest iso that I can get away with. If I am shooting still life I may even use iso 50. The higher the iso the more grain/noise in your picture. As far as the finish... then that is where the photo lab comes in. Always use a good lab. I use www.adoramapics.com for digital or Dale labs for film. The both do excellent work and are competively priced. Then you need to decide what finish you are drawn to. Glossy, Matte, Luster, Metallic? That's up to your taste. I personally like luster and cannot stand glossy. But that's just me and something you will have to decide for yourself. I do use some filters, polarizers to darken skies, take off glare, warming if needed, and an intensifier in the fall. But the most important thing is to be able to recognize light and to know what makes a good picture. If you have bad light, the most expensive camera in the world isn't going to help you.

The Minolta 500i is an older model camera and very good for prosumer work. Honestly, a professional photographer can make almost any camera take professional pictures, it is just that the camera will limit his/her abilities.

Other than that, the next most important aspect to a camera is the glass, the lenses. The better the glass, the sharper the pictures. However, if you are doing work that may not require perfectly sharp images, you could be just fine, and again it is the skill of the photographer. I remember taking wedding picture with and old Pentax k1000 and my pictures came out better than the pro's, I was using a softening filter and a warming filter. Hell, it was a manual focus camera!

To get out of your rut, try the following...

Force yourself in a aperture mode (A,S,P,M) and take pictures using one only. Use the +/- EV to vary your exposure. Understand WHY you are doing this.

Set a shutter speed and do not vary it. Use aperture settings only to set exposure.

Take pictures only with soft focus, turn off auto focus, get back to the focus roots of photography.

Use a tripod for EVERY picture and a cable release. Now you want the absolute sharpest images you can get. Again, turn off the auto focus. (BTW, I only use auto focus in situations where I have to take a lot of images in a short period of time.)

Try a new kind of film. Try overexposing the whole roll by +1, +1.5 or even +2 EV. Do the same thing underexposing. This will work really well if you are processing your own film. If not, use custom developing and pull (push) the EV in processing.

Take action pictures where you must pan/focus and expose. This will create a blurred background with sharp subject.

Work with your flash. Normal and rear curtain exposures. Bulb exposures and hand held flash.

These are just a few suggestions, I could come up with more all day long.