|
Editors' Rating:
8.0 of 10
| • Value for money |
6 |
| • Ease of Use |
8 |
| • Performance |
7 |
| • Image Quality |
7 |
|
Average User Rating:
10.0 of 10
(125 votes)
| • Value for money |
8 |
| • Ease of Use |
9 |
| • Performance
|
9 |
| • Image Quality
|
9 |
|
Where to Buy ?
|
PROS
•
Fully manual focus and exposure
• Fast mode switching
•
Powerful lens
•
Easy operation
•
High resolution
CONS
•
Short battery life
•
Sluggish autofocus
•
Noisy electronic viewfinder
•
Only 16MB memory card included
•
Grip gets hot
|
Includes: Minolta Dimage 7 Digital Camera, 16MB Lexar 8X CompactFlash card,
4 AA alkaline batteries (non-rechargeable), Neck strap, Lens hood, Lens cap w/strap,
USB cable, Video cable, CD-ROM featuring DiMAGE Image View Utility and drivers,
147 page camera manual + 67 page software manual (both printed).
Recommended
Accessories |
The Minolta DIMAGE 7 camera is, perhaps, an entirely finished conception of a digital camera. The experience will show whether this solution is viable. But I think that this camera starts the epoch of maturity of digital photo cameras. The matrix quality is rather high, and now one will hardly notice that the image quality is mainly determined by the lens whose resolution is higher in the center than on edges. But the price for good lenses does not usually drop with time or drops insignificantly. Further development and reduction of prices in the sphere of electronics will hardly affect cameras of this class. I think that in the future belongs to the digital cameras with removable optical instruments like Leica when anyone will be able to equip his camera with a lens he likes.
Dimage
7 Major Features:
| • |
True 5.24-megapixel CCD delivering resolutions as
high as 2,568 x 1,928 pixels. |
| • |
12-Bit A/D conversion. |
| • |
Digital Hyper Electronic viewfinder with 90-degree
variable position. |
| • |
1.8-inch TFT color LCD monitor. |
| • |
7.2-50.8mm lens (equivalent to a 28-200mm lens on a 35mm
camera) with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or f/3.5, depending on the
zoom setting. |
| • |
2x digital zoom. |
| • |
Auto and Manual focus. |
| • |
Macro setting at maximum telephoto. |
| • |
Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual,
and Subject Program shooting modesl. |
| • |
Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 4 seconds, with Bulb
setting for longer exposures (up to 30 seconds). |
| • |
300 Multi-Segment, Center-Weighted, and Spot metering
options, with AE Lock function. |
| • |
Adjustable ISO with five settings. |
| • |
Built-in, pop-up flash with three operating modes,
a flash metering system, and adjustable intensity. |
| • |
External flash hot-shoe for Minolta accessory flash units. |
| • |
Continuous Shooting, Interval, and Movie shooting modes. |
| • |
Digital Effects Control for Exposure, Color Saturation,
and Contrast Compensation with Bracketing. |
| • |
Adjustable White Balance with six modes. |
| • |
Saturation, Sharpness, Contrast, and Black and White modes. |
| • |
RAW, uncompressed TIFF, and JPEG file
formats. |
| • |
Images saved to CompactFlash Type I or II memory
cards (16MB card included), Microdrive compatible. |
| • |
USB cable and interface software for connecting to
a computer and downloading images. |
| • |
NTSC and PAL selectable video output
signals, with cable included. |
| • |
Power supplied by four AA batteries or separate AC
adapter (available as an accessory). |
| • |
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compliant. |
 |
Full Specs |
|
Customer Reviews
|
Dianne
Hughes,
from Rohnert Park, CA, US, Mar 29, 2002
|
|
This
is the BEST digital camera I've ever tried (and the fourth one I've
owned).. the only con I can think of is that the autofocus doesn't
consistently focus correctly (but, I prefer to focus manually anyway)
under certainly lighting conditions. I also have to say that (oppsed
to the Editor ratings) I've never had the grip get hot on me, and as
for low battery life.. I've NEVER had a digital camera that doesn't
have that problem.. the answer is to either get the $20 battery
recharger and a second set of rechargeable batteries~ I always have a
HOT set ready to go. The only other thing I can add.. is that if you
aren't totally set on ALL the features the Dimage 7 offer.. save
yourself a couple hundred dollars and go for the Dimage 5 instead!
Good luck!
dhughes.
|
|
•
Installation |
10 |
|
•
Image Quality |
10 |
|
•
Ease of Use |
8 |
|
•
Compatibility |
8 |
|
•
Overall Value |
9 |
|
Steve
Cohan,
from Phoenix, AZ, US, Mar 14, 2002
|
|
First,
let me say the negatives on this camera simply aren't true. This is my
fourth digital camera and I think I have a perspective. For all you
Minolta autofocus film camera owners, this is the camera for you. The
controls are virtually the same so you will have a VERY short learning
curve. In fact the remote cable for my 8000i is the same for the
Dimage 7. I had numerous 1600mAh batteries and two 340MB Microdrives
from my previous camera. All work fine and the battery life is not
short. I THOUGHT it was short. WRONG. The camera shuts down after
being idle for a short period of time to conserve battery life. I
thought the batteries were exhausted. For the serious photographer all
of the functions are accessed through dials and buttons on the surface
of the camera so there are no buried menus to explore. You can make
quick changes. The focusing is reasonably fast and you can focus in
virtually sheer darkness. The viewfinder is not TTL. It is better and
is like that of a video camera. The reason it is better is that you
can see the effects of changes to f-stop and shutter speed in the
viewfinder as you make them. Also the viewfinder flips up 90 degrees
do you can look down when shooting. The Minolta website has some good
Q and A's. Also, read the warranty info there. The warranty is invalid
if the camera in purchased outside the US. There must be several
packages made for marketing. I bought mine at a local camera store and
it came with a charger and four 1600mAh batteries in the box. Step up
to the plate and buy one locally where you can get assistance. I think
a lot of the negatives on this camera are due to lack of knowledge and
improper user operation.
|
|
•
Installation |
10 |
|
•
Image Quality |
10 |
|
•
Ease of Use |
10 |
|
•
Compatibility |
10 |
|
•
Overall Value |
10 |
|
The Lowest Price is not always best !
When you buy a digital camera, the basic package almost always includes
extras such as a battery charger, lens cap, batteries, flash memory card, and software.
One of the more disreputable practices a dealer can engage in is called unbundling. These
dealers remove items from the package that are normally included in the price and
price them separately.
When purchasing
a camera you have three components of the price to consider - the camera price, postage and
handling, and taxes. Many dealers lower the price to make the camera more attractive, then
increase the postage and handling to boost their profits.
Hesitate before
accepting extended warranties. Every knowledgeable consumer expert says it's better to
gamble. Most of a company's profit is in the sale of these warranties so they press, and
press hard. Your job is to resist, and resist hard. The only thing to keep in mind is that
digital cameras can be horribly expensive to repair. If you want peace of mind, you may
want the warranty, even though it's probably overpriced. The cost of a repair can
approach, or even exceed, the original purchase price.
When you buy a
camera from a reputable dealer, you expect to be able to return it if you aren't
satisfied. Some dealers try to discourage this by requiring a restocking fee for returned
merchandise. This is always explained as a way to recover their costs of checking the
merchandise and restoring the packaging you may have opened.
Many dealers is
truly a false, deceptive and a total crook. Bait and switch tactics used. Does not sell
new merchandise and will ship used or refurbished goods without notifying customer. They then
try to charge a restock fee on top of their exobitant shipping fees to make a profit where
they could not on their goods. A try case of buyer beware.
|
Where To Buy Minolta Dimage 7 Digital Camera ?:
|