Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2Konica Minolta updates their top-end electronic SLR with a higher resolution sensor, much-improved electronic viewfinder, a faster 3D autofocusing system, and high-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, among other improvements.<<Intro and Highlights :(Previous) | (Next): Design>> Page 2:Executive OverviewReview First Posted: 07/13/2004 |
Executive Overview
The earlier Minolta DiMAGE 5, 7, 7i, 7Hi and A1 digicams have proved so successful
among consumers, that the company apparently decided to keep a good thing going
under their new Konica Minolta brand name. The new DiMAGE A2 offers most of
the same exceptional features found on the previous models, with a few updates
that further extend its capabilities. The A2 continues with the same sharp 7x
optical zoom lens, and host of fine-grained user controls that contributed to
the earlier models' popularity, but switches to a new 8.0-megapixel CCD, and
adds a number of subtle but significant enhancements like a new (much) higher-resolution
viewfinder, USB 2.0 connectivity, a depth-of-field preview function, and a faster
3D Autofocus system. There's also an improved movie mode that offers up to 544
x 408 pixels at 30 frames per second, a new Ultra-High-Speed Continuous Advance
mode that captures VGA-resolution images at seven frames per second, and a new
minimum ISO sensitivity rating of 64. Not all of the changes are upgrades though
- a couple of points have been reverted to the DiMAGE 7Hi's specification, such
as the 1/4,000 second fastest shutter speed (instead of 1/16,000 second on the
DiMAGE A1), and the 12-bit A/D conversion (where the DiMAGE A1 was 14-bit).
As with the DiMAGE A1, the DiMAGE A2 features extensive creative controls (including
an option to use the Adobe RGB color space), sophisticated camera functions,
and a user-friendly interface that make it appealing to advanced users, while
its simple to use full "auto" mode lets you hand it to a novice with
confidence. The camera's ergonomic design looks and feels a lot like a conventional
35mm SLR, with an elongated lens barrel and a lightweight magnesium alloy body
with plastic outer panels hosting the numerous dials, switches, and buttons.
Although the profusion of controls makes the camera appear complex, they're
all logically arranged and actually fairly easy to learn. Konica Minolta has
packed a lot of functions into a very workable layout, with a range of features
normally found only on more expensive professional-level digital cameras.
A 2/3-inch interlaced primary-color CCD with 8.3 million pixels (8.0 million
effective), provides a maximum resolution of 3,264 x 2,448 pixels, among the
highest available in a consumer digital camera as of this writing in early May,
2004. The CCD's light sensitivity ranges from ISO 64 to 800, and may be automatically
controlled by the camera or manually selected by the user. As with the A1, the
DiMAGE A2's color space flexibility includes two sRGB options (Natural and Vivid
color), in addition to standard and embedded-profile Adobe RGB options for professional
use in a color-managed environment.
All that sensor resolution would be useless, however, if the lens couldn't resolve
fine detail. The DiMAGE A2 appears to feature the same advanced apochromat 7x
zoom GT Lens that was so impressive on previous models in the line. While this
lens really stood alone in the earlier marketplace in which the A1 and other
predecessors competed, other makers have now caught up with their optical designs,
so the A2's lens is now less notable than it once was. (Still very good, it's
just that the competition now equals or exceeds it in some respects.) Comprised
of 16 glass elements in 13 groups, the GT lens has two anomalous dispersion
(AD) and two aspheric glass elements for sharp, detailed images with minimal
distortion and glare. The 7.2-50.8mm focal range (equivalent to a 28-200mm zoom
in 35mm format) provides the flexibility for wide-angle interior and landscape
shots, as well as close-up portraits and distant action in sports photography.
The manual zoom ring is a pleasure to use, with a wide rubberized grip and smooth,
mechanically-coupled lens action. A maximum aperture that ranges from f/2.8-f/3.5
(depending on the focal length setting) is fairly "fast," helpful
for low-light and action photography. The Macro capability lets you capture
subjects as close as 9.8 inches from the lens, which translates to a very small
1.5 x 2.0-inch minimum capture area. A host of focus controls provide a lot
of flexibility, and on-demand manual focus lets you tweak the autofocus setting
without switching from auto to manual focus mode.
Similarly to the A1, the DiMAGE A2 uses a conventional TFT LCD for its electronic
viewfinder (EVF), rather than the unique reflective ferroelectric LCD that was
used on the previous DiMAGE 5, 7, 7i and 7Hi models. Where the A1 had a viewfinder
resolution of 235,000 dots (approximately 320 x 240 pixels with three dots per
pixel - red, green and blue) though, the DiMAGE A2's new TFT LCD viewfinder
has an astonishing resolution of 922,000 dots (640 x 480 pixels, each consisting
of three dots). The additional resolution makes focusing manually a much easier
task than with most EVF-based cameras, and the dramatically higher resolution
just makes it a lot easier to see what's going on with your subject, but if
you desire, you can trade off some of the increased resolution to improve another
area some EVFs have an issue with - refresh rate. At its standard 640 x 480
pixel resolution, the DiMAGE A2's viewfinder offers some 30 frames per second
- still as fast as most electronic viewfinders. At a resolution of 640 x 240
pixels, though, this doubles to an impressive 60 frames per second, for liquid-smooth
panning - very useful when tracking fast-moving objects to frame the perfect
shot. As with past Minolta SLR-style cameras, the DiMAGE A2's viewfinder does
an excellent job in low light, and offers unique flexibility, with a variable
position eyepiece that tilts up as much as 90 degrees. The camera's 1.8-inch
LCD monitor also tilts downward about 20 degrees or upward 90 degrees, making
it more convenient when shooting at high or low angles.
The DiMAGE A2's exposure system offers three metering options: 300-segment Multi-Segment,
Center-Weighted, and Spot. The default Multi-Segment option divides the image
into 300 separate areas, placing emphasis on the main subject, but integrating
luminance values, color, and autofocus information from across the image to
accurately calculate exposure. Like similar AE metering systems on other cameras,
the Center-Weighted and Spot metering options place most of the exposure emphasis
either on the central portion of the frame, or on a small spot at the very center
of the frame, respectively. Exposure modes include Auto, Programmed AE, Aperture
Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual, plus four Digital Subject Programs specifically
set up for Portrait, Sports, Night Portrait, and Sunset exposures. These presets
use not only aperture and shutter speed settings to best capture the subjects,
but also Konica Minolta's exclusive CxProcess II image processing to optimize
color balance and skin tones.
On top of all these features, the DiMAGE A2 also provides a Digital Effects
Control that can be used to adjust Color Saturation, Contrast, and Filter (hue).
The Digital Effects adjustments are particularly notable for their fine gradations
and wide range, allowing you to customize the camera's color and tonal response
to precisely match your personal preferences. A Color Mode option offers special
color effects and a black and white shooting mode, which can be adjusted via
the Filter Effects setting. Exposure Compensation is adjustable from -2 to +2
EV in one-third-step increments. A Digital Enhanced Bracketing option for taking
three bracketed exposures of an image automatically, features two different
values adjustable to either 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments. In addition to exposure,
this feature can also bracket any of the Effects options, including contrast
and saturation. A customizable AE Lock button can be set to lock only exposure,
or both exposure and focus. White Balance is adjustable to one of six preset
options (Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Shade, and Flash settings),
along with Auto and Manual options. Shutter speeds range from 1/4,000 to 30
seconds, with a Bulb setting that permits manual control of exposures as long
as 30 seconds. Maximum lens apertures are f/2.8 at the wide-angle end and f/3.5
at telephoto. A real-time histogram display mode helps verify exposure before
capturing the image. (There's a histogram display option in Playback mode as
well.)
Autofocus performance is a key area where the DiMAGE A2 shines. Autofocus is
powered by a Large Scale Integration (LSI) chip that rapidly processes image
data through a high-speed 32-bit RISC processor. - That's a lot of jargon that
simply explains why the A2's AF system is noticeably faster than average among
high-end "prosumer" digicams. The autofocus system can determine focus
in one of three ways: Wide Focus Area averages readings from a large area across
the middle of the frame (indicated on the LCD by a set of widely spaced brackets);
Spot Focus Point reads information from the very center of the LCD (indicated
by a target cross-hair), and Flex Focus Point lets you move a target cross-hair
to virtually any position within the viewfinder, so you can focus on off-center
subjects without having to aim, lock focus, and then recompose the shot.
The built-in, pop-up flash offers two methods of flash metering. Advanced Distance
Integration (ADI) bases its exposure on the lens aperture, feedback from the
autofocus system (how far the subject is from the camera), as well as on a separate
metering flash. Pre-Flash TTL (through the lens) uses a small metering flash
prior to the main exposure to gauge how much light is reflected by the scene.
The DiMAGE A2 also includes a top-mounted hot shoe for attaching Konica Minolta
external flash units (and any compatible third-party units). An external flash
sync terminal offers a standard "PC" style sync jack for connecting
to studio strobes or other external flash devices. Flash modes include Fill-Flash,
Red-Eye Reduction, and Rear Flash Sync, with Flash Compensation available from
-2 to +2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third-step increments. A Wireless
flash mode lets the camera work with certain Konica Minolta-brand wireless flash
units. A manual flash mode fires the onboard flash at full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 or
1/16 power. Since manual flash mode doesn't use a pre-flash, it's perfect for
driving studio strobes via conventional slave triggers.
Additional DiMAGE A2 features include a Movie (with sound) mode with Night exposure
option; Voice Memo mode; Standard, High Speed and Ultra-High Speed Continuous
Advance modes; 2x Digital Zoom; Interval Recording of two to 240 frames in 30-second
to 60-minute intervals; two- or 10-second Self-Timer; and three Sharpness settings.
Five image quality levels include RAW and TIFF uncompressed files, and a choice
of Extra Fine, Fine, or Standard JPEG compression settings. New to the DiMAGE
A2 is a feature allowing both RAW and JPEG files to be recorded simultaneously
for each image captured. Buffer memory permits up to 3 images maximum JPEG quality
or RAW format images to be recorded quite quickly, but the RAW+JPEG option
is unbuffered. Resolution options for still images include 3,264 x 2,448; 3,264
x 2,176; 2,560 x 1,920; 2,080 x 1,560; 1,600 x 1,200; and 640 x 480 pixels.
Movie resolution options include 544 x 408, and 320 x 240 pixels, with frame
rates of either 15 or 30 frames per second available at both resolutions, and
recording times of up to 15 minutes per video segment possible, depending on
resolution, frame rate, and memory card speed.
Not to be outdone on the output phase of digital imaging, Konica Minolta has
incorporated Epson's PRINT Image Matching II technology, which ensures that
DiMAGE A2 images captured in autoexposure mode and output on compatible Epson
printers will be automatically color balanced to provide true-to-life hues and
saturation. Newly added support for PictBridge technology allows the DiMAGE
A2 to be connected directly to a wide range of PictBridge-compatible printers
from a variety of manufacturers, allowing prints to be made without the need
for a computer.
Powered by one NP-400 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (an optional AC
power adapter is available), as well as an accessory hand grip that lets you
power the camera from either six AA cells or two NP-400 packs, the DiMAGE A2
represents an amazingly versatile package for the serious amateur or prosumer
photographer, and Konica Minolta's optional dual-head macro flash unit makes
for one of the most capable solutions on the market for super-macro shooting.
(I can imagine a lot of medical or scientific applications for the A2's combination
of 8 megapixel resolution and exceptional macro capability.) USB and A/V cables
also accompany the camera, for connection to a computer or television set. A
selection of software including DiMAGE Viewer v2.3.2 for both Macintosh and
Windows-based computers, and Ulead VideoStudio 7 SE VCD for Windows-based computers
is provided by Minolta.
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