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Minolta DiMAGE F100 Minolta builds a compact, stylish 4 Megapixel model with sophisticated autofocus. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet DiMAGE F100 Photo Gallery! DiMAGE F100 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on DiMAGE F100 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 04/18/2002, Updated: 05/29/2003

Image Storage and Interface

The F100 stores images to SD memory cards, and will ship with a 16MB card. I definitely recommend picking up a larger capacity card to handle the 2,272 x 1,704-pixel maximum resolution size and TIFF option. Memory cards are cheap enough these days that you really shouldn't restrict your shooting options by not carrying enough memory capacity with you.

While SD cards cannot themselves be write-protected, the F100's "Lock" function prevents images from being erased or manipulated in any way. However, formatting a SD card erases all files, even locked ones.

Four image resolutions are available on the F100, including 2,272 x 1,704, 1,600 x 1,200, 1,280 x 960, or 640 x 480 pixels. (Movies are captured at the 320 x 240-pixel size.) Images can be saved as uncompressed TIFF files, via the Superfine quality setting, or as compressed JPEG files (Fine, Normal, or Economy compression levels).

The table below outlines the approximate number of images that can be stored on a 16MB SD card, and the corresponding image compression levels.

 

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card		Hi	Fine	Normal	Basic
Full Resolution 2,272x1,704	Images (Avg size)	1 12 MB	7 2.0 MB	14 1.0 MB	29 0.5 MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	10:1	21:1
High Resolution 1,600x1,200	Images (Avg size)	2 5.6 MB	15 1.0 MB	29 0.5 MB	56 0.25 MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	10:1	20:1
Standard Resolution 1,280x960	Images (Avg size)	3 3.6 MB	23 0.6 MB	45 0.3 MB	82 0.15 MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	10:1	19:1
Low Resolution 640x480	Images (Avg size)	15 0.9 MB	82 0.2 MB	150 0.1 MB	226 0.05 MB
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5:1	9:1	13:1

 

The F100 comes with a USB cable and interface software for downloading images to a computer. It's a true "storage class" USB device, which means it will show up on your computer desktop automatically in Windows Me and XP, or in MacOS 8.6 or later. The F100's USB connection is pretty speedy too, as I clocked its transfer rate at 466 KBytes/second. (This is about in the middle of the range of USB speeds I've measured for digicams, which seem to range from under 300KB/s to almost 600KB/s.)

A minor point about the F100's computer interface, but one that may be significant for Mac users: I've sometimes encountered cameras based on SD memory cards (Minolta's Dimage X was one) that would behave oddly when plugged into a Mac computer with a card larger than ~32 megabytes in them. - The Dimage X seemed to go into an infinite loop of folders within folders under these circumstances. I'd thought that this was a problem with the Mac OS not properly recognizing the DOS-based directory structure of the SD memory cards. It appears that this wasn't the issue though, or at least not all of it: The F100 showed no such behavior when I plugged it into my G4 with a 64 MB memory card inserted, suggesting that Mac users can plug away with impunity, regardless of the size memory card they're using.

Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll have it when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now, so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for Windows or PhotoRescue for Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF manual and quickstart guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...