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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 Konica Minolta trims a little and adds a little relative to their top-end A2 model, delivering a strong contender in the 8-megapixel derby. Select a topic Reference: Datasheet A200 Sample Images A200 Imatest Results --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Comparison with other DiMAGE cameras 3. Executive Overview 4. Design 5. Viewfinder 6. Optics 7. Exposure & Flash 8. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 9. Operation & User Interface 10. Camera Modes & Menus 11. Image Storage & Interface 12. Video, Power, Software 13. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on A200 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 6:Optics Review First Posted: 12/22/2004

Optics

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Equipped with a 7.2-50.8mm glass lens with multiple aspherical elements, the Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200's lens is equivalent to a 28-200mm lens on a 35mm camera (the lens barrel proudly reports these equivalency numbers). The 28mm wide angle setting is particularly welcome, since most digicam lenses don't go that wide without accessory lens adapters. Likewise, 200mm is a good medium telephoto length, about as long as most folks can comfortably hand-hold without image stabilization, although Konica Minolta's Anti-Shake feature should greatly help out here. Unlike most digital cameras I've worked with, the lens zoom operates by rotating a collar around the lens barrel, coupled mechanically to the lens elements themselves. I like the precise control this gives, as opposed to the rocker switch controlled motor that most digital cameras use to rack the lens in or out. It definitely requires two hands, but the direct manual control will feel great to photographers accustomed to film-based SLRs. (I will say though, that while it's nice and tight (and overall somewhat better-feeling than on earlier A-series models), the action of the zoom lens feels a little cheap, with more of a plastic-on-plastic feel, rather than the smooth lubricated-metal feeling I'm accustomed to in higher-end removable SLR lenses.)

The lens consists of 16 elements in 13 groups, including two AD (anomalous dispersion) glass elements and two aspheric surfaces. All that dispersion/aspheric mumbo-jumbo is by way of explaining that this is a very high quality lens: In my testing, the lenses on Konica Minolta's A-series cameras and their predecessors have consistently showed low levels of chromatic aberration and better than average corner to corner sharpness. Aperture control can be either manual or automatic, with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at wide angle and f/3.5 at telephoto. Focus ranges from 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) to infinity in normal mode. Activated by a small switch on the lens barrel, a Macro focusing mode focuses in on objects as close as about 5.25 inches (13.3 centimeters) to the lens surface in telephoto mode. (Konica Minolta follows the practice from film-based photography of specifying focusing distance from the "film" (CCD) plane of the camera, rather than the front element of the lens. This avoids confusion over distances as the length of the lens changes in response to zoom adjustments, but would lead one to expect that the A200's macro performance is less than it actually is.) In my tests, the A200 captured a minimum area of just 1.99 x 1.49 inches (50 x 38 millimeters), a very small area indeed. You can enter Macro mode in either maximum wide angle or a small range of telephoto lens positions, the greatest magnification being available with telephoto focal lengths. A plastic lens cap with spring-loaded catches hooks into the inside lip of the lens, protecting it from dirt and scratches. The lens cap has an eyelet for attaching a strap, to prevent it from being accidentally lost.

The Konica Minolta A200 provides both manual and automatic focus control. The camera's specification sheet describes the autofocus system as a "Video AF system," which uses phase-detection focusing technology rather than the much more common contrast-detection system. The advantage is that the camera not only determines whether or not the lens is in focus, but also how far out of focus it is, and in which direction (near or far). With this information, the camera should be able to focus much more quickly, since it "knows" roughly how much, and in which direction, to adjust the focus, rather than having to "hunt" for the best focus at the outset. The AF system will still have to do some hunting for the best setting, but it should spend less time doing so than a contrast-based system. In my testing, the A200 did indeed do better than average in the focus-speed department, with full-autofocus shutter lag numbers ranging from 0.61 - 0.63 second.

The Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200's autofocus system offers both Single-Shot and Continuous AF settings. In Single-Shot AF, the camera only sets the focus once when the Shutter button is halfway depressed. In Continuous AF mode, it adjusts focus at all times, continuously keeping the frame in focus while the shutter button is depressed. The DiMAGE A200 lets you determine the area of the image the camera uses to set the focus from, by selecting one of three autofocus options: Wide Focus Area, Spot Focus Point, and Flex Focus Point. The default option is Wide Focus area, indicated by a set of four widely-spaced brackets in the viewfinder image. By pressing and holding down the center of the Four-way Arrow controller pad, you can switch between Wide Area and Spot Point autofocusing modes (the latter indicated by a target crosshair in the center of the viewfinder). Wide Area AF bases its focus on the most prominent subject detail in the portion of the image that falls within the AF brackets, and in Single-Shot AF mode displays the chosen AF area with a red rectangle. In Continuous Mode AF, the camera is constantly focusing, so no positive AF indication is given before shutter release. In Spot AF a grid of eleven AF points is displayed from which you can select with the four arrow buttons; this AF point remains selected until reset by the user. Spot Focus bases its focus on the very center of the frame, where the target crosshair reside. Press the center "OK" button inside the four-way controller, and the crosshair changes to blue: you've entered Flex Focus (must first be enabled in the Record Menu), which lets you move the focus point to anywhere within about 80% of the frame by manually moving the target crosshair around the image area with the arrow buttons.

The Focus switch on the camera's left side cycles through Single AF, Continuous AF, and Manual focus modes when pressed repeatedly. In Manual Focus mode, turning the ribbed ring around the base of the lens barrel adjusts focus. As you focus, a distance readout reports the current focal distance in meters or feet at the bottom of the LCD monitor (or EVF), under the MF icon. The LCD monitor also shows a magnified view of the image area that fills the entire screen, so that you can more easily fine-tune focus. You can move the area of magnification around using the arrow keys, and a small locator icon on the display shows you exactly where you are in the image. The manual-focus focus-assist magnification disappears as soon as you half-press the Shutter button. The Direct MF menu option lets you manually tweak the autofocus selection without explicitly switching over to MF mode. You simply halfway press the Shutter button (triggering the autofocus system) and then rotate the focus ring to fine-tune the focus. This is useful when the camera is having trouble focusing on a difficult subject, but isn't too far off the mark.

In addition to the 7x optical zoom, the DiMAGE A200 offers 2x standard and 4x "interpolated" Digital zoom. By default, pressing the Magnification rocker on the top of the back panel activates an instant 2x digital zoom. Keep in mind that digital zoom simply enlarges the central portion of the CCD image digitally, rather than magnifying it optically and, as a result, image resolution decreases in direct proportion to the magnification achieved. However, the A200 automatically resizes any resolution other than 640 x 480 to the 1,600 x 1,200-pixel image resolution when shooting with the 2x digital zoom. Through the Record menu, you can opt for 4x interpolated digital zoom, which instead interpolates the digitally zoomed image to the set image size, and has a much wider range of zoom options. It occurs to me that those familiar with other digital cameras might mistake this digital zoom control on the back for the actual zoom control when the camera is in Interpolated Digital Zoom mode and miss the camera's excellent lens-mounted manual zoom.

A set of 49mm filter threads around the inside lip of the lens accommodates Konica Minolta's range of accessory filters and conversion lens kits. I really like having the fixed filter threads on the front element of the zoom lens, making it easy to attach auxiliary lenses and filters without any additional adapters or other gadgets. I do worry a little about the wisdom of hanging very much weight on the front of the telescoping lens assembly though. I guess it will be fine for relatively lightweight attachments such as macro adapters and filters, but I advise caution with any sort of larger accessory lens. (It does deserve noting though, that the manually-actuated zoom mechanism on the A200 is much more robust mechanically than are most electronically-actuated mechanisms on competing cameras, so it should be much more able to support accessory optics.)

Anti-Shake System
Originally introduced on the A1, Konica Minolta's very effective vibration-reduction system again appears on the A200. Konica Minolta's anti-shake technology is unusual in that it actually moves the CCD assembly to counteract camera movement, rather than the more common approach of moving an optical element inside the lens. As I write this, I haven't tried a "shootout" between the A200 and Nikon's 8-megapixel Anti-Shake equipped Coolpix 8800, but hope to do so at some point. In earlier tests comparing the performance of the DiMAGE Z3's anti-shake (AS) system against that of the Panasonic DMC-FZ15, I found that the Panasonic anti-shake system performed a bit better overall, but that the Konica Minolta approach gave a better viewfinder display without penalizing AS performance, and was also somewhat better at dealing with low-frequency vibrations. In an informal test though, I ran the A200's zoom all the way out to full telephoto, then turned on the 3.3x focus-assist magnification on the LCD. With Anti-Shake inactive, it was virtually impossible to keep the resulting LCD image stable when holding the camera by hand. When I turned Anti-Shake on, the results were immediate and dramatic. The image quieted down by what had to be a factor of four or more.

Unlike the previous A2 model, my power-drain testing showed that the A200's Anti-Shake has relatively little impact on power consumption when it's in use. This is good news, as it means there's really no reason to avoid using the anti-shake system, so you'll be more likely to take advantage of it..

I don't know how much of a premium the Anti-Shake function adds to the cost of the A200, but hope it isn't too much. Optical stabilization makes a huge difference in usability of longer telephoto focal lengths, but is a feature that has found little support from a price standpoint in the past. (Other cameras incorporating optical stabilization have generally not fared well against cheaper competition lacking the feature.) I'm hopeful though, that the range of sophisticated user that the A200 is so obviously aimed at will understand and fully appreciate the value of Anti-Shake technology.