Minolta Dimage S304Minolta packs Dimage technology & optics into a compact 3.3 megapixel prosumer camera!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 9/13/2001 |
Image Storage and InterfaceThe Dimage S304 uses CompactFlash Type I memory cards for image storage; a 16MB card comes standard with the camera. The CompactFlash slot is on the right side of the camera, covered by a hinged plastic door that opens easily and latches securely. The card inserts with the electrodes going in first, and the front of the card (indicated by an arrow) facing the front of the camera. A small button beside the slot ejects the card by popping it up slightly, allowing you to pull the card the rest of the way out.
Although individual CompactFlash cards cannot be write-protected or locked against erasure or manipulation, the S304 allows you to lock individual images or groups of images through the Playback menu. Once protected, images cannot be erased or manipulated in any way, except through card formatting. The Playback menu also allows you to delete images in the LCD display, select the number of images shown in the Index display, create a custom slide show, set images up for printing on DPOF-compliant printers, and copy images to camera memory or a new CF card.
Four image resolution settings are available: 2,048 x 1,536, 1,600 x 1,200, 1,280 x 960, and 640 x 480 pixels. Files may be saved in any one of three JPEG compression levels, as well as uncompressed TIFF (indicated on the camera LCD as "SuperFine"). Both settings are changed via the on-screen menu system. The number of remaining images that can be stored on the memory card is reported on the lower right corner of the LCD and Data Panel, in addition to the selected Resolution and Compression settings.
The table below summarizes the compression ratios and number of images that can be stored on the included 16MB memory card with each Resolution / Quality (JPEG Compression) combination.
|
Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card |
|
|
|
|
|
| Full Resolution 2048x1536 | Images (Avg size) |
1 9.4 MB |
8 2.0 MB |
1.0 MB |
0.7 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
1:1 | 5:1 |
|
|
|
| UXGA Resolution 1600x1200 | Images (Avg size) |
5.8 MB |
1.1 MB |
0.7 MB |
0.4 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Images (Avg size) |
3.7 MB |
0.8 MB |
0.5 MB |
0.35 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Images (Avg size) |
0.9 MB |
0.34 MB |
0.25 MB |
0.20 MB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
A USB cable and interface software accompany the S304 for quick connection and image downloading to a PC or Macintosh computer. (We didn't test the download speed of our prototype unit, since production models will quite possibly perform differently.)
One
of the first things any new digicam owner will need is a larger memory card
for their camera: The cards shipped with the units by the manufacturers should
really be considered only "starter" cards, you'll definitely want a higher capacity
card immediately. - Probably at least a 32 megabyte card for a 1.3 or 2 megapixel
camera, 64 megabytes or more for a 3, 4, or 5 megapixel one. (The nice thing
about memory cards is you'll be able to use whatever you buy now with your next
camera too, whenever you upgrade.) To help you shop for a good deal on memory
cards that fit the S304, we've put together a little memory locater, with links
to our price-comparison engine: Just click on the "Memory Wizard" button above
to go to the Minolta memory finder, select your camera model , and click the
shopping cart icon next to the card size you're interested in. You'll see a
list of matching entries from the price-comparison database. Pick a vendor &
order away! (Pretty cool, huh?)
Follow Imaging Resource: