Reviews for Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: I own a Minolta Maxxum 600si film camera witha 28-200mm lens and this camera is the digital equivilant and at half the size.

Weakness: none found so far

I can use my Minolta 5400HS flash and RC-100 with this camera. I have ordered Minolta's BP-400, which will extend my battery time and also give me a vertical grip.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Very flexible, great lens, good resolution, light weight, great picture quality, surprisingly little noise in low-light situations, ability to embed AdobeRGB color profiles directly in pictures

Weakness: not cheap, particularly compared to the Minolta Dimage A2 which I own now

I was trying to decide between the yet to be available Sony DCS-F828 and the Minolta A1. Each had on paper things going for it:
The Sony has what is likely an excellent Carl Zeiss lens, 8-megapixel resulution, and a new 4-color CCD.
The Minolta has an APO lens, and their lens technology in general can keep up with the best, because they got their know-how originally from a joint venture with Leitz of Leica fame. Further the Minolta has an optical image stabilisator and is much lighter and more compact than the Sony camera.
That aside, Minolta has more experience in designing photographic cameras and thus figuring out what works and what doesn't in terms of the user interface.
There is also a lot the cameras have in common: both use 14-bit AD and image processing, vs. the more common 12-bit, both have a zoom that doesn't only offer a large zoom factor, but also offers true wide angle (28mm equivalent).
In the end I went with the Minolta since I like to use flash as little as possible. The lighter weight, the smaller color aberration due to an APO lens, and the anti-shake image stabilizer are more than likely to make up for the lost pixel count, for what are 8 megapixels of motion blur worth? And a camera that's stays at home because it's too heavy will not take better pictures than one that's with you because it's much more compact in size and weight.
The Minolta A1 works great with the new 2GB micro drives, which hold 283 uncompressed raw frames, and over 10

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: The lens is amazing and sharp, the battery, the SLR results and flexibility in options

Weakness: Lots of controls to learn and understand with 2 seperate control wheels

The A1 is such a great product. The camera fits perfect in your hand, not to heavy, not to light for good control. The Battery is the best I have ever seen on ANY electronic item. I just shot for 8 hours, 225 photos and the battery is still showing more then half full on one charge! The auto shake mode gives tripod, clear images while hand held. The Lens is a 28-200 with a digital zoom (manual zoom, no motor zoom). This will give you more out of the box, bang for your buck then the EOS Rebel, and you get more options then I can list. Other nice features, a set of pro filters that are stored digitally, spot focus, solid flash, Adobe file color settings and just so much more! I am so happy I didn't follow the Rebel hype!

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Versatility

Weakness: none

After much research and having owned a Minolta Dimage 7i.. It is perfect for 8x10 photos printed on an HP7960 inkjet printer. The Minolta A1 is a vast improvement over early models, many features and ease of operation.. the antishake feature is great.
Excellant move retaining the 24-200 zoom lense!

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Incredible functionality. With anti-shake engaged you can forgo the flash a large majority of the time.

Weakness: Some noise in long-duration night exposures.

You name the adjustment, this camera can do it. Great pics out of the box with the auto mode. 16MB CF is lame, but replace it with a high speed 512MB and you can take pictures all day - the battery is incredible.

There is also a lot of customizing of the controls that lets you make the camera exactly what you want it to be.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: colors, image, adjustment latitude, optics, manual zoom, image stabilization in the body, function, quality, and feel

Weakness: are usually operator caused

There are many complicated cameras on the market, however, there are few, to one, whose features function, and whose features blend together. Better get one while you can, because when they are long gone, people will still be looking for them.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Great pictures with fine detail, natural color and texture. Extremely flexible. Logical layout. Easy to use. Fast focus and writing speeds. Very good battery life.

Weakness: It does require thorough knowledge of its many adjustments to get the best out of this camera in marginal situations. Read the manual thoroughly.

I am very pleased with the smooth, natural, detailed quality of the pictures with this camera. The Minolta Dimage 7 has a sharp, in-your-face picture; the A1 is a bit understated by contrast. Which is more realistic? Which do you prefer? It is easy to use; most of the time the preprogrammed point-and-shoot setup produces excellent results. The ease of use invites experimentation to find out the camera's capabilities. For example, I have learned that a slight movement of the camera to one side or another or changing the zoom can bring a difficult-to-focus picture into excellent focus and reduce noise. Or reducing the flash power allows excellent macros with flash. I could go on, but in summary I must say that it is an excellent camera that suits me fine. Give it a try and see if it meets your needs and preferences. Always remember that when you reach this level of quality, your choice will depend in large part on your needs and preferences, not someone else's.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Picture quality is superb. It has auto features that help it to accomodate non-technical users. I read the manual in under and hour, and was shooting right away.

I researched this thoroughly and am very pleased with my decision. It is a complicated camera.. requires some familiarization to take full advantages of features. It's worth it though. Great value too!

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Great zoom, good resolution, anti-shake and moving object tracking

Weakness: price, only uses proprietary batteries and may be complex for novices.

I did a great deal of homework on what camera to buy and I am very happy with the A1. I have owned 2 digital cameras in the past and new I wanted a good optical zoom and high resolution. The manual zoom and focus ring are a great help, if you have trouble focusing it’s so much easier to use the ring then to have to go into a menu and manually focus through the software. The Anti-Shake function is a must!
The only things I really found confusing were the features and the proprietary battery. I recommend this camera to those who are either advanced users or Prosumers as they are sometimes called but the manual that came with this camera is so comprehensive and easy to understand that anyone with a little patients can utilize the camera. I solved the battery problem by purchasing a 120 attachment that allows you to either use two Minolta batteries or 6 AA’s . It is well worth the money and comes with a really handy hand strap for the camera

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: True Color

I did a lot of research, after 35 years of 35mm SLR, I wanted to get the same feel with a digital camera. I tried several camera including the new Canon under $1000.00. Price wasn't as important as the confort and feel of the camera. The Minolta A1 is by far the best in it's class. I love this camera.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Image quality build quality 7xzoomlens good EVF Anti shake feature almost no shutterlag Batterylife features,features,features SLR like feel Manual zoom usable manual focus good autofocus

Weakness: Built in flash is a bit week Only 16mb CF card

I used to own a Canon G2 which is a fine camera, but I missed the long zoom and the quick shutter responsetime. After having shot a couple of hundred pictures in the last two weeks, I think this is the camera that fullfills my needs. Although imagequality is about the same as my 4mp Canon (which was enough for my needs), this camera enables me to take the pictures I want. If you like a camera that is a bit smaller than a DSLR, that has about every feature you can imagine and has descent image quality, you should take a look at the A1

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Plenty of excellent features for the serious photographer. Allows you to have a lot of control over your work.

Weakness: Can be daunting for amateurs, but once you understand it, its great.

One of the best features I love about this camera is flexibility. The options are endless. Can manually set the aperture or the shutter speed, or can easily use the automatic option available. With 7x optical zoom (28-200mm), and 2x digital zoom, getting perfect pictures in any situation is a snap. Also has other options as Sports, Portrait, Night etc... Highly recommended.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: I has many adjustments and can do just about anything. It is still fairly compact and does not have the overall size or SLR digitals I have checked out. The fast shutter and anti-shake sold me.

Weakness: Have to study the book to get the full advantage of the camera. The default setting work great starting out until you can learn the functions of the camera.

This camera is great. I look forward to learning the functions and improving my photos. The two things that sold me most about the camera was the anti-shake and fast shutter. Many cameras would have worked fine for static shots. I however planned to use the camera to take photos of my daughters playing sports. After testing all the cameras currently on the market I picked the A1. It feels good in the hand and has a grip which is easy to hold on to. A plus for action shots. Botton line give this camera a hard look if you want a camera that can do anything you want and can expand as your abilities improve.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: good feel, nice zoom and af, great anti shake

Weakness: software does not work - it contained corrupted files. Firmware (that runs the camera) needs to be replaced by the purchaser.

Great camera (?), BUT lousy software and customer support = no prints.
The major problem is that I cannot download the pictures to my computer or print them. One of the files on their software CD is corrupted, so I cannot print or download to the computer. I called support and I must fax an invoice and warranty card (so much for on line registration) before they will send out another software CD - in 7 to 10 business days. I asked for faster service, next day or 2 day delivery and was told NO. I pointed out that this was their bad CD - stil 7 to 10 days.
Then I must also replace the firmware that runs the digital camera with a new ver, 1.02u, the file & 6 pages of instructions are on their website. You have to replace it, and if you do not do it right you could damage the cpu. Good luck.

Minolta should send out a preloaded self installing flash card to every purchaser. I was told no too many customers.
For an expensive camera Minolta has POOR software, POOR service support and a poor (but polite) attitude to their customer.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: great focus; good color quality basic functions easy to use;many great features that will keep you interested in the camera for a long time. and the anti shake is great!!

Weakness: none so far only problem is cant find enought time to play with it..

I have read how the software that comes with it has been problems for some..down load Kodak shareware software this works great.. havent even tryed supplied software yet

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Nice camera and full of manual function, great design.

Weakness: Complicate and not ease-to-use, also it's pricey.

Before I decide to buy this camera I think about Fuji S7000, Sony F717, and Dimage A1. I read some reveiws and decide to buy this one because of support manual function and good design. (Actually I also like F828 but it's too expensive for me). So far I still need study manual guide a lot...

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: The lens covers most normal exposure situations -- good wide angle results-- lot of whistles & bells

Weakness: EVF-- does not produce what the true exposure will look like. Macro mode totally useless-- Factory service only internal battery-- Customer service not very helpfull

After taking an intense photo class & being exposed to other high end Digital cameras, I have come to the conclusion the A-1 is more hype than substance -- The images procuced are good, not great -- The whisles and bells are many but some times clumberson to use -- The EVF & LCD do not show true results of what the camera takes -- A optical viewfinder is needed as found on true SLR's. This forces me to bracket and at full resolution a card fills up very fast. I can take better Macro pictures (get closer) with my old (A-20) I compared both on the 2 megaplex setting, the old A-20 showed more detail ( because it could get much closer to the subject. The A-1 has an internal battery that powers the memory , this has to be returned to the factory to be changed . Minolta Customer Service cannot give me a average life on this battery. This is a feature that when your on a photo shoot in the middle of no where and your camera keeps going on & off (acording to the manual) you have to send it back to the factory to get the internal battery changed. And don't expect their customer service to be helpfull, getting an answer out of them is non existent. This is a dealer orientated company and everything is directed to their dealers who are less than helpfull on doing special orders . All said when my internal battery runs out this camera will be history. I will never buy another Minolta product soly based on their customer service.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Every feature you could ask for in a camera, good detail and color in pictures, just plain fun to use.

Weakness: If printing very large photos, noise reduction software should be used.

Considering the next step up in cameras will cost you twice the price of the A1, and that's just for the body, this was a no brainer. The pictures it takes are beautiful and the convenience of not having to swap lenses makes it a "take anywhere" camera. With the money saved on the new lower price, it also allows for the purchase of a flash and lenses.

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Still a Trooper

Strengths: Excllent array of shooting options; degree of control; manual zoom; impressive anti-shake system; multiple text imprint options.

Weakness: Standard 5MP resolution artifacts in images; proprietary batteries; complex.

I've been using this camera for two years. So far I can say without reservation that it is a very impressive photographic instrument: it can take bright, sharp, clear images in a variety of settings, and can be made to produce most variations available to standard 35mm photography. I am particularly impressed with the amount and degrees of manual control: virtually any and every variable can be manually specified right down to full manual ISO/shutter speed/aperture/color balance/white balance/focus. The anti-shake tech Minolta used in this camera is also very impressive: it seems to be the most effective of any currently in the marketplace. I can only hope Sony will either incorporate it in its own cameras or sell the tech to Canon, Nikon or Panasonic.

The only downsides that I have encountered so far have been the usual downside of 5MP resolution (you can only blow images up so far), the complexity of such a device (which is fairly standard for similar cameras from Canon, Nikon et al), and the use of proprietary tech for batteries and accessories. Anyone who owns these and wants to keep using it ought to stock up on batteries, flash unit, case etc. while these items are still available. Obviously this isn't a dSLR, and doesn't really pretend to be one, so comparisons there are moot: likewise comparisons to 35mm are awkward unless you discuss ISO 400 or 800, where the 5MP CCD actually performs about as well as film for color values and sharpness.

Prior posters have commented on the spartan software, minuscule image storage, etc. provided with the A1. Given the trends in digital photography, I found the standard card a hindrance, and I'm actually surprised that anyone buying a camera such as this would not be purchasing a full-featured photo editor (such as Photoshop or PhotoPlus) along with it. Postproduction is often a necessity with digital photographs, and should be anticipated. Likewise, higher resolutions fill up memory very quickly - most professional reviewers recommended increased storage out of the gate for these cameras. I have yet to have my 1GB card filled before the battery needed recharging, and I've been on some marathon shoots hitting over 100 frames per day on a single charge.

I do spend some time in postproduction refining the images, but I expect that with digital imaging and liken it to the fine-tuning a good photo shop does with film developing and printing. Often the ideal shot reaches photo paper through the judicious intervention of the lab just as much as through the careful efforts of the shooter. Many users forget that processing is often the difference between ok 35mm shots and exceptional ones, and that part of the advantage of digital photography is that we have the luxury of running our own darkroom after shooting the pictures.

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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 Bridge Camera

Strengths: Optics, color rendering, anti-shake, shooting performance and ergonomy. Versatility, battery life. Quality.

Weakness: Images are slightly noisier than competition.Supplied CF card. Takes some time to get the best out of it : The manual is worth to be read.

The things that made me choose this camera were the image stabilization, versatility of the 28-200 zoom, the shooting performance and ergonomy (don't need to go thru 20 menu to modify an option).

Since I got it, I'm still impressed by the overall photo quality, the battery life and the performances of both the included flash as well as the image stabiliser's efficiency.

Noise is noticable even at 100ISO, but with a bit of post processing result are simply GREAT. Even 800ISO is still usable (at the cost of more processing and smaller print). 8MP cameras can't go over 400ISO and are much noisier than the A1 at the 800ISO setting. All in all I never faced a situation where I can't find a solution to take the picture with this camera.

Another feature worth to be noted : you can program your own presets for a given situation. An internal battery save these settings as well as the clock and can only be replaced by Minolta in the factory. (But without this battery you simply loose these settings but CAN STILL TAKE IMAGES).

People are often disapointed with this camera because they often think that buying a great camera will correct their weaknesses as a photograf ; but pictures were never composed by any camera, and are only worth the operator.

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Dimage A1

Jeff Keller looks at the Nikon Coolpix 3700, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10, Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 945, Minolta Dimage A1, Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom, Olympus E-1, Pentax Optio 555, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828.

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Minolta DiMAGE A1

Minolta's new 5-megapixel, 7x zoom DiMAGE A1 shows the result of literally years of refinement, across no less than four generations of development. It has *way* more features than I can even begin to mention here, but suffice to say it's one of the most capable prosumer digicams on the market, with one of the best lenses to boot. If you're looking for the ultimate in creative control and optical...

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