Super mock dSLR
Written: Nov 23 '04
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Pros: reliable, superior imaging, raw shots, fun for beginner or professional
Cons: expensive (only drawback to me though)
The Bottom Line: This camera is a great camera for both beginner and professional. It is excellent for the beginner who wants to enter the world of digital photography as a hobby.
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| godzthunder's Full Review: Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 Digital Camera |
Ok, this camera is a mock dSLR To help you understand the benefits of this camera I need to tell you what SLR is (unless you already know then the review is next paragraph).SLR is probably the most saught after type of camera in the professional world [arguable I know]. SLR means single lens reflex. SLR basically is the use of a movable mirror that allows you to look through the viewfinder and see through the actual lens, this way you will be shooting exactly what you are looking at exactly how you see it, focus and everything. when you snap the picture the mirror lifts up and the camera snaps the picture, just what you saw, exactly how you saw and focused it.
With that said, the Dimage A2 is a mock SLR in that while it has an electronic viewfinder (true digital SLR's still use the mirror that reflects the image from lens to viewfinder)the viewfinder shows you what you see through the eyes of the lens, so you will see the true focus and image you are shooting. This allows you to manually focus, see the effects of lighting and truly capture the picture that you envision in your mind.
ALSO, the Dimage A2 has tons of professional features BUT this does not leave the beginner or simple "snapper" out, I will get to that later, this camera is a great typical use camera. for professionals, you have complete control over focus, ISO setting, shutter speed, white balance & all of the good regulars that are needed to capture that perfect shot. For the beginner, there are pre set settings that help you capture the best possible image and the automatic feature will adjust perfectly (something usualy left to be desired in most cameras) to capture the perfect picture.
The Dimage has a great little flash on it but for those who need professional lighting there is a minolta-style-only hotshoe that allows for you to add what I believe are some pretty nice flashes from minolta cameras. (if you thought the dimage was a konica brand camera keep in mind that the companies merged).
What impressses me the most is the fact that this camrea is just about the only camera with a nimh battery (meaning that you can get more than great battery time, seeing how they are the same rechargable batteries your cell phone uses and THIS battery can last almost forever it seems and I use it a lot), an anti-shake feature to keep the picture balanced and perfect, manual focus for those who hate the auto feature focusing on something in the foreground when you want to emphasize on the background, mock dSLR by having the viewfinder focus through the lens, and it shoots in RAW format.
What is RAW? This is the best feature an ameteur photographer can have in a digital camera. Some call RAW images the equivalent of the negative in film. RAW is where you camera takes a picture of what it sees and leaves it at that. Most cameras snap an image of what it sees and then converts that image to a digital file called a JPEG. JPEGS are great but once they are programmed and written they are pretty much set in stone save a few minor facelift edits. RAW is just the image stored on disk, no conversion not compression, it is raw. RAW cannot be read by most computers as it is not a standard such as JPEG so it must be converted to JPEG through special software (INCLUDED) but this is where the fun begins, you get to play with virtual lighting and settings before the image is converted and then you get to chose what king of file you want to convert the raw into. You get to "process" your picture. Never again will you have a bad photo.
The DIMAGE has one setback though, RAW imaging is very large in memory requirements. I purchased a 128MB compact flash card (this is what is used by the camera, sold separately) and it only holds 10 raw images. But on the lowest resolution settings of standard with small 640 sizing you can get over 510 images that will still make heads turn in amazement. Of course if you bought a larger size card.... The lens is not universal, you cannot add professional shot lenses, it has a pretty good zoon and a 2x digital zoom. Minolta says that they have an add on that mimmics popular zoom lenses.
I do have this one other thing against the dimage a2, the tech support is horrible!!! If you have a technical issue do not call konica minolta, they do not understand or speak english very well and do not offer much help in resolving issues. They also fight hard to not honor warrenties. Still, this camera is great and has hardly given my any trouble, just one small technical flaw that was my fault.
If you have the money to spare and want to take quality professional images and take up photography as a hobby, this camera is the best starter for you to help teach you the basics and at 8 megapixels, you will get an image that can be blown up to poster size with no pixeling or distorted images. This is the sharpest resolution on the market.
Of course, if you are already a professional and want a full professional shot camrea, I suggest the canon digital rebel as it, being a true DSLR can use any professional universal lenses (for those into needing different lenses for different shots).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 700
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
godzthunder
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Location: Augusta, GA
Reviews written: 57
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Southern Baptist Pastor, Teacher
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