Minolta DiMAGE F100 First Look
Apr 16, 2002 at 23:34:00 GMT
The
DiMAGE F100 was announced last month at CeBIT, this four megapixel, three
times optical zoom ultra-compact is aimed squarely at the Canon PowerShot
S40, Sony DSC-P9 and Pentax Optio 430. It takes its place in this new
class of high-end, high resolution ultra-compacts. The F100 has a good
set of credentials, a wide set of manual controls and other features.
We have had a pre-production F100 for a week or so now and while we won't
be reviewing the F100 until we can get a full production model I have
prepared a fairly lengthy First Look along with a gallery of sample images.
Minolta DiMAGE F100 First Look
This first look is based on a pre-production DiMAGE F100. Due to the early nature of the camera we won't be reviewing it at this stage, we will be waiting for a full production unit. However Minolta has agreed to allow us to post sample images. Please bear in mind that the image quality from the final production camera may be better than samples available here.
Minolta's four megapixel DiMAGE F100 (~$700) enters a relatively new area of the digital camera market, the high-end ultra-compact four megapixel. Here's how the competition stands up: Canon PowerShot S40 (~$650), Pentax Optio 430 (~$700) and Sony DSC-P9 (~$600). The F100 comes to the party with a good range of features:
- Fully selectable ISO sensitivity (Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800)
- AF-Tracking (Auto focus can "follow" a moving subject)
- Automatic scene selection in Auto exposure mode
- Program, Aperture Priority (7 steps), Shutter Priority (25 steps) and Manual Exposure
- Multiple drive modes (Single, Timer/RC, Continuous, Bracket)
- Good white balance selection (Auto, 4 presets, manual preset)
- Magnified Manual Focus
- Metering modes (Multi, Spot)
- Movie and Voice recording mode
- Takes two standard AA batteries (NiMH recommended)
Click here for full specifications
Compared
Below you will find a table summarizing some of the feature / specifications of similar and competitive cameras compared to the DiMAGE F100.
| Minolta DiMAGE F100 |
Canon PowerShot S40 |
Pentax Optio 430 |
Sony DSC-P9 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Review | Upcoming | Click here | Click here | Upcoming |
| Street | $700 | $650 | $700 | $600 |
| Sensor | 4.1 mp | 4.1 mp | 4.1 mp | 4.1 mp |
| Effective | 3.9 mp | 3.9 mp | 3.8 mp | 3.9 mp |
| Output | 2272 x 1704 | 2272 x 1704 | 2240 x 1680 | 2272 x 1704 |
| Others | 1600 x 1200 1280 x 960 640 x 480 |
1600 x 1200 1024 x 768 640 x 480 |
1120 x 850 640 x 480 |
1600 x 1200 1280 x 960 640 x 480 |
| ISO sens. | Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800 | Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 | 100, 200 | Auto, 100, 200, 400 |
| Lens equiv. | 3x (38 - 114 mm) | 3x (35 - 105 mm) | 3x (37 - 111 mm) | 3x (39 - 117 mm) |
| Lens aperture | F2.8 - F4.7 | F2.8 - F4.9 | F2.6 - F4.8 | F2.8 - F5.6 |
| Min. shutter | 4 sec + Bulb (15 sec) | 15 sec | 2 sec | 2 sec |
| Max. shutter | 1/1000 sec | 1/1500 sec | 1/2000 sec | 1/1000 sec |
| Metering | Multi-segment, Spot | Evaluative, CW, Spot | Multi-area, CW, Spot | Multi-segment, Spot |
| Auto focus | 5-point, Single AF, Tracking AF | 3-point, Selectable | Wide AF, Spot AF | 3-point auto, Center point |
| AF assist lamp | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Min. focus | Normal: 50 cm Macro: 20 cm |
Normal: 80 cm Macro: 10 cm |
Normal: 40 cm Macro: 14 cm |
Normal: 50 cm Macro: 10 cm |
| Manual focus | Yes, magnified and distance readout | Yes, magnified loupe and distance readout | Yes, ruler (no units) | Yes, 5 steps |
| White balance | 5 position & manual | 6 position & manual | 5 position & manual | 5 position |
| Aperture priority | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Shutter priority | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Manual exp. | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Movie clips | Yes, 35 sec | Yes, 30 / 120 sec | Yes, 30 sec | Yes, unlimited |
| Movie audio | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Remote control | Yes (option) | No | Yes | No |
| Storage | SD/MMC card | CF Type I | CF Type I | Memory Stick |
| Image format | TIFF, JPEG | RAW, JPEG | JPEG | JPEG |
| LCD monitor | 1.5" | 1.8" | 1.6" | 1.5" |
| Power | 2 x AA batteries | Canon Lithium-Ion | Pentax Lithium-Ion | Sony Lithium-Ion |
| Charging | No | Out of camera | Out of camera | In camera |
| Weight (inc.) | 241 g (8.5 oz) | 323 g (11.4 oz) | 240 g (8.5 oz) | 203 g (7.2 oz) |
| Dimensions | 111 x 52 x 32 mm (4.4 x 2 x 1.3 in) |
112 x 58 x 42 mm (4.4 x 2.3 x 1.7 in) |
92 x 59 x 31 mm (3.6 x 2.3 x 1.2 in) |
113 x 53 x 36 mm (4.5 x 2.1 x 1.4 in) |
Minolta DiMAGE F100 in pictures
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Side by side
 |
Display
 |
 |
| Normal 'record' live view | Aperture priority live view, shutter release half-pressed (note red AF point indicated) |
 |
 |
| This animation provides an example of what the F100's AF tracking can do. In my tests it worked quite well but wasn't particularly fast, it would be ok for a slow moving subject which stayed mostly in frame. | Playback mode features a full histogram and exposure information 'info' display. Unlike the D5/D7/S304/S404 you CAN now browse through images while in this mode. |
Menus
With the advent of the F100 we also get a peak into a new menu layout and slightly different user interface which I would expect to be used in future Minolta digital cameras. The main differences are that settings such as white balance, contrast, saturation and sharpening are all set by first entering that settings 'modify' page which provides a full live view of the exact difference changing that setting is having on the image.
 |
 |
| Record menu | Play menu |
 |
|
| Setup menu |
Samples gallery
As part of this first look we're also providing a small samples gallery. As mentioned above all these images were taken with a pre-production DiMAGE F100, image quality for the final production models may well improve.
 |
Click
here to order the Minolta DiMAGE F100
(orders help support the site)