|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legend for CF card timings | |
| Noticeably quicker | |
| Noticeably slower | |
| Action | Details | Time,
seconds (Supplied CF) |
Time,
seconds (Lexar 12x CF) |
Time,
seconds (Microdrive) |
|
Power: Off to Record |
3.6 | 4.0 | 3.1 / 6.1 *6 | |
| Power: Off to Play *1 |
Accessing |
n/a | n/a | 3.1 |
|
Power: Off to Play *1 |
Displayed | 3.6 | 3.8 | 6.4 |
| Power: Record to Off *2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | |
| Power: Play to Off | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 | |
 |
||||
| Mode: Record to Play | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.5 | |
| Mode: Play to Record | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | |
|
||||
| Play: Magnify to x2.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.9 | |
| Rec: Thumbnail view 3 x 3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | |
| Action | Details | Time,
seconds (average) |
| Auto Focus LAG *3 | Full wide angle (28mm equiv.) | 1.2 |
| Auto Focus LAG *3 | Full telephoto (200mm equiv.) | 2.5 |
| Auto Focus LAG *3 | Full telephoto Macro (200mm equiv.) | 3.7 |
|
||
| Shutter Release LAG *4 | Using LCD monitor / EVF | 0.1 |
| Total LAG *5 | Lens @ 50mm equiv. | 1.0 - 4.5 |
| Off to Shot Taken | Media: Supplied 16 MB Lexar CF card | 5.6 |
| Off to Shot Taken *6 | Media: 1 GB IBM Microdrive | 8.1 |
|
||
| Shot to Shot | Instant playback enabled | 2.6 |
| Shot to Shot | Instant playback disabled | 2.0 |
| *1 | First timing is the time (from OFF) before "Accessing files..." is shown the LCD. Second timing is the time (from OFF) before the first image is displayed. |
| *2 | No images remaining in internal buffer. Timer is stopped when top LCD display disappears. |
| *3 | Auto Focus LAG is (roughly) the amount of time it takes the camera to autofocus (a half-press and hold of the shutter release button), this timing is normally the most variable as its affected by the subject matter, current focus position, still or moving subject etc.This timing is an average. |
| *4 | Shutter Release LAG is the amount of time it takes to take the shot after autofocus, this timing assumes you have already focused (half-pressed the shutter release) and now press the shutter release button all the way down to take the shot. This timing is an average. |
| *5 | Total LAG is the total time it takes (not just the two above added together) if you haven't pre-focused, that is no finger touching the shutter release button, press it all the way down in one movement, this new timing is how long it'd take if you were in one of those spur-of-the-moment situations.This timing is an average. |
| *6 | When you power on with a Microdrive inserted the camera displays 'No Card' for approximately 3.4 seconds, during this time you can not take a shot. |
The AF system did feel slower than the timings above reveal, certainly on occasions it was quite fast (with a good contrast target in good light), however there were occasions where it would simply refuse to lock, especially at telephoto focal lengths and with targets which were less than optimum. The D7's AF system hunted more than I've been used to in recent times (digital camera AF systems HAVE got better), indeed sometimes it would hunt even if you had already taken a shot of the same subject. In some situations it would show the white dot indicating a good focus when it was in fact well out of focus.
Continuous modes
The table below shows the results of our continuous shooting test, indicating the actual frame rate along with maximum number of frames and how long you would have to wait after taking the maximum number of frames before you could take another shot.
| Image Type | Frames per sec | Max no. of frames *1 |
Wait before |
| 2560 x 1920 RAW | - | 1 | - |
| 2560 x 1920 FINE | 1.2 fps | 5 | 8.1 secs |
| 2560 x 1920 STANDARD | 1.2 fps | 9 | 3.2 secs |
| 2560 x 1920 ECONOMY | 1.2 fps | 16 | 1.9 secs |
| 1600 x 1200 STANDARD | 1.2 fps | 25 | 1.4 secs |
| 1280 x 960 STANDARD | 1.2 fps | 45 | 1.5 secs |
| *1 | In a single "burst" (finger held down on shutter release), exact number of frames may vary depending on size of JPEG file (detail in the image). |
| *2 | You can take a frame as soon as there is space in the cameras internal buffer (writing continues "in the background"). |
As we can see the actual frame rate is limited by the speed at which the camera can retrieve the five million pixels from the CCD, the number of frames is limited by the final image size. Frame rates are slightly disappointing, most people would expect at least 2 frames per second of a digital camera at this level and price point. That said you can take nine x 5 megapixel frames at standard JPEG compression in one burst and taken another shot less than 3.5 seconds later.
Continuous mode Flush Timing
The timings above represent the speed of the camera and its internal buffer, however the speed of the Compact Flash card will also have an impact on shooting continuously, it defines how long we must wait before the ENTIRE "burst" of frames are written away to the card (flushed).
| Image Type | No. images | Time,
seconds (Supplied CF) |
Time,
seconds (Lexar 12x CF) |
Time,
seconds (Microdrive) |
| 2560 x 1920 STANDARD | 9 | 27.0 | 31.0 | 21.0 |
Biggest surprise here is the Microdrive which finishes flushing a whole ten seconds before Lexar's Pro 12x Compact Flash card.
File Flush Timing
Timings shown below are the time taken for the camera to process and "flush" the image out to the Compact Flash card, the timer was started as soon as the shutter release was pressed (shutter click was heard) and stopped when activity indicator LED beside the storage compartment went out. This means the timings also include the cameras processing time and as such are more representative of the actual time to "complete the task".
The media used for these tests were:
- 16 MB Lexar Type I Compact Flash card (as supplied in European Kit)
- 320 MB Lexar Pro 12x Type I Compact Flash card
- 1 GB IBM Microdrive Type II Compact Flash card
| Image Type | Time
to store *1 (seconds) |
|||
| Supplied | Lexar 12x | Microdrive | ||
| 2560 x 1920 | S.FINE TIFF | 44.0 | 46.0 | 32.2 |
| 2560 x 1920 | RAW | 30.0 | 32.2 | 24.8 |
| 2560 x 1920 | FINE | 9.8 | 10.6 | 9.7 |
| 2560 x 1920 | STANDARD | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.7 |
| 2560 x 1920 | ECONOMY | 6.2 | 6.1 | 7.0 |
| 1600 x 1200 | FINE | 6.4 | 7.1 | 7.8 |
| 1280 x 960 | FINE | 6.1 | 6.2 | 7.8 |
| 640 x 480 | FINE | 5.1 | 5.1 | 6.5 |
| *1 | This is the amount of time it takes to write a single image away, it is taken from the moment of shutter release to the activity indicator LED beside the storage compartment going out. RAW and TIFF modes both blank the LCD/EVF during this time and no more shots can be taken until this time has elapsed. |
File Sizes
Here's a comparison of the average byte size of each of different image size / quality combinations.
| Image Size | Quality | Image format | File
size (~ = approx) |
No. on supplied 16 MB CF Card | No.
on 1 GB Microdrive |
| 2560 x 1920 | S. FINE | TIFF | 14,438 KB | 1 | 72 |
| 2560 x 1920 | RAW | MRW | 9,704 KB | 1 | 107 |
| 2560 x 1920 | FINE | JPEG | ~1,900 KB | 7 | 520 |
| 2560 x 1920 | STANDARD | JPEG | ~900 KB | 14 | 994 |
| 2560 x 1920 | ECONOMY | JPEG | ~530 KB | 21 | 1,491 |
| 1600 x 1200 | FINE | JPEG | ~780 KB | 17 | 1,207 |
| 1280 x 960 | FINE | JPEG | ~500 KB | 27 | 1,917 |
| 640 x 480 | FINE | JPEG | ~190 KB | 76 | 5,396 |
| * | All file sizes are an average of three files. As is the case with JPEG it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary a fair amount depending on the content of the image (especially the amount of detail captured). For example, take a photograph of a fairly empty wall and you'll get a small JPEG, take a photograph of a bush with a lot of detail and you'll get a larger image. File sizes here are closer to the later, the larger size of file you should expect. |
Battery life
In real life use it became obvious that the DiMAGE 7 is a bit of a power monster. Indeed, in one session it managed to chomp through my favourite set of 1600 mAh GP NiMH's in under an hour (and only 60 shots taken). When handling the camera it's obvious that quite a bit of this is being wasted in the heat generated.
We ran the camera through our new battery life test. This test is designed to be fair and comparative to each camera and battery type:
- Take 4 shots without flash
- Wait 2 minutes (50% of the time powering the camera off)
- Take 1 shot with flash
- Wait 1 minute
- Repeat
All batteries had been fully discharged and recharged before the test and all cameras were reset to their factory default settings. Here are the results:
| Camera Prosumer / SLR-Like |
Battery | Power | Battery life | Number of shots |
| Minolta DiMAGE 7 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 1 hr 14 mins | 125 |
| Minolta DiMAGE 5 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 1 hr 56 mins | 195 |
| Nikon Coolpix 5700 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 08 mins | 215 |
| Canon PowerShot S40 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 13 mins | 225 |
| Minolta DiMAGE S304 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 18 mins | 235 |
| Canon PowerShot S45 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 28 mins | 240 |
| Nikon Coolpix 4500 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 27 mins | 250 |
| Fujifilm FinePix 6900Z | NP-80 | 4.1 Wh | 2 hr 29 mins | 250 |
| Nikon Coolpix 990 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 30 mins | 255 |
| Nikon Coolpix 995 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 30 mins | 255 |
| Nikon Coolpix 5000 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 32 mins | 260 |
| Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 33 mins | 260 |
| Canon PowerShot Pro1 | BP-511A | 10.2 Wh | 2 hr 36 mins | 265 |
| Canon PowerShot S50 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
| Minolta DiMAGE S404 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
| Sony DSC-V1 | NP-FC11 | 2.8 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
| Olympus C-7000 Zoom | LI-12B | 4.5 Wh | 2 hr 44 mins | 280 |
| Nikon Coolpix 8700 | EN-EL1 | 5.0 Wh | 2 hr 45 mins | 280 |
| Minolta DiMAGE 7i | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 46 mins | 270 |
| Olympus E-20 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 48 mins | 285 |
| Canon PowerShot G1 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 00 mins | 300 |
| Nikon Coolpix 5400 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 3 hr 06 mins | 315 |
| HP Photosmart 850 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 12 mins | 325 |
| Sony DSC-S75 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 3 hr 15 mins | 330 |
| Nikon Coolpix 8800 | EN-EL7 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 27 mins | 350 |
| Fujifilm FinePix S602Z | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 29 mins | 350 |
| Canon PowerShot G2 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 32 mins | 355 |
| Casio QV-4000 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 38 mins | 365 |
| Olympus C-5050 Zoom | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 48 mins | 380 |
| Casio EXILIM EX-P700 | NP-40 | 4.5 Wh | 3 hr 48 mins | 385 |
| Sony DSC-S85 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 3 hr 50 mins | 400 |
| Sony DSC-F717 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 4 hr 02 mins | 405 |
| Pentax Optio 750Z | D-LI7 | 6.6 Wh | 4 hr 03 mins | 415 |
| Sony DSC-V3 | NP-FR1 | 4.4 Wh | 4 hr 05 mins | 415 |
| Nikon Coolpix 8400 | EN-EL7 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 09 mins | 420 |
| Sony DSC-F707 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 4 hr 20 mins | 440 |
| Fujifilm S7000 Zoom | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 4 hr 23 mins | 445 |
| Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 | NP-400 | 11.1 Wh | 4 hr 26 mins | 450 |
| Canon PowerShot G3 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 32 mins | 455 |
| Canon PowerShot G5 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 33 mins | 460 |
| Pentax Optio 550 | D-LI7 | 6.6 Wh | 4 hr 36 mins | 465 |
| Minolta DiMAGE A1 | NP-400 | 11.1 Wh | 5 hr 02 mins | 515 |
| Leica Digilux 2 | BP-DC1-E | 10.1 Wh | 5 hr 05 mins | 515 |
| Sony DSC-F828 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 5 hr 28 mins | 540 |
| Fujifilm FinePix S5000 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 5 hr 31 mins | 555 |
| Canon PowerShot G6 | BP-511A | 10.3 Wh | 5 hr 38 mins | 570 |
| Olympus C-8080 WZ | BLM-1 | 10.8 Wh | 5 hr 52 mins | 595 |
| Other test notes: | ||||
| • LCD monitor is left on during
the battery test • The camera is powered off half of the time and left on half of the time (switch every 10 iterations) • There are now higher capacity AA NiMH batteries available, however in the interests of fair comparison we will continue to use our 1600 mAh test set |
||||
As you can see in our lab test the DiMAGE 7 managed to flatten a set of four AA 1600 mAh NiMH's in an hour and a quarter (or just an hour and six minutes with a Microdrive). This is a pretty poor performance for a modern day prosumer digital camera, and especially one which requires you carry spare batteries in sets of four. Compare this to the Nikon Coolpix 990 which lasted twice as long on the very same batteries. There's almost no comparison to the Canon PowerShot G1 and both Sony's.
With a 1 GB IBM Microdrive battery life was down to 1 hr 6 mins, 115 shots (approx. 10% less)
| Bookmark: |  Digg |
 del.icio.us |
 Reddit |
 Google |
|
||||
| Actions: | < Previous | Next > | Print page |
Please wait, fetching latest prices.