Minolta DiMAGE A1 Review, Phil Askey, November 2003

Review based on a production DiMAGE A1, Firmware v1.00u

The DiMAGE A1 is the successor to the 'DiMAGE 7' series of digital cameras. Minolta has chosen not to use the '7' name on this camera because they believe it to be such a leap forward in functionality and features. The A1 utilizes the same size CCD and 7x optical zoom lens as the DiMAGE 7(Hi/i) however it is now powered by a dedicated Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery, has a tilting LCD monitor, a grip sensor and most importantly image stabilization (called 'Anti Shake') thanks to a CCD which can move on x and y axis. This innovative approach to image stabilization means that you can use a normal lens system and put all the complexity of shake compensation within the camera body (how effective it is we will only be able to report in a full review).

Minolta DiMAGE A1 vs. DiMAGE 7Hi (differences only)

	Minolta DiMAGE A1	Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi
List price	US: $1,199	US: $1,299
CCD	2/3" type 5.2 megapixel progressive	2/3" type 5.2 megapixel interlaced
Image sizes	2560 x 1920 2080 x 1560 1600 x 1200 640 x 480	2560 x 1920 1600 x 1200 640 x 480
TIFF label	TIFF	Super-Fine
A/D converter	14 bit	12 bit
Anti-shake	CCD stabilized (can be disabled)	None
AF Areas	11 points in Wide area focus mode	3 points in Wide area focus mode
Tracking AF	Yes	No
Manual focus	2x or 8x magnify	4x magnify
Flex Focus Points	124 x 87	15 x 19
Noise reduction	Dark frame subtraction for long exposures (can be disabled)	Dark fram subtraction for Bulb exposures
Control dials	Two (function can be customized)	One
Grip sensor	Triggers AF in full-time AF mode	None
Pa/Ps shift	Front dial shifts on aperture Rear dial shifts on shutter speed (function of dials can be customized)	Aperture / Shutter speed combined
Apertures	Wide: F2.8 - F11 (13 steps) Tele: F3.5 - F11 (11 steps)	Wide: F2.8 - F8 (7 steps) Tele: F3.5 - F9.5 (7 steps)
Shutter speeds	30 - 1/16000 sec (58 steps)	15 - 1/2000 sec (31 steps) (30 sec bulb, 1/4000 sec auto)
Spot metering	Center or with Flex Focus point	Follows Flex Focus point
Bracket steps	0.3, 0.5 EV	0.3, 0.5, 1.0 EV
AEL Button	Can be set to AE lock/hold or Spot AE lock/hold	Always Spot meters
Full auto mode	Yes	No
Exposure mode	On mode dial	Via function dial
Mode dial	Unlocked	Locked
Record/play	Dedicated switch	On mode dial
Power button	On record/play switch	On mode dial
Scene modes	On mode dial	Dedicated button
Pro-Auto (reset)	No (although now has Auto mode)	Yes
Image Params	Filter +/- 5 Contrast +/- 5 Saturation +/- 5	Filter +/- 3 Contrast +/- 3 Saturation +/- 3
White Balance	Auto Daylight Tungsten Fluorescent Cloudy Shade Flash Manual preset 1-3	Auto Daylight Tungsten Fluorescent 1 Fluorescent 2 Cloudy Manual preset 1-3
One button WB	Yes	No
WB Fine Tuning	Daylight, Tungsten, Shade, Cloudy, Flash, Fluorescent can all be fine tuned in 7 steps	No
Continuous	High: 2.8 fps, max 3 JPEG frames * Normal: 2 fps, max 3 JPEG frames * * max 5 frames in RAW mode	High: 3 fps, max 9 frames Normal: 2 fps, max 9 frames UHS: 7 fps @ 1280 x 960
Movie Clips	320 x 240, 24 fps, max 15 mins	320 x 240, 15 fps, max 60 sec
Time-lapse	2 - 240 frames, 30 - 60 mins	2 - 99 frames, 1 - 60 mins
Self-timer	2 or 10 sec	10 sec
Viewfinder	0 to 90° tilting position 0.44" TFT LCD 235,000 pixels Rectangular eyepiece	0 to 90° tilting position 4.8 mm Ferroelectric LCD 71,000 24-bit colour pixels Round eyepiece
LCD monitor	-20 to 90° Tilting 1.8" TFT LCD 118,000 pixels	Fixed 1.8" TFT LCD 112,000 pixels
Playback magnify	2.0 - 8.0x, scrollable	2.0x, 2.5x, 4.0x, scrollable
Exif data note	Yes	No
FAT32 support	Yes	No
Power	NP-400 Lithium-Ion rechargeable 1500 mAh 7.4V Charger included	4 x AA batteries 1850 mAh NiMH included Charger included
Dimensions	117 x 85 x 114 mm (4.6 x 3.4 x 4.5 in)	117 x 91 x 123 mm (4.6 x 3.6 x 4.8 in)
Weight (inc batt)	643 g (1.4 lb)	639 g (1.4 lb)

Shake that CCD!

Click for a larger image	Click for a movie of the Anti-Shake system in action (exaggerated motion) - 2.1 MB

The DiMAGE A1 is (as far as I know) the only digital camera to implement image stabilization (Minolta call it 'Anti-Shake') by mounting the CCD sensor on a movable platform controlled by two actuators (x and y axis). The system works by analyzing input from motion detectors in the camera body and producing an inverse movement in the CCD. The system can be disabled (easily by pressing a very prominent button on the rear of the camera) and can also detect a panning movement and only compensate for movement on the opposite axis. Minolta claim that their system enables shutter speeds of 8 times longer (3 stops) than you would be able to manage without it.

Backgrounder

Click here for a backgrounder document produced by Minolta (PDF, 42 KB)

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this review (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (normally 960 x 720 or smaller if cropped) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2003 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey.