which of these three??

alright, i am totally stumped between three cameras:
Sony F707: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf707/

Minolta dimage 7: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7/default.asp

and the cannon G2: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/default.asp

i would rule out the G2 for the lack of zoom- but it has additional lenses. i really dont want to be swapping them out all the time though. it just got such a good review its almost hard just to ignore it.

of the top two- they both have their good qualitys. obviously the battery sucks on the minolta- but that shouldnt be the deciding option. the minolta has a lot of great features that the sony doesnt have. however, the sony seems to be the easiset and fastest to use. Also the battery life is amazing.

i really have no idea which to get. both cost about the same too. The negatives on the Minolta seem to be more contruction problems rather than picture quality. but converting all the pictures on your computer to a different color standard (?) seems like a PITA.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Roy

DriveATransAm said:

alright, i am totally stumped between three cameras:
Sony F707: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf707/

Minolta dimage 7:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7/default.asp

and the cannon G2: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/default.asp

i would rule out the G2 for the lack of zoom- but it has additional
lenses. i really dont want to be swapping them out all the time
though. it just got such a good review its almost hard just to
ignore it.

of the top two- they both have their good qualitys. obviously the
battery sucks on the minolta- but that shouldnt be the deciding
option. the minolta has a lot of great features that the sony
doesnt have. however, the sony seems to be the easiset and fastest
to use. Also the battery life is amazing.

i really have no idea which to get. both cost about the same too.
The negatives on the Minolta seem to be more contruction problems
rather than picture quality. but converting all the pictures on
your computer to a different color standard (?) seems like a PITA.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Roy

Click to expand...

Hi Roy, there I see my own shortlist which ended in buying the Minolta D7 so I am biased. All three are really excellent cameras.

Batteries are no issue anymore: Look at our forum or http://webpages.charter.net/bbiggers/DCExperiments/html/body_batteries_for_newbies.html

The colors are the best you can get: the camera has a different format with a wider color gamuth. If you run the pics through their viewer you can convert them in any (standard) format you want. Photoshop, the number one photoeditor, reads the pictures straight from the camera, and can convert them also in whatever format you want. It is an advantage.

The construction is remarkably strong and indestructible in dayly life. However: It looks delicate.
Happy hunting.
Hans.

Thanks hans, i was really starting to lean to the minolta last night. Mainly because of the numerous features. Im just starting out in this (although i have been exposed to it), and the minolta seems overwealming at first. However, I guess there is a lot to build on and can help me later on down the road. Can you zoom while recording videos? I was gonna use it while drag racing and that would require zoom to see my times. One feaure i dislike is the no sound with the movie option. but its not a make/break feature. I care more about the stills. im going to alaska in a couple months and i think the higher zoom camera will be in my benefit. I cant wait to zoom in on some of the snowy mountains. Will probably be pretty bright there with all the white [snow], so hopefully ill figure out how to use it by then

Hans said:

DriveATransAm said:

alright, i am totally stumped between three cameras:
Sony F707: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf707/

Minolta dimage 7:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7/default.asp

and the cannon G2: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/default.asp

i would rule out the G2 for the lack of zoom- but it has additional
lenses. i really dont want to be swapping them out all the time
though. it just got such a good review its almost hard just to
ignore it.

of the top two- they both have their good qualitys. obviously the
battery sucks on the minolta- but that shouldnt be the deciding
option. the minolta has a lot of great features that the sony
doesnt have. however, the sony seems to be the easiset and fastest
to use. Also the battery life is amazing.

i really have no idea which to get. both cost about the same too.
The negatives on the Minolta seem to be more contruction problems
rather than picture quality. but converting all the pictures on
your computer to a different color standard (?) seems like a PITA.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Roy

Click to expand...

Hi Roy, there I see my own shortlist which ended in buying the
Minolta D7 so I am biased. All three are really excellent cameras.
Batteries are no issue anymore: Look at our forum or

http://webpages.charter.net/bbiggers/DCExperiments/html/body_batteries_for_newbies.html
The colors are the best you can get: the camera has a different
format with a wider color gamuth. If you run the pics through their
viewer you can convert them in any (standard) format you want.
Photoshop, the number one photoeditor, reads the pictures straight
from the camera, and can convert them also in whatever format you
want. It is an advantage.
The construction is remarkably strong and indestructible in dayly
life. However: It looks delicate.
Happy hunting.
Hans.

Click to expand...

Also, how quick is it to store the pictures and take a new one? ive used maybe 5 different digital cameras (lower quality) and they take much too long. I want it to be like a regular camera where you can take multiple shots without having to wait 4+ seconds inbetween shots.

DriveATransAm said:

DriveATransAm wrote:
Thanks hans, i was really starting to lean to the minolta last
night. Mainly because of the numerous features. Im just starting
out in this (although i have been exposed to it), and the minolta
seems overwealming at first. However, I guess there is a lot to
build on and can help me later on down the road. Can you zoom
while recording videos? I was gonna use it while drag racing and
that would require zoom to see my times. One feaure i dislike is
the no sound with the movie option. but its not a make/break
feature. I care more about the stills. im going to alaska in a
couple months and i think the higher zoom camera will be in my
benefit. I cant wait to zoom in on some of the snowy mountains.
Will probably be pretty bright there with all the white [snow], so
hopefully ill figure out how to use it by then

Click to expand...

Zooming while taking videos? Of course: Even very fast: Depending on your your fingertips.

Alaska: In the snow you have to compensate, while the build in software supposes that it can't be that bright white: you have to make the timing for the exposures LONGER. Just as you have to set shorter exposures if you want to see it on your pictures when the night is falling in.

Speed: The modern compactflash cards have now almost twice the speed as when Phil tested them and the writing times are proportional shorter. Compared with film cameras, the digitals are somewhat disappointing.

However: The most widely used and preferrred pictures are are fine quality in highest resolution. You can make three pics in rapid (less than a second) succession and then you have to wait 4 or 5 seconds before the next. If you wait e few seconds longer you can make another two while the buffer is emptied already somewhat more. Emptying the buffer (writing to the card) goes on the background. You can easily shoot twenty pics within a few minutes.

Ehhh....have my doubts about filming and zooming in, while racing: It is much easier to use both hands in handling only the camera. (But what do I know about dragracing.)

It has to be said that you can expect to make easier very satisfying pics with one of the two other cameras. I have the dimage 7 for 6 months now and I am still learning, (but I am sure not an hot shot).
Hans.

I am a Minolta owner too. I believe the Sony has a power zoom but I believe the camera has a swivel lens that requires two hands anyhow.

The update to the Minolta the 7i will be more responsive and may be available in about a month or so.

Hans said:

Hans59567 said:

DriveATransAm wrote:
Thanks hans, i was really starting to lean to the minolta last
night. Mainly because of the numerous features. Im just starting
out in this (although i have been exposed to it), and the minolta
seems overwealming at first. However, I guess there is a lot to
build on and can help me later on down the road. Can you zoom
while recording videos? I was gonna use it while drag racing and
that would require zoom to see my times. One feaure i dislike is
the no sound with the movie option. but its not a make/break
feature. I care more about the stills. im going to alaska in a
couple months and i think the higher zoom camera will be in my
benefit. I cant wait to zoom in on some of the snowy mountains.
Will probably be pretty bright there with all the white [snow], so
hopefully ill figure out how to use it by then

Click to expand...

Zooming while taking videos? Of course: Even very fast: Depending
on your your fingertips.
Alaska: In the snow you have to compensate, while the build in
software supposes that it can't be that bright white: you have to
make the timing for the exposures LONGER. Just as you have to set
shorter exposures if you want to see it on your pictures when the
night is falling in.
Speed: The modern compactflash cards have now almost twice the
speed as when Phil tested them and the writing times are
proportional shorter. Compared with film cameras, the digitals are
somewhat disappointing.
However: The most widely used and preferrred pictures are are fine
quality in highest resolution. You can make three pics in rapid
(less than a second) succession and then you have to wait 4 or 5
seconds before the next. If you wait e few seconds longer you can
make another two while the buffer is emptied already somewhat more.
Emptying the buffer (writing to the card) goes on the background.
You can easily shoot twenty pics within a few minutes.
Ehhh....have my doubts about filming and zooming in, while racing:
It is much easier to use both hands in handling only the camera.
(But what do I know about dragracing.)
It has to be said that you can expect to make easier very
satisfying pics with one of the two other cameras. I have the
dimage 7 for 6 months now and I am still learning, (but I am sure
not an hot shot).
Hans.

Click to expand...

Hans59567 said:

(but I am sure
not an hot shot).
Hans.

Click to expand...

Some correction: The Maserati biturbo spider, I owned till three years ago, was not THAT slow, AND it could follow curves. Hans.

is there a place that i can find out some more information on the 7i?

i did a side by side comparison and it looks like it has more focus features, a 1/4000 shutter speed-HOLY CR@P, AUDiO!!, a better lcd, and a few other things. anyone know if they fixed the battery consuming problem? i think this camera is going to be worth the wait. how much longer

oh- my car- im not going to be dragracing WHILE shooting video if thats what you thought i meant? I will have someone film me. all 11 seconds of the 1/4 mile

oh yea, my car can handle the twisties too. im going to Road America (nations largest road track) next month. woohoo!! hopefully i can get my camera by then

Hans said:

Hans59567 said:

(but I am sure
not an hot shot).
Hans.

Click to expand...

Some correction: The Maserati biturbo spider, I owned till three
years ago, was not THAT

Click to expand...

slow, AND it could follow curves. Hans.

DriveATransAm said:

DriveATransAm wrote:
is there a place that i can find out some more information on the 7i?

i did a side by side comparison and it looks like it has more focus
features, a 1/4000 shutter speed-HOLY CR@P, AUDiO!!, a better lcd,
and a few other things. anyone know if they fixed the battery
consuming problem? i think this camera is going to be worth the
wait. how much longer

oh- my car- im not going to be dragracing WHILE shooting video if
thats what you thought i meant? I will have someone film me. all
11 seconds of the 1/4 mile

oh yea, my car can handle the twisties too. im going to Road
America (nations largest road track) next month. woohoo!!
hopefully i can get my camera by then

Click to expand...

The Minolta Japan web site has an excellent DiMage section. If you use Internet Explorer, you might be prompted to install the Japanese character set, but it isn't needed, you can cancel the install.

My $0.02: Get the Minolta - better feature set for the same money as the Canon G1 - it is cheaper and has a better lens than the Sony (yeah, I know it says Karl Zeiss - but the Minolta GT is f2.8 & 28-200mm), and with the Sony you are held hostage by expensive proprietary Memory Sticks. Check the Minolta forum - many D7 owners use the images straight from the camera, and don't even use the DiVU colorspace conversion.

The D7i sounds like it will have everything you are looking for and more. Be aware that the D7/D7i's framerate for motion JPEG (video mode) is 12 frames per second (fps), which is less than true video quality (minumum of 30 fps). So, if true TV-style full motion video is important, you may want to use a dedicated video camera.

Whatever camera you choose to buy, I hope you are happy with your decision, and enjoy using it. After all, it is supposed to be fun, right?

Regards,
SJ ©

DriveATransAm said:

Hans said:

DriveATransAm said:

(but I am sure
not an hot shot).
Hans.

Click to expand...

Some correction: The Maserati biturbo spider, I owned till three
years ago, was not THAT

Click to expand...

slow, AND it could follow curves. Hans.

Click to expand...

DriveATransAm said:

i would rule out the G2 for the lack of zoom- but it has additional
lenses. i really dont want to be swapping them out all the time
though. it just got such a good review its almost hard just to
ignore it.

of the top two- they both have their good qualitys. obviously the
battery sucks on the minolta- but that shouldnt be the deciding
option. the minolta has a lot of great features that the sony
doesnt have. however, the sony seems to be the easiset and fastest
to use. Also the battery life is amazing.

i really have no idea which to get. both cost about the same too.
The negatives on the Minolta seem to be more contruction problems
rather than picture quality. but converting all the pictures on
your computer to a different color standard (?) seems like a PITA.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Click to expand...

My advice is don't overlook the factors that make the camera easy and fun to use, like battery life and solid construction.

Don't overlook the G2 because it's only 3X zoom. It depends on how you intend to use the camera. Zoom can help you get shots that you wouldn't be able to get without. Zooming with your feet doesn't always work.

But big zoom makes the camera heavier and more expensive if it's a good zoom. The G2 represents a pretty good tradeoff of price and features and image quality.

those 3 were my first choice until i looked at the Olympus c-2100 (ok 2.1 MEGA pixel but a very good one and 10X optical ZOOM) and after a lot of reading (about 3 months) i chose the c-2100. before you decide just look at it and check the Olympus forum under UZI and you will see that for a lot of people it is like a religion

DriveATransAm said:

alright, i am totally stumped between three cameras:
Sony F707: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf707/

Minolta dimage 7:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7/default.asp

and the cannon G2: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/default.asp

i would rule out the G2 for the lack of zoom- but it has additional
lenses. i really dont want to be swapping them out all the time
though. it just got such a good review its almost hard just to
ignore it.

of the top two- they both have their good qualitys. obviously the
battery sucks on the minolta- but that shouldnt be the deciding
option. the minolta has a lot of great features that the sony
doesnt have. however, the sony seems to be the easiset and fastest
to use. Also the battery life is amazing.

i really have no idea which to get. both cost about the same too.
The negatives on the Minolta seem to be more contruction problems
rather than picture quality. but converting all the pictures on
your computer to a different color standard (?) seems like a PITA.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Roy

Click to expand...

--best cam for me ....c-2100 love at first sight http://www.pbase.com/ghost/

yea, i looked at that one a little too. it didnt impress me all that much. the zoom is defnintly nice, but that seems like its all it has. surely they will have a great camera when they introduce a revised one of that.

ghost said:

DriveATransAm said:

alright, i am totally stumped between three cameras:
Sony F707: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf707/

Minolta dimage 7:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7/default.asp

and the cannon G2: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/default.asp

i would rule out the G2 for the lack of zoom- but it has additional
lenses. i really dont want to be swapping them out all the time
though. it just got such a good review its almost hard just to
ignore it.

of the top two- they both have their good qualitys. obviously the
battery sucks on the minolta- but that shouldnt be the deciding
option. the minolta has a lot of great features that the sony
doesnt have. however, the sony seems to be the easiset and fastest
to use. Also the battery life is amazing.

i really have no idea which to get. both cost about the same too.
The negatives on the Minolta seem to be more contruction problems
rather than picture quality. but converting all the pictures on
your computer to a different color standard (?) seems like a PITA.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Roy

Click to expand...

--
best cam for me ....c-2100 love at first sight
http://www.pbase.com/ghost/

Click to expand...

DriveATransAm said:

alright, i am totally stumped between three cameras:
Sony F707: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf707/

Minolta dimage 7:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7/default.asp

and the cannon G2: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/default.asp

Click to expand...

WRT the Sony, I'd buy one (despite the proprietary memory and battery) if it didn't also force one to use the single proprietary flash that comes with it. Not even Paramount Cords (the premier custom-sync cord maker in the US) admits on their web site that they can't find a way to sync the Sony 707 with any other flash unit. That single factor kills the Sony for me, because I've got to have more flexibility in lighting.

I need an SLR-like view when I photograph, so an optical viewfinder doesn't cut it, and I'm too farsighted to be comfortable with an LCD, so that lets the Canon out for me.

I found the Minolta's autofocus 'way too slow and especially too uncertain. I did like the manual zoom, and the batteries aren't really a problem. It does look and feel tacky, though.

But if you can wait for the Minolta 7i, you should.

And if you can wait for that, then consider the Fuji S602 which will be out in June. Already, the Fuji 6900Z gives the Minolta a run for its money for less money (and with better camera-handling), but when Fuji announced the coming of the follow-on to the 6900z, it also stopped shipping the 6900z, so you can't find a US version anymore in the States.

That's a good thing that they did it that way because it gave plenty of alert to people that a new version was coming, so nobody should plunk down their money on one day only to see the new one on the shelves the next.

But I think the new Fuji will be better than the Minolta 7i, if you can wait until June.--RDKirk'It's always socially unacceptable to be right too soon.' -Fuji FP6900Z Owner