A1 vs. A2

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

I have the same questions and posted a thread before I saw yours. I can relate to bad eyes. Check out my thread for other concerns I have. Maybe between the 2 threads we can get some feedback. good luck
fredjames

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

I'm 53 (not so good eyes anymore), and I looked at the A1 in a store and decided that it was a little too coarse to be useable. I ordered the A2 from Dell sight unseen, knowing the EVF has 4 times the resolution, and I am very satisfied.

I believe the A1 has a better burst rate than the A2, but that is not terribly important to me.

I can superimpose a grid on the screen (not sure if the A1 has that feature).

As far as I know the A1 is no longer manufactured, so you will get whatever is left in the pipeline.

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

--
Howard

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Seems to cme down to the following pluses for each model:

A1+ Image Noise/CA less when viewed 100%. The less dense sensor on thw A1 has the edge over the A2 in many people's opinion. When the A2 images are printed or downsampled this advantage may well go away.

A1+ Price

A1+ Battery life... very clightly longer from the specs. I've upgraded from a D7 so both are wonderful as far as I'm concerned

A1+ Burst mode better. 5 shot burst in RAW and shorter times between takes with JPEG.

A2+ Ultra High Speed shooting mode. Only 640x480 but 7 frames a second for about as long as you keep the shutter release pressed.

A2+ Resolution 8MP/5MP - Some suggest that you may not be able to get 100% benefit of all of those extra pixes though due the, albeit excellent, aging GT lens.

A2+ EVF. Four times the resolution and much smoother.

A2+ Movie mode has higher resolution at, I think, a higher rate.

A1+ Movie mode takes longer sequences

A2+ Depth of Field preview. Possibly only of real use in Macro shooting given teh large DOF of this type of camera.

A2+ 3:2 aspect ratio available... always leave the best till last eh ;-)

I think that's about it... anyone got any more.

FWIW I have the A2 but ideally would like to see a combination of the two. I am resigned to a Hi model appearing with a larger buffer real soon :-(

daveR

No responses so far. Hopefully this note will kick this message to the top of the list and generate a response.

Bob

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Bob, check out my thread(fredjames 7 responses) near the bottom of the page. look at bill hansen2's response. I found it very helpful.
fredjames

Bob Van Epps said:

Bob

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the excellent information. Based on what you have noted, it seems to me that other than the better EVF, the A-1 may have a more useful feature set for the money at this point in time. At least from my prospective.

I think I can sell my 7i on Ebay for around $400. There are A1s out there for around $550. $150 bucks a year to feed my technology habit seems like a pretty good deal, unless I would be much better off waiting a few months and grabbing the A2 when the price starts to come down. Any comments?

Also, can you or anyone else comment on the relative difference between my 7i and the A1, (or A2)?

Bob

David Race said:

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Seems to cme down to the following pluses for each model:

A1+ Image Noise/CA less when viewed 100%. The less dense sensor on
thw A1 has the edge over the A2 in many people's opinion. When the
A2 images are printed or downsampled this advantage may well go
away.

A1+ Price

A1+ Battery life... very clightly longer from the specs. I've
upgraded from a D7 so both are wonderful as far as I'm concerned

A1+ Burst mode better. 5 shot burst in RAW and shorter times
between takes with JPEG.

A2+ Ultra High Speed shooting mode. Only 640x480 but 7 frames a
second for about as long as you keep the shutter release pressed.

A2+ Resolution 8MP/5MP - Some suggest that you may not be able to
get 100% benefit of all of those extra pixes though due the, albeit
excellent, aging GT lens.

A2+ EVF. Four times the resolution and much smoother.

A2+ Movie mode has higher resolution at, I think, a higher rate.

A1+ Movie mode takes longer sequences

A2+ Depth of Field preview. Possibly only of real use in Macro
shooting given teh large DOF of this type of camera.

A2+ 3:2 aspect ratio available... always leave the best till last
eh ;-)

I think that's about it... anyone got any more.

FWIW I have the A2 but ideally would like to see a combination of
the two. I am resigned to a Hi model appearing with a larger buffer
real soon :-(

daveR

Click to expand...

I cxurrently have both and can't post. My isp is also very slow but I can e-mail downsized photos--tho that may be worthless.

My new A2 AS is intermitently blinking and may need to be retunred. But of my good photos taken side by side:

A1 at 5 mp very, very close to 8 mp. Very slightly better resolution printed at 8 1/2 by 11. I do not have a larger printer but I do have 2 good printers--Canon 830 and HP 7960.

On screen, also very similar but I can crop in further on the A2.

Color -to me-a bit different between the cams. I like the A1 color better. It seems a bit truer.

WB better on the A2. EVF better on the A2.

Writes to card faster than I would have expected.

No expert--but I see no CA or PF on any of my A2 shots-nor any banding or other odd colors. Just-a problem with the AS on this unit :-(.

I will definitely be exchanging it but for the price, the A1 is an incredible value. My A1 is soooo good I think I must be really a perfectionist to even consider selling it.

I paid $999 for the A1 just this past October, 2003...Paid $1099 but then Minolta dropped the price $200 and the dealer rebated it to me.

I paid $934 for the A2 because J & R matched the Dell sale last week. I have offers for my A1 from $550 to $650 with warranty. So, I guess it is up to you to decide the price and pixel differences, etc.

Whichever you chose--you can't go wrong. I bought an extended warranty and that is one thing I would highly recommend. You can get one from J & R even if you didn't buy the camera from them and you can use Minolta service if you need it.

Good luck.

Linda

I have never used raw but am shooting in super fine.

David Race said:

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Seems to cme down to the following pluses for each model:

A1+ Image Noise/CA less when viewed 100%. The less dense sensor on
thw A1 has the edge over the A2 in many people's opinion. When the
A2 images are printed or downsampled this advantage may well go
away.

A1+ Price

A1+ Battery life... very clightly longer from the specs. I've
upgraded from a D7 so both are wonderful as far as I'm concerned

A1+ Burst mode better. 5 shot burst in RAW and shorter times
between takes with JPEG.

A2+ Ultra High Speed shooting mode. Only 640x480 but 7 frames a
second for about as long as you keep the shutter release pressed.

A2+ Resolution 8MP/5MP - Some suggest that you may not be able to
get 100% benefit of all of those extra pixes though due the, albeit
excellent, aging GT lens.

A2+ EVF. Four times the resolution and much smoother.

A2+ Movie mode has higher resolution at, I think, a higher rate.

A1+ Movie mode takes longer sequences

A2+ Depth of Field preview. Possibly only of real use in Macro
shooting given teh large DOF of this type of camera.

A2+ 3:2 aspect ratio available... always leave the best till last
eh ;-)

I think that's about it... anyone got any more.

FWIW I have the A2 but ideally would like to see a combination of
the two. I am resigned to a Hi model appearing with a larger buffer
real soon :-(

daveR

Click to expand...

and can say I think they are both great cameras. The two biggest advantages of the A2 are the enhanced EVF and the ISO 64. There are other upgrades that are not importatnt to me. Considering the current price differential, I think the A1 is a great camera and a steal.

Where did you see that price? I have been looking at used 7i's on ebay, in hopes of dumping mine for an A1 (A2 is out of the question because of price...for now) and I was thinking I would get $300. Mine has a few issues: very common screw crack problem on body, obvious scratches and scrapes, but..everything still works, and I could sell my DPS-9000, batteries, card reader, and a few other goodies with it and possibly get 375-400. Well, I decided I would get other things for my hobby, and possibly get the 7D this fall...when the pocketbook has a thicker lining
--
-Matt
http://www.pbase.com/ph0t0man

May I ask how you find indoor/low light performance between the two models? I've seen a previous post where the A2 produced darker less detailed pics in a low light test compared to the A1.

TIA Mike

lharris said:

My new A2 AS is intermitently blinking and may need to be retunred.
But of my good photos taken side by side:

A1 at 5 mp very, very close to 8 mp. Very slightly better
resolution printed at 8 1/2 by 11. I do not have a larger printer
but I do have 2 good printers--Canon 830 and HP 7960.

On screen, also very similar but I can crop in further on the A2.

Color -to me-a bit different between the cams. I like the A1 color
better. It seems a bit truer.

WB better on the A2. EVF better on the A2.

Writes to card faster than I would have expected.

No expert--but I see no CA or PF on any of my A2 shots-nor any
banding or other odd colors. Just-a problem with the AS on this
unit :-(.

I will definitely be exchanging it but for the price, the A1 is an
incredible value. My A1 is soooo good I think I must be really a
perfectionist to even consider selling it.

I paid $999 for the A1 just this past October, 2003...Paid $1099
but then Minolta dropped the price $200 and the dealer rebated it
to me.

I paid $934 for the A2 because J & R matched the Dell sale last
week. I have offers for my A1 from $550 to $650 with warranty. So,
I guess it is up to you to decide the price and pixel differences,
etc.

Whichever you chose--you can't go wrong. I bought an extended
warranty and that is one thing I would highly recommend. You can
get one from J & R even if you didn't buy the camera from them and
you can use Minolta service if you need it.

Good luck.

Linda

I have never used raw but am shooting in super fine.

David Race said:

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Seems to cme down to the following pluses for each model:

A1+ Image Noise/CA less when viewed 100%. The less dense sensor on
thw A1 has the edge over the A2 in many people's opinion. When the
A2 images are printed or downsampled this advantage may well go
away.

A1+ Price

A1+ Battery life... very clightly longer from the specs. I've
upgraded from a D7 so both are wonderful as far as I'm concerned

A1+ Burst mode better. 5 shot burst in RAW and shorter times
between takes with JPEG.

A2+ Ultra High Speed shooting mode. Only 640x480 but 7 frames a
second for about as long as you keep the shutter release pressed.

A2+ Resolution 8MP/5MP - Some suggest that you may not be able to
get 100% benefit of all of those extra pixes though due the, albeit
excellent, aging GT lens.

A2+ EVF. Four times the resolution and much smoother.

A2+ Movie mode has higher resolution at, I think, a higher rate.

A1+ Movie mode takes longer sequences

A2+ Depth of Field preview. Possibly only of real use in Macro
shooting given teh large DOF of this type of camera.

A2+ 3:2 aspect ratio available... always leave the best till last
eh ;-)

I think that's about it... anyone got any more.

FWIW I have the A2 but ideally would like to see a combination of
the two. I am resigned to a Hi model appearing with a larger buffer
real soon :-(

daveR

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

It actually does seem a bit darker. I thought at first it was due to the flash.

Linda

SaskiasImp said:

TIA Mike

lharris said:

My new A2 AS is intermitently blinking and may need to be retunred.
But of my good photos taken side by side:

A1 at 5 mp very, very close to 8 mp. Very slightly better
resolution printed at 8 1/2 by 11. I do not have a larger printer
but I do have 2 good printers--Canon 830 and HP 7960.

On screen, also very similar but I can crop in further on the A2.

Color -to me-a bit different between the cams. I like the A1 color
better. It seems a bit truer.

WB better on the A2. EVF better on the A2.

Writes to card faster than I would have expected.

No expert--but I see no CA or PF on any of my A2 shots-nor any
banding or other odd colors. Just-a problem with the AS on this
unit :-(.

I will definitely be exchanging it but for the price, the A1 is an
incredible value. My A1 is soooo good I think I must be really a
perfectionist to even consider selling it.

I paid $999 for the A1 just this past October, 2003...Paid $1099
but then Minolta dropped the price $200 and the dealer rebated it
to me.

I paid $934 for the A2 because J & R matched the Dell sale last
week. I have offers for my A1 from $550 to $650 with warranty. So,
I guess it is up to you to decide the price and pixel differences,
etc.

Whichever you chose--you can't go wrong. I bought an extended
warranty and that is one thing I would highly recommend. You can
get one from J & R even if you didn't buy the camera from them and
you can use Minolta service if you need it.

Good luck.

Linda

I have never used raw but am shooting in super fine.

David Race said:

Bob Van Epps said:

I did a search of this forum and did not find any treads offering
comparisons or advice for someone considering the A1 or A2. I have
a 7i now and am considering an upgrade. I do not need the 8MP
images but like the idea of a better EVF, (bad eyes ... it sucks
getting old).

Anyway I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has evaluated the
two cameras. Either would be a significant upgrade to my 7i, (which
I love by the way). Should I spend the extra bucks on the A2 or
pick up an A1 at a bargain price? Maybe I should just wait for the
A3 or A4. What do you all think.

Bob

Click to expand...

Seems to cme down to the following pluses for each model:

A1+ Image Noise/CA less when viewed 100%. The less dense sensor on
thw A1 has the edge over the A2 in many people's opinion. When the
A2 images are printed or downsampled this advantage may well go
away.

A1+ Price

A1+ Battery life... very clightly longer from the specs. I've
upgraded from a D7 so both are wonderful as far as I'm concerned

A1+ Burst mode better. 5 shot burst in RAW and shorter times
between takes with JPEG.

A2+ Ultra High Speed shooting mode. Only 640x480 but 7 frames a
second for about as long as you keep the shutter release pressed.

A2+ Resolution 8MP/5MP - Some suggest that you may not be able to
get 100% benefit of all of those extra pixes though due the, albeit
excellent, aging GT lens.

A2+ EVF. Four times the resolution and much smoother.

A2+ Movie mode has higher resolution at, I think, a higher rate.

A1+ Movie mode takes longer sequences

A2+ Depth of Field preview. Possibly only of real use in Macro
shooting given teh large DOF of this type of camera.

A2+ 3:2 aspect ratio available... always leave the best till last
eh ;-)

I think that's about it... anyone got any more.

FWIW I have the A2 but ideally would like to see a combination of
the two. I am resigned to a Hi model appearing with a larger buffer
real soon :-(

daveR

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Steve Cohan said:

and can say I think they are both great cameras. The two biggest
advantages of the A2 are the enhanced EVF and the ISO 64.

Click to expand...

ISO 64 an advantage? Who wants to shoot at that antique rating these days?

The lower sensativity of smaller sensors is a step back, not forward.

Don't be misled into thinking that because a camera has a lower ISO setting available it is bound to have better noise performance than one that does not.

It may be that it NEEDS that lower rating just to get acceptable noise performance when other cameras manage without having to run the CCD at lower sensativity.

This is not film where you could apply pretty safely the rule of thumb that lower sensativity meant less grain.

Dave

Hi Steve

I am considering buying A1 or A2 cameras. I read I various forums the A2 suffers from a “diagonal noise” problem. I also read in some other forums that the A1 suffers from a high digital noise especially for long time exposures.
Have you noticed these problems?

If you did, was the A1 ”long exposure time” digital noise problem diminished/solved for the A2?

One more thing, have you noticed any kind of difference between the “response” time (i.e. the time that passes between pressing the button down and the actual capture) of the two different models? Reading the camera specification won’t give you this important parameter.
Shaul

Steve Cohan said:

and can say I think they are both great cameras. The two biggest
advantages of the A2 are the enhanced EVF and the ISO 64. There are
other upgrades that are not importatnt to me. Considering the
current price differential, I think the A1 is a great camera and a
steal.

Click to expand...

Bob:

I posted a review on this site on the A1 (see My first digital camera was an Olympus C3030...)... everything I stated still goes - but we had a chance to sell the A1 and did - and broke even... My wife and I both wanted the A2 - the high-res EVF is a major draw - due to aging eyesite like you...

Check Internet prices. The A2 is as low as $789.00 on two sites - Express Cameras and A&M Photo - and has been falling every few days by $20 or so... You might want to wait a little...

As for our eyesite... We'll get lasic surgery but have put on the "just get over it" T-shirt til then!

We feel the A2 is the best choice out there, better than the Pro-1 or 8700.

d.c.watchmen

Sorry to butt in but the A2 diagonal noise phenomenon whilst observable is not endemic to every A2.

If you interested in an A2 by all means check for this but I wouldn't stay clear of the A2 simply because some of us have experienced it.

daveR

ShaulSh said:

Steve Cohan said:

and can say I think they are both great cameras. The two biggest
advantages of the A2 are the enhanced EVF and the ISO 64. There are
other upgrades that are not importatnt to me. Considering the
current price differential, I think the A1 is a great camera and a
steal.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Maybe I am just being optomistic. I have not checked out the resale market very carefully yet.

Bob

ph0t0man said:

Where did you see that price? I have been looking at used 7i's on
ebay, in hopes of dumping mine for an A1 (A2 is out of the question
because of price...for now) and I was thinking I would get $300.
Mine has a few issues: very common screw crack problem on body,
obvious scratches and scrapes, but..everything still works, and I
could sell my DPS-9000, batteries, card reader, and a few other
goodies with it and possibly get 375-400. Well, I decided I would
get other things for my hobby, and possibly get the 7D this
fall...when the pocketbook has a thicker lining
--
-Matt
http://www.pbase.com/ph0t0man

Click to expand...