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Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 review

Started Apr 21, 2009 | User reviews
Leef Regular Member • Posts: 268
Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 review

(Reviewed April 21, 2009) I've had this camera since 2004, and was recently in a situation where I had to either repair it (the EVF went black - a common failure mode likely due to wire fatigue from moving the hinged EVF) or buy a new camera. Well, I looked and looked and realized just how unique this camera is. I see it as a travel camera primarily - both the wide range of the compact-sized lens (28 - 200 mm in 35mm equivalent) and the addition of anti-shake to help ensure more shots in the sub-400/200 iso range (and get those shots others might have to lug a tripiod around to get) really define this as a well-designed travel tool. If you are a true pixel-peeper the smaller 2/3 CCD may present some issues for you. If your phot mission is unimpeded with heavy detachable lenses, then perhaps a dSLR would be the way to go. But if you enjoy otherwise excellent image quality in a relatively compact package, it's really hard to beat the A2. The only think I have seen that comes close is the Panasonic G1 (larger sensor with detachable lenses), but the lenses are slower (down to only f 4.0) with a presumably shallower depth of field, the shutter is mechanical (hence unsilenceable), the body is plastic (vs magnesium alloy in the A2), the macro capabilities are questionable, and the convenient hard buttons/switches of the A2 are almost nonexistent - in the G1, almost all configuration changes must be made via the software. That said, buy the time my A2 really bites the dust (hopefully at least another couple of years), the G1 "bridge" architecture will have been advanced enough to offer more options and faster lenses.

Problems:

- EVF failure

- Antishake failure (likely occurred in the repair shop - I was notified of this, even though it was working fine when shipped to the repair facility) - the AS was fixed, but I was advised that limited replacement parts made it especially challenging (authorized repair facility - Precision Camera)

- Occassional misses on autofocus - supposedly addressed in the recent repair but I haven't fully evaluated since returned

Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2
8 megapixels • 1.8 screen • 28 – 200 mm (7.1×)
Announced: Feb 12, 2004
Leef's score
4.5
Average community score
4.4
darcy Regular Member • Posts: 231
Re: Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 review

I will cherish my A2 and try not to use the "tilting" of EVF so often thus not to break the thin film containing the circuit alongside the hinge of viewfinder.

Michael Fritzen Veteran Member • Posts: 6,741
Re: Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 review

Similar care is needed for the back LCD which in my case showed occasionally similar issues which are more commoly known from the EVF.

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Cheers,
Michael Fritzen

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