Embargo broken! Get the A1 preview now!

[JusGene]

Phil has done all he can for now. I'm getting dizzy already just trying to keep up with all the threads. Also getting a little confused by all the differences of opinion.

The Preview already answer some of the questions popping up, but if you really want to move forward, a must-read is the Minolta BACKGROUNDER on their website. It's a PDF so you can print or read off-line.

Like the AS, 14-bit A/D conversion, etc., the improvements are numerous. The level of improvements may not be so apparent until a 'review' is posted. We even have to wait to see if the camera ends up faulty 'out of the gate' or even needy of factory repair.

Like others, I have a wish list, and hopes for my future with digital. My D7 (u) hasn't convinced me that a 'new issue' by Minolta will always be the one to jump on, but as a loyal user of their's for too many years, I'm hard headed enough to wait for a 'dream to come true'.

My dream, which is hinted at in the Backgrounder, is the greater dynamic range, however achieved or mentioned.(The 14-bit A/D may be part of it) Reading it and Phil's (are we all buddies?) preview show disappointments too, wouldn't you agree?

A move in the right direction, even if so many posters are talking about moving to the 10D. I'm starting to agree that lugging lots of lenses, etc., around without being a PRO is starting to change my thinking. What about you?

Gene

The

 

[Sol]

I think this is meant as a direct shot across the bows of Nikon and
Cannon. Serving notice that you won't have to spend US $4000+(on
just the body!) to get a high-end DSLR that delivers on all facets.
If the image quality of the A1 with its new sensor is a hit
(especially as far as dynamic range is concerned), then watch
Minolta-Konica regain market share at the professional level in a
hurry. If you can sell your Nikon/Cannon systems for less that what
was spent and buy a complete kit from Minolta with the proceeds of
said sale (guessing the price to be $1800-$2200), then it just
wouldn't make sense to buy Nikon or Cannon.

Think about it: 1/16,000 max shutter speed, IS, and up to 5 fps (in
RAW mode, no less!) all in a PROSUMER digicam just to take pictures
of your cat for WELL under $2000! That makes no sense. I think
Minolta is just finalizing and fine-tuning the components they will
put in a forthcoming DSLR.

1/16,000 is there to let people use all apertures even in bright
light - even so I agree 1/16,000 does seem a little over the top.

--Well said, Dave.!!
Love that "across the bow" stuff. : ))
Sol

Sometimes a photograph captures reality.
Sometimes a photograph captures the imagination.
Ultimately, a photograph simply captures a moment in time.
And then, . . . it lives forever.

 

[digital_ray_of_light]

I think you may have missed the point here. This potentially is a
little gem of information but it requires a leap of faith. I
digress: it has been suggested by some that the A1 is a proving
ground for an upcoming DSLR and I believe we all have the answer
we've been waiting for. I agree that 1/16,000 is overkill in a
PROSUMER digicam. Obviously this speed is meant to satiate the
needs of sports/action shooters but at it's maximum zoom range the
A1 would hardly satisfy completely. One would need a fast-focusing
big zoom (400mm and beyond)...drop in an SSM equipped lens and....I
think you get the point.

I think this is meant as a direct shot across the bows of Nikon and
Cannon. Serving notice that you won't have to spend US $4000+(on
just the body!) to get a high-end DSLR that delivers on all facets.
If the image quality of the A1 with its new sensor is a hit
(especially as far as dynamic range is concerned), then watch
Minolta-Konica regain market share at the professional level in a
hurry. If you can sell your Nikon/Cannon systems for less that what
was spent and buy a complete kit from Minolta with the proceeds of
said sale (guessing the price to be $1800-$2200), then it just
wouldn't make sense to buy Nikon or Cannon.

Think about it: 1/16,000 max shutter speed, IS, and up to 5 fps (in
RAW mode, no less!) all in a PROSUMER digicam just to take pictures
of your cat for WELL under $2000! That makes no sense. I think
Minolta is just finalizing and fine-tuning the components they will
put in a forthcoming DSLR

one small correction: it is either 2fps or 2.8 fps with 5 RAW or 3 JPEG frames per burst. Not 5fps.

But I agree that the A1 is an evolutionary digital cameras.

Having USB 1.1 makes one wonder how long Minolta has been working on this. Or in conspiracy-theory-speak: how long have they been sitting on this camera? LOL

daveR

I'm certain not many people would find the need for the 1/16000
shutter speed. My Dynax 9 has a max of 1/12000 but I've hardly made
that much use of it. I would of preferred to of seen say 1/8000 but
with bulb facility that allows the shutter to remain open for up to
5 minutes.

David Goolsby

 

[David Goolsby]

You are right! I meant to say approximately 3fps with up to 5 images in the buffer.

But I agree that the A1 is an evolutionary digital cameras.

Having USB 1.1 makes one wonder how long Minolta has been working
on this. Or in conspiracy-theory-speak: how long have they been
sitting on this camera? LOL

daveR

I'm certain not many people would find the need for the 1/16000
shutter speed. My Dynax 9 has a max of 1/12000 but I've hardly made
that much use of it. I would of preferred to of seen say 1/8000 but
with bulb facility that allows the shutter to remain open for up to
5 minutes.

David Goolsby

--
David

I shoot people all the time–but I use cameras, not guns!
http://homepage.mac.com/david_g_force

 

[digital_ray_of_light]

I haven't seen any numbers for the A1. The backgrounder for the A1 does not list AF times.

But the backgrounder for the Z1 does:

The Z1 claims 0.3s @ W and 0.4s @ T, but it uses that crazy 60fps refrersh rate. The AF times are under "Rapid AF" in:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0308/minolta/DiMAGEZ1backgrounder.pdf

Minolta have obviously put in a lot of effort into the A1. I would
not be surprised if it was on the drawing board just after the D7i
was introduced. I hope the DA1 encourages Canon and Nikon to
produce better cameras than they currently have. There has been a
lack of innovation in their products lately.

Interestingly, I have not seen any quoted performance figures from
Minolta regarding the predictive AF capability and AF speed. If it
worked as fast as that provided on the Dynax 7 would be something
but I'm not hopeful it will. If the AF is fast enough not to be of
concern and the predictive AF works well and tracks high speed
movement, the A1 will surely be the number one choice amoungst
prosumer cameras.

Assuming all the features work well and the picture noise is
reduced, for me, all that is missing is a larger CCD for better
control of DOF,

Emmanuel

Only 3 frames in a burst is a shame. I don't use the burst mode on
my D7Hi very often but when I do I'd usually need around 3 to 5
frames. For those wanting to shoot sports and make the most of the
high speed predictive AF capability 3 frames burst is quite a
limitation. What a shame!!

Emmanuel

Hi Emmanuel,
Maybe the thought here is that if you shoot photography that
requires 5 fps, then your probably a pro, semi-pro, or tweak, and
are probably going to shoot RAW images anyways. Just musing. : )
--
Sol

Sometimes a photograph captures reality.
Sometimes a photograph captures the imagination.
Ultimately, a photograph simply captures a moment in time.
And then, . . . it lives forever.

 

[David Goolsby]

Thanks, Sol.

But what I find even more intriguing is the fact that Minolta has set itself up to recover development costs on a possible DSLR in a hurry, even if it is a flop. Not long ago, in another thread, someone bemoaned the fact that Minolta has resigned itself to the consumer/prosumer market with so many models that they have no holes in the low-to-midrange. Now it finally makes sense! They intend the low end subsidize their high end offering so that it is a low risk to no risk proposition to price it in the $2000 neighborhood. They have left no openning for their competitors to compete at EVERY price/feature point. This is not to say that there won't be stiff competition at certain price/performance levels, but from top-to-bottom there will be very little to worry about from competitors once a DSLR is added to the mix.

--Well said, Dave.!!
Love that "across the bow" stuff. : ))
Sol

Sometimes a photograph captures reality.
Sometimes a photograph captures the imagination.
Ultimately, a photograph simply captures a moment in time.
And then, . . . it lives forever.

--
David

I shoot people all the time–but I use cameras, not guns!
http://homepage.mac.com/david_g_force

 

[José B]

A move in the right direction, even if so many posters are talking
about moving to the 10D. I'm starting to agree that lugging lots of
lenses, etc., around without being a PRO is starting to change my
thinking. What about you?

I'm staying the course Gene. I am looking forward to that Minolta DSLR. The D7Hi is my last ZLR.

Besides, why do you have to carry everything? Last week, I took architecture shots for Steve Jacob's post with only my Maxxum 7 and 20/2.8. Two months ago, I had a portraiture session with my friend's daughter for her graduation using 50/1.7 and 85/1.4 lenses. Next week, I will be watching a women't tennis tournament with only my Sigma 70-200/2.8 + TCs.

Happy clicking,

José
http://www.pbase.com/jmb_56

--

 

[digital_ray_of_light]

The buffer can hold 9 images.

In JPEG burst mode, 3 images are saved per burst. There is 1.5 seconds between bursts. So in theory, you can fire 3 JPEG-bursts for a total of 9 images.

Using the 2.8fps mode, and rounding it to 3fps for easy math:
You get 3 images in 1s, wait 1.5s, 3 images in 1s, wait 1.5, 3 images in 1s.
So you end up with 9 frames in 5 seconds.

This translates to under 1.8 fps for a total of 9 frames. But you have two 1.5s gaps in between the frames!

Who has an A1 to test this?

After reading all the messages on this, I am thinking that they must have hit a performance bottleneck (hardware?, firmware?) and they best they could do is this what they did. That would explain why the buffer is (3X) bigger than what the burst mode can produce (3 JPEGs).

Hi guys,

Well having worked until the early hours of the morning I was a
little surprised this morning to see so much info on the A1
published more than 12 hours before the embargo time everyone had
been given. So as I now consider that to be void you can get our
preview now:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/minoltadimagea1/

(Annoyed - a little)

--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

 

[digital_ray_of_light]

oops bad math. I should have used a calculator ;-)

The buffer can hold 9 images.

In JPEG burst mode, 3 images are saved per burst. There is 1.5
seconds between bursts. So in theory, you can fire 3 JPEG-bursts
for a total of 9 images.

Using the 2.8fps mode, and rounding it to 3fps for easy math:
You get 3 images in 1s, wait 1.5s, 3 images in 1s, wait 1.5, 3
images in 1s.
So you end up with 9 frames in 5 seconds.

So you end up with 9 frames in 6 seconds.

This translates to under 1.8 fps for a total of 9 frames. But you

1.67fps (or 1.666666666666 fps)

have two 1.5s gaps in between the frames!

Who has an A1 to test this?

After reading all the messages on this, I am thinking that they
must have hit a performance bottleneck (hardware?, firmware?) and
they best they could do is this what they did. That would explain
why the buffer is (3X) bigger than what the burst mode can produce
(3 JPEGs).

Hi guys,

Well having worked until the early hours of the morning I was a
little surprised this morning to see so much info on the A1
published more than 12 hours before the embargo time everyone had
been given. So as I now consider that to be void you can get our
preview now:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/minoltadimagea1/

(Annoyed - a little)

--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

 

[digital_ray_of_light]

The buffer can hold 9 images.

In JPEG burst mode, 3 images are saved per burst. There is 1.5
seconds between bursts. So in theory, you can fire 3 JPEG-bursts
for a total of 9 images.

Using the 2.8fps mode, and rounding it to 3fps for easy math:
You get 3 images in 1s, wait 1.5s, 3 images in 1s, wait 1.5, 3
images in 1s.
So you end up with 9 frames in 5 seconds.

So you end up with 9 frames in 6 seconds.

This translates to under 1.8 fps for a total of 9 frames. But you

1.67fps (or 1.666666666666 fps)

9/6 = 1 + 3/6 = 1.5fps!

have two 1.5s gaps in between the frames!

Who has an A1 to test this?

After reading all the messages on this, I am thinking that they
must have hit a performance bottleneck (hardware?, firmware?) and
they best they could do is this what they did. That would explain
why the buffer is (3X) bigger than what the burst mode can produce
(3 JPEGs).

Hi guys,

Well having worked until the early hours of the morning I was a
little surprised this morning to see so much info on the A1
published more than 12 hours before the embargo time everyone had
been given. So as I now consider that to be void you can get our
preview now:

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/minoltadimagea1/

(Annoyed - a little)

--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

 

[digital_ray_of_light]

A1:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/MinoltaDimageA1/Images/DiMAGEA1backgrounder.pdf

Z1:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0308/minolta/DiMAGEZ1backgrounder.pdf

Phil has done all he can for now. I'm getting dizzy already just
trying to keep up with all the threads. Also getting a little
confused by all the differences of opinion.

The Preview already answer some of the questions popping up, but if
you really want to move forward, a must-read is the Minolta
BACKGROUNDER on their website. It's a PDF so you can print or read
off-line.

Like the AS, 14-bit A/D conversion, etc., the improvements are
numerous. The level of improvements may not be so apparent until a
'review' is posted. We even have to wait to see if the camera ends
up faulty 'out of the gate' or even needy of factory repair.

Like others, I have a wish list, and hopes for my future with
digital. My D7 (u) hasn't convinced me that a 'new issue' by
Minolta will always be the one to jump on, but as a loyal user of
their's for too many years, I'm hard headed enough to wait for a
'dream to come true'.

My dream, which is hinted at in the Backgrounder, is the greater
dynamic range, however achieved or mentioned.(The 14-bit A/D may be
part of it) Reading it and Phil's (are we all buddies?) preview
show disappointments too, wouldn't you agree?

A move in the right direction, even if so many posters are talking
about moving to the 10D. I'm starting to agree that lugging lots of
lenses, etc., around without being a PRO is starting to change my
thinking. What about you?

Gene

The

 

[Sol]

Thanks, Sol.

But what I find even more intriguing is the fact that Minolta has
set itself up to recover development costs on a possible DSLR in a
hurry, even if it is a flop. Not long ago, in another thread,
someone bemoaned the fact that Minolta has resigned itself to the
consumer/prosumer market with so many models that they have no
holes in the low-to-midrange.

Glad you brought that up, Dave. It's amazing how many post, in recent months, have been there declaring "Minolta has to go after the consumer cam market, because they have no money for R&D". Mean while "The Mind" has just re-written the rules. (AGAIN!!!). God help us when Minolta actually has the so-called "missing cash flow" (as in merger) to suddenly spend on R&D.

Now it finally makes sense! They
intend the low end subsidize their high end offering so that it is
a low risk to no risk proposition to price it in the $2000
neighborhood. They have left no openning for their competitors to
compete at EVERY price/feature point. This is not to say that there
won't be stiff competition at certain price/performance levels, but
from top-to-bottom there will be very little to worry about from
competitors once a DSLR is added to the mix.

Man, I can't wait !!

--
Sol

Sometimes a photograph captures reality.
Sometimes a photograph captures the imagination.
Ultimately, a photograph simply captures a moment in time.
And then, . . . it lives forever.

 

[Ulysses]

The pics on the Japanes link in another thread has pics that aren't
too impressive....

No, they didn't stand out as anything impressive. But since there is no EXIF data, I'm not really trusting those shots.

Oftentimes, you need a good photographer and a good photograph to show off what a camera is really capable of. Phil's galleries give very nice examples of what a good picture in a relatively ordinary environment can look like.

--

Ulysses

 

[Ed Starkey]

On Minolta's website I saw this spec. but i wonder what the MAXIMUM focus time is. That's more important to me - worst case situations!!!!

Here's the link

http://www.dimage.minolta.com/a1/01.html

Ed

 

[Olivia T. BvG]

Nothing as yet. There are rumours that they might come out with a camera with the new 8mp Sony chip in it, but sofar only rumours and nothing concrete. The Fuji S7000 has the most promise sofar, before the A1 was announced. But as you said, we have to wait till the full reviews to see how good they really are.

Heheheh... Each company releases a camera with its own bag of
tricks, but let's not get too excited just yet. We haven't seen any
pictures.

Furthermore, are there any pics out from the S7000 yet? If not,
that's also an unknown factor.

I do not believe Nikon has released anything truly new for the
prosumer class yet, have they? Certainly you're not referring to
the 5400.
--

Olivia
http://www.pbase.com/soulsurfer
http://photos.yahoo.com/whispersfromspirit

 

[David Race]

On Minolta's website I saw this spec. but i wonder what the MAXIMUM
focus time is. That's more important to me - worst case
situations!!!!

Here's the link

http://www.dimage.minolta.com/a1/01.html

Ed

Actaully their site says autofocusing starts in as little as 0.2 seconds - a little amiquous.

daveR

 

[raymond ruan]

Phil,

Do you have any idea if the ccd will capture infrared imaging like
the original D7?...or is it more like the D7i and D7HI, wherein
they apparently put in a stronger hotfilter?

Thanks.

--
Mark Pernal
Lk Mary, FL
http://www.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=21985

--
Raymond Ruan

 

[Will Rose]

Can your contacts at Minolta shed some light on this craziness? (If it's a fundamental limitation of the camera or if it'll be upgraded in a firmware release?) As it stands, it's obviously a huge drawback to those of us wishing to use the A1 for sports photography, which is a shame because hi-speed coupled with the 3D autofocus would be a killer.

Thanks,
Will

I've got an A1 in my hand and can confirm that in JPEG mode you can
only shoot 3 images in a burst, in RAW mode you can indeed shoot 5
images in a burst. Crazy.
--
Phil Askey
Editor / Owner, dpreview.com

 

[Jawed49152]

Minolta makes relatively low-res CCDs for industrial applications. Ultra high dynamic range, for videoing welding, being one application...

Jawed

So far, I have not found anything about the sensor.

There is only a handful of sensor manufacturers so the suspects
list is small. Some prime suspects: Sony, Kodak, Matsushita.
Unless Minolta/Konica decided to make their own sensors a la Nikon.

I haven't checked the Minolta pattents and trademarks or any of
their (or Konica's) other imaging products. Do they use their own
sensors for those or purchase them from 3rd parties?