Konica Minolta Dimage A2 Digital camera with Anti Shake [8MP , 7 x Optical]

I have recently purchased the Minolta DiMage A2 digital camera and it worked with no problems straight out of the box. This is an enthusiast's camera though.

I have a compact FujiFilm Fine Pix as a snapshot digital camera and the results are okay, but nothing had prepared me for the sheer quality of the Minolta A2. It produces results easily comparable with my Contax 35mm SLR camera with Zeiss lenses given normal viewing situations (ignore the lab and bench tests, it is how it performs in the field that counts). I use the Canon i990 printer and I cannot tell the difference between the Canon and a 35mm film lab print.

Ignore the advice about shooting in RAW or Tiff formats (though the camera has these formats), use the Extra Fine JPEG mode and Adobe embedded RSB mode. The results are truly excellent, pin sharp, grain free on AUTO ISO and beautiful colour.

I am a Zoologist who works for a University and my specialist area is deer. I have been out shooting deer (with the camera, hate guns) in the Scottish Highlands with the A2 and the first thing I would say is you need to get used to the auto focusing. For animals I use either the Flex Focus Point or Continuous AF.

The anti-shake works well in telephoto conditions and low light. I have a neurological problem and the pictures are rock steady with anti-shake on telephoto.

I use the EVF all the time and once you are used to it, it is just like using an SLR.

This is a truly exceptional digital camera.

(I tried to post this review before, but it disapeared; no doubt it willappear twice now!)
The Minolta A2 is arguably the most comprehensively specified of thecurrent crop of prosumer 8 megapixel cameras. It is also competitivelypriced relative to the rest of the pack. If nothing else, this makes itworth looking at.
I have been in possession of my A2 for two weeks now and have put itthrough its paces in a number of different lighting conditions. So far theresults that I have had with it have varied from extremely competent tobreathtaking.
Having read a number of reviews I was concerned about image noisiness.Let's make no bones about this. Viewed at 100% pixel resolution there is asmall amount of noticeable noise on images even at ISO-64. Initially thismay seem disappointing, however, in practical tests I have found it to belargely irrelevant. Taking an unprocessed, ostensibly noisy image, andprinting it out to A3 gives a completely acceptable image quality.Interestingly, when I took such an image and an identical, noise reducedimage (using Noise Ninja) over half the people I asked for a preferencesaid that they thought the unprocessed image looked better.
Doing the math reveals that from a 3264x2248 image, you can print at A3(11.75x16.5 inches) at 203 X 191 pixels per inch (PPI). This is just belowbottom end of what is conventionally thought to be photo quality.Nevertheless, a well saturated, properly exposed picture printed at thissize can be nothing short of stunning. Expanding beyond that will start toreveal flaws in the image - but this is offset by the fact that postersize images tend to be viewed from larger distances. For me the ability totake a crop out of the centre of an image and still print it at photoquality on A4 is an absolute joy.
So how easy is it to get that well saturated, properly exposed original?So far I have found it to be pretty painless. The camera's automaticsetting does a pretty good job in most lighting conditions. If it gets itwrong, tweaking the exposure setting a stop or so in either direction iseasy enough. The real time histogram can be a real help in deciding if theimage is going to be over or underexposed. In places where more control isneeded, the manual settings are easily adjusted and cover a goodrange.
As the ISO number increases, so does the noise level. I took some indoorshots at ISO-400 with no flash and they are noticeably noisy. Running themthrough Noise Ninja makes a dramatic improvement; but they are still notbrilliant. For this kind of work the only options seem to be to use aflash, a lower ISO value and a tripod or a different camera. Long exposureshots work nicely enough with a tripod.
Functionally the camera is well laid out. I have found it very easy tofind my way around. The learning process is help along by the manual(sadly only provided in PDF) which is comprehensive and clearly laidout.
In operation, the manual zoom is a joy to use and the auto-focus isgenerally quick and accurate. The anti-shake also seems to do the trickquite nicely. I have taken crisp, shake free images at shutter speeds Icould only dream of with other cameras. Sadly the manual focus is harderto set correctly - the Electronic View Finder (EVF), whilst better thanthe competition, is still not really up to the task. The EVF switches toblack and white in dim lighting and remains usable, however, under brightlighting the lack of contrast makes it very difficult to see.
I can't answer the question for anyone else of "should they buy thiscamera?". From some reviews I have read it may be that there are other 8Megapixel cameras which have a slightly better image quality. So much ofthe choice depends upon your criteria. However, for my part all I can sayis that the image quality that I get making prints is everything that itshould be, and for my requirements the feature set places this camera wellahead of the competition. As such I would have no qualms aboutrecommending it.
Pros:
Excellent lens, with a good range.
Fast, accurate auto focus
Easy to use
Short "switch on to shoot" time
Can keep shooting whilst images save
Cons:
Noisy at higher ISO
Lack of optical viewfinder
Poor manual focus

Wishing to manipulate/edit my photos on PC, I found that originating from digital cameras was far better than scanning from 35 mm film/prints - speed, quality, adaptability, etc. So I researched hard across a range of digital cameras, wishing to get as close in features as possible to my trusty SLRs. Ideally I wanted a digital SLR, but the price was taboo, and I kind of liked the idea of not having to carry around half a ton of lenses with me! So my research narrowed to prosumers and I played with various models in photography shops before settling on the Minolta A2 - I took the advice of a professional photographer in the family to buy one with the biggest chip within my budget. Amazon offered the best price, but delivery was slow (about 4 weeks). The next test was to use it! I took it on a cruising holiday to the Mediterranean and came back with 1GB of photos, the majority of which I have kept, because they are so good! My new problem is how to afford to print then all!
The A2 is easy to use and performs well in most conditions. A couple of hours study of the manuals (printed and PC-based) enabled me to drive the machine satisfactorily. Seldom, if ever, will I need to take it up to anywhere near max definition, but its nice to have the facility to produce pictures for poster-sites if I want to! The acid test is whether it produces better pictures than my SLR. In most situations the answer is MUCH BETTER. Being keen on landscape photography and 'natural life' I have found the optical zoom (can be doubled digitally) far better than the great long thing I used to heave around with me. And if I just want to reproduce part of a photo, if I have taken it on high definition, then the cropped portion prints off wonderfully - a close-up from 2 miles away! I have found on the critical side that sometimes in automatic mode the camera under-exposes or lays a brownish tinge to the photo, but on-screen photo-editing after downloading to my PC enables me to remedy this. The in-built video facility is a nice feature, but of course takes up a lot of memory, and to film scenic panoramas you really need a tripod. However, if movie is your thing, then you will want a camcorder, not a digital camera! The one downside to anything less than digital SLR is the delay between shutter release and capture. Its not too bad on the A2, but I wouldn't use it at a grand prix! Overall, value for money, etc, I get better pictures than my SLR and so I am converted!