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(More customer reviews)I have had a Nikon Coolpix 4300 for about two and a half years and in that time have taken over 2500 pictures. One thing I definately wanted was a camera with a longer zoom. I travel by bicycle and like to carry my camera everywhere (that is why so many pictures!) so I did not want to go to the size and expense of a digital SLR. As I seached for cameras with longer zooms, there were two I liked the range of- both the Canon Pro1 and the Dimage A200 which was not released yet. The 28- 200mm (35mm equivelent) zoom gives me a great range from wide angle to telephoto. A very useful range making many different pictures possible. I also was attracted by the anti-shake feature. A camera with a long zoom (some go to 300mm on digital prosumer cameras) is not useful if you cannot hold it steady enough to get a clear picture. Despite the length of the zoom, the camera is surprisingly compact at about 4 1/2" by 4 1/2" and easily fits into my fanny pack which is exactly what I wanted.
Another great feature is the adjustable LCD monitor which is sharper than the one on my Nikon. This allows you to aim over your head or at a low angle and still see what you are shooting at. You can fold it in facing the camera body to protect it and also to shoot using the EVF viewfinder which means you are using less battery power. It will turn completely forward so you can do a self portrait using the remote control to trip the shutter. The remote can also be useful for long exposures on a tripod like night shots. For night shots, it even has noise cancelation where it will take a second picture with the shutter closed to record any "hot spots" from pixels and subtract them from the final picture so it is clearer and doesn't have white dots on it. I tried this and it takes great night shots- the best I have gotten with any camera I have owned. I used a tripod of course. This slows the time between pictures a little, but if you are taking this type of picture you are used to waiting.
The time between shots it pretty quick. Faster than my Nikon certainly. It has manual or auto focus (I used manual with it at infinity for my night shots since this like many auto focus cameras can have trouble focusing in low light situations). The macro can be used at either the wide angle or telephoto ends of the zoom. I have not really tried that yet. Nor have I tried the movie format which is said to be very good. There are two resolutions you can use for that. That is not what I bought this camera for anyways.
I thought my little Nikon 4mp camera took nice pictures,but the Dimage A200 blows that away. It is simple enough for a novice to use it on "Auto" but has enough features to please most professionals too. I have mostly used "Auto" so far and as I become more familiar with the camera, I will be able to take advantage of more of its features. I already have taken pictures with it that when I look at them I am amazed that I took them. They are very sharp- from the wide angle through telephoto. This camera fit my needs and then some- with the options available as I become more experienced with them. If you are serious about photography and yet want to keep it simple, this is a great camera! I don't need or want to carry all that other gear.
Notice I have not talked about the eight megapixels? That is because it was not a consideration for my purchase and enjoyment fo this camera. Four is a lot for most uses especially since most users will not be making prints larger than 8x 10. But this camera gives you that possiblity. I guess that sums up this camera the best- all the possibilities it gives you. All in one small package. I love this camera! Yes, the photo is what the eye sees, but this will definately help you to capture what you see. I very highly recommend it!
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Konica Minolta Dimage A200 8MP Digital Camera with Anti-Shake 7x Optical ZoomA close cousin of the Dimage A2, Konica Minolta's SLR-style Dimage A200 offers a smaller, more rounded body design and is lighter by 2.1 ounces. But it's packed full of powerful features that will be appreciated by a wide range of photographers, from professional to advanced amateur. In addition to its 8-megapixel resolution and 7x optical zoom, the Dimage A200 features a movie mode with 800 x 600-pixel resolution, 1.8-inch flip-out LCD monitor, and Minolta's anti-shake technology to keep things smooth.
Optics and Resolution The Dimage A200 has an 8.0-megapixel, 2/3-inch interlace scan CCD that can subtle, expressive images--even individual hairs or the stitches of a suit in sharp detail. It has the following resolution options: 3264 x 2448, 3264 x 2176 (3:2 aspect ratio), 2560 x 1920, 2080 x 1560, 1600 x 1200, and 640 x 480. The 7x optical zoom GT lens is designed specifically for digital photography with sharper, clearer images minus any color aberration, even when using the large aperture setting. It has a 28-200mm equivalency in 35mm photography and a focal range of f2.8 to f3.5. It also has two digital zoom options: a normal 2x and an interpolated 4x.
With its proprietary new advanced LSI engine and CxProcess III image-processing technology, the DiMAGE A200 provides high-speed and stress-free image processing with low power consumption. And, its ability to suppress noise and provide exceptionally accurate color reproduction means that users get high-quality images every time.
Movie Mode The Dimage A200 offers a true VGA (640 x 480 pixels) movie mode, enabling you to record video at TV-quality 30 frames per second (fps). You also have the option to shoot at a larger resolution (800 x 600, SVGA) at 15 fps, good for viewing on a PC screen. Unlike many digital cameras, the Dimage A200 allows use of both the optical and digital zoom while recording movies, and the Night Movie function makes subjects highly visible even in dark settings. You can shoot a maximum of 15 minutes of video with audio.
Anti-Shake Technology The Anti-Shake feature provides a highly effective way to deal with camera shake--a major cause of substandard images, especially with telephoto shots and when shooting in dim lighting. The Dimage A200 features a CCD-shift mechanism to stabilize images by offsetting the shaking pattern of the user's hand, providing stability at up to three shutter speeds slower than on digital cameras without an Anti-Shake function.
Storage and Transfer Images are stored on CompactFlash cards (Type I/II), and it supports Microdrives. The Dimage A2 does not come with a memory card. It connects to Macs and Windows-based PCs via USB 2.0 connectivity.
Direct Printing By directly connecting the Dimage A200 to a PictBridge-compliant printer, you can easily create prints without going through a computer--just choose your image directly from the LCD monitor.
More Features The camera's 1.8-inch TFT Vari-angle LCD monitor rotates 270 degrees vertically and 180 degrees horizontally, allowing you to get a clear viewpoint for shooting artistic angles or taking flawless self-portraits. Other features include:
In addition to JPEG images, the Dimage A200 can also save captured images to RAW (12 bits per pixel), RAW+JPEG, and TIFF formats.
The Ultra High Speed mode captures images at a continuous advance of 40 frames at 10 frames per second.
Automatic or manual popup flash has a five-second refresh and fill, red-eye reduction, slow sync, and rear flash sync modes.
Sure-grip, ergonomic body makes it easy to carry and use anywhere.
Power and Size The Dimage A200 is powered by a proprietary rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NP-800), which provides power for approximately 260 images or 330 minutes of continuous playing time. It measures 4.49 x 3.15 x 4.53 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 17.8 ounces without battery or media.
What's in the Box This package includes the Minolta Dimage A200 digital camera, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NP-800) and battery charger (BC-900), USB and AV cables, lens cap, accessory shoe cap, lens shade, wireless remote control, and CD-ROM with Dimage Viewer and ULEAD Video Studio 8 SE software.
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