Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been using a variety of 35mm SLR cameras for more than three decades and I place great importance on the feel of the camera in my hand. I approached my recent purchase of a 5MP camera with some early leaning towards Nikon since I've worked with two of their CoolPix cameras. I tried to do my homework on the web and am aware of most +'s and -'s.
The hands-on experience sold me on the Minolta 7Hi. I love the fact that there is manual control, on the lens, of the zoom. I love the fact that the camera permits "DMF" or direct manual focus, which allows you to take advantage of a fast autofocus system that feels much faster than the Nikon (35mm or CoolPix), and THEN to tweak it manually with a ring on the lens. I love the fact that the LCD switches off whenever you put the camera up to your eye to use the electronic viewfinder (EVF).
About four weeks of shooting in Islamorada, Miami, and New York have only strengthened the love affair. This is one great camera. The images, both on screen and printed are gorgeous. I don't print at >=11X14 and the noise is so much better (to my eye) than my earlier digital cameras that I can not say it is a problem. The 12bit A/D and the 64MB RAM buffer in the camera are really nice additions that I think are not found in the other two 5MP choices. The UHS (ultra high speed) mode is incredible.....we're going to use that in my research laboratory in ways that I hadn't even imagined at the time I chose the camera (thanks to an adaptor from Brunel Microscopes in UK) . Finally, I think they designed the menus in a very easy to learn way. Nikon menus (880, 990, 995) always seemed a bit impenetrable to me. But, I move through all the 7Hi menus all the time and had little difficulty keeping straight how to do what where. This is a real credit to those who designed the user interface.
I've added a spare set of 4 AA 1850mAh batteries and (now that each set has been cycled 3-4 times) this will be more than enough for many hundreds of 5MP shots. I also sprang for a 49mm UV filter, a couple of high speed 256MB CF cards and am considering a firewire CF card reader. Otherwise, the bundle is complete.
My single most significant gripe is that the Minolta software crashes all the time under Mac OS X 10.2. The current Mac version is useless, while the Windows version seems OK. But, this isn't the camera's fault, presumably is something that Minolta will fix soon, and really only limits your use of RAW images. Photoshop, Canvas, or iPhoto all work fine.
This is a real camera that just happens to store the images digitally rather than on film. I'd say this camera finally delivers on the digital promise.
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Get professional results with the Minolta Dimage 7Hi, which features 5-megapixel resolution and a 7x optical zoom lens. With the Dimage 7Hi, you can control all the essential elements necessary for high-quality photography, from sharpness and exposure to color and saturation. The Dimage 7Hi incorporates features found in its sister model, the Dimage 7i, and offers further enhancements. The 7Hi comes with a built-in flash synchronization terminal, making it a versatile digital-imaging tool in the studio and on location.
Optics and Resolution The Minolta Dimage 7Hi is built around a high-precision electro-optical system designed to maximize image quality. The system contains a 5.24-megapixel, 2/3-type interline primary color CCD with 5 million effective pixels for fine high-resolution images. The pixel resolution of the CCD will produce 13-by-17-inch, 150 dpi prints on an inkjet printer.
The Dimage 7Hi's new "extra-fine" mode creates JPEG files with a compression ratio of 1/2.5. This mode not only reduces the compression ratio, but also enhances image quality with nearly lossless JPEG imaging. The extra-fine mode can also be used for commercial purposes.
The image formed on the CCD is enhanced by Minolta's exclusive CxProcess image processing technology, which optimizes sharpness, color reproduction, tonal gradation, and noise to create clear and natural images. This wide dynamic range is provided by an improved electro-optical system with a 12-bit analog to digital conversion to ensure natural color and tonal reproduction.
With a focal range of 7.2-50.8mm, the Dimage 7Hi's fast 7x zoom apochromatic (APO) lens is equivalent to a 28-200mm on a 35mm camera. In addition, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi's optical zoom lens accepts standard 49mm filters.
More Features The Dimage 7Hi incorporates direct manual focus, which can be found in professional film cameras like the award-winning Minolta Maxxum 7. It allows the focus to be fine-tuned manually, after the AF system has focused and locked on the subject.
The Dimage 7Hi has two displays for critical composition: grid and scale. The grid, usually found only in large-format view cameras, makes aligning the camera simple, via vertical or horizontal elements within the image. The grid confirms that the horizon or buildings are straight. The scale can be used in close-up photography to judge the relative proportions of the subject. The Dimage 7Hi is fitted with a 1.8-inch low-temperature high-contrast color LCD monitor.
A new built-in flash sync terminal allows the Dimage 7Hi to be connected to professional studio and location flash systems by plugging the flash's PC cord into the terminal. To capture images under varying natural and artificial lighting sources, white balance is controlled with nine settings: five presets, three customs, and one auto.
You can record audio along with still images with the voice-memo feature, which allows a 16-bit audio track of up to 15 seconds to be attached to an image after it has been captured.
Movie Mode In movie mode, the Dimage 7Hi produces digital videos in multiple creative formats, including standard QVGA (320 x 240) color movies and monochrome night movies up to 60 seconds with 16-bit audio. The night-movie mode can record movie clips under extreme low-light conditions, while the interval function can produce a series of still images taken at regular intervals, or it can combine the images into a time-lapsed movie at any image size.
Storage Images are stored on CompactFlash memory cards and the memory slot is compatible with CompactFlash Type II cards as well as Microdrives. The included 16 MB card holds approximately eight images at 2,560 x 1,920 pixel resolution.
Power, Size, and Contents The camera is powered by four NiMH rechargeable batteries, which are included along with a battery charger. At 4.6 by 3.6 by 4.4 inches and 18.5 ounces, the Dimage 7Hi is definitely not an easily pocketable point-and-shoot camera. The package includes the Dimage 7Hi camera, a 16 MB CompactFlash card, four NiMH rechargeable batteries, battery charger, neck strap, lens hood, lens cap with strap, USB and video cables, CD-ROM with Dimage Image View software and drivers, and a printed camera manual.
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