With such a long list of features, we put Konica Minolta's Dimage A2 through its paces to see if it lives up to the hype.Konica Minolta's Dimage A1 came into the market last year to great reception. Its successor, the Dimage A2, not only retains all the good bits, it also brings to the table an 8-megapixel sensor and a much sharper 900k-pixel electronic viewfinder (EVF). While the camera's images ain't particularly great for its class, the comprehensive feature set, good performance and just about the best EVF on the market sets this shooter apart from its competitors.
The single greatest feature about the Dimage A series has been its Anti-Shake technology. The A2 retains that innovative design and news from the manufacturer is that it'll launch the same sensor-stabilisation technology for its upcoming digital SLR (single lens reflex) model. This will allow all existing lenses with a Minolta mount to enjoy the benefits of optical image stabilisation without modifications and may give current Minolta SLR users much to look forward to.
With regard to design, the A2 feels and works very much like its predecessor -- which is really a good thing. The minor enhancements to the Dimage 7 series in terms of extra dials, switches and features have made the A series a spontaneous camera that's very shooting-oriented -- all you need is a flick of a switch and you're ready to take a picture. All commonly used shooting options have dedicated controls to prevent you from fumbling through countless menus.
It'll be difficult to kvetch about the A2's feature set. In fact, we think the less-experienced shutterbugs may find the list of features intimidating. As expected, there's plenty of freedom for creativity with the options to independently control both shutter and aperture operation. To aid in getting accurate exposures, there is also a real-time exposure histogram.
For optics, the A2 keeps the same useful 28-200mm (35mm equivalent) Minolta GT lens, allowing a good mix of wide-angle and telephoto performance. While the variable F2.8 to F3.5 lens lacks the "fastness" of some of its competitors (Sony F828 with F2.0 to F2.8 and Canon Pro1 with F2.4 to F3.5), it's the only make in the 8-megapixel crowd to feature optical image stabilisation -- which should more than compensate for this slight inferiority.
Apart from the very long list of shooting options, you can also snap some pretty good movie clips at 544 x 408 resolution at 30fps, an improvement over the A1's 320 x 240 resolution. Other noteworthy mentions include a hotshoe that's compatible with Minolta's Dynax / Maxxum system flashes, and uncompressed RAW and TIFF capture. Mirroring some of the dSLRs available, the A2 also allows recording of RAW+JPEG simultaneously.
In our tests, we found the A2's performance to be mostly impressive. The unit powered up in about 2 seconds with the first shot ready to be taken in less than 3 seconds. Its shot-to-shot interval clocked in at about 1 to 2 seconds with the flash on, and averaged just under 1 second with the flash off. With RAW files, though, the buffer was able to hold only three frames before coming to a noticeable pause. The biggest letdown had to be the performance of RAW+JPEG recordings. This dropped the shot-to-shot timings to a dismal 30 seconds.
We liked the A2's manual zoom ring and found that it offered precise control. The auto-focusing (AF) system was also quite peppy, often taking less than a second for situations with adequate lighting. If there was an obstacle for the A2, it had to be low-light performance. This Minolta's AF system had difficulty focusing on objects in dim lighting and took lengthy times to hunt for the (sometimes) correct focal points. This was where the A2's manual focus ring had its most use. The servo-activated mechanism permitted reasonably accurate continuous manual focus when used with the magnification feature. This together with the new high-resolution EVF easily made this camera a winner among its peers.
In terms of image quality, the A2 delivered okay-looking photos. With ISO speeds below 400, we've found the images to be usable, offering relatively clean images with good detail. Disappointingly, we detected slight barrel distortion with the A2 at its widest angle, but other aberrations were low. The colours captured were natural and the metering generally gave well-exposed shots. However, in high-contrast shots, the A2 did have a slight tendency to blow out highlights. The camera's automatic white balance performed reasonably well -- if perhaps exhibiting a cool blue tinge.
On the surface, the Dimage A2 appears to have just plonked in a new high-resolution sensor over its predecessor. However, delve deeper and you'll find that it also sports an industry-leading 900k-pixel EVF. For us, the new EVF makes the A2. The output quality of the viewfinder is much higher than its predecessor and, similarly, its 235k-pixel competitors. While optical viewfinders still hold an edge, that margin is noticeably reduced. Apart from the image noise above ISO 400 speeds, non-usuable RAW+JPEG capture modes and a pinch of barrel distortion, it is really hard not to like this camera.
Konica Minolta Dimage A2
Company: Konica Minolta Australia
Price: AU$1,899
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 1800 226 144
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