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Innovative Prosumer Digicam Features 8 Megapixels and Much, Much More. All photos by Ron Leach.
Just about the time that many folks thought the pixel race was grinding to a halt, along came a new batch of prosumer digicams that combined 8-megapixel resolution with the versatility of a built-in zoom lens, an integrated electronic flash, and a host of advanced features and manual controls. One of the best of the bunch is the new Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2.
We regularly caution photographers about getting too hung up on pixel count, simply because there are so many variables that contribute to image quality besides the number of pixels on the camera's CCD. Optical quality is obviously very important, as is the camera's image-processing system. Other critical characteristics include how well a digital camera controls noise at higher ISO settings and the degree to which it minimizes color fringing—or "bichrominance"—along areas of high contrast. Depending upon the type of images you shoot, focusing speed and accuracy, low-light capability, and image-processing speed can be just as important as pixel count.
In fact, while the new Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 utilizes the same Sony 8.3–megapixel CCD found in the Olympus C-8080, Canon PowerShot Pro 1, Nikon 8700, and Sony DSC-F828 cameras, it would be a mistake to assume that these five models all deliver the same results under similar situations.
 What's New?
That the DiMAGE A2 performs so admirably under a wide variety of conditions should come as no surprise. This new flagship model represents the evolution and refinement of a line of very adept 5-megapixel Minolta models that pre-dated Minolta's recent merger with Konica: the Minolta DiMAGE 7, 7i, 7Hi and the A1 that we reviewed earlier this year in our February issue.
One of the most obvious improvements is apparent the first time you look through the A2's new high-performance electronic viewfinder. With 922,000 pixels, this high-density VGA-quality display offers nearly four times the resolution of the DiMAGE A1 (or any other currently available digicam, for that matter). While still not as sharp as a TTL optical viewfinder, this EVF boasts a variety of benefits not found on a conventional viewfinder, including a full-information data overlay, automatic light amplification under dim conditions, and tilting from 0°–90° for convenient shooting at odd angles.
In fact, the A2's new EVF is so good that were were able to use it for accurate manual focusing; something that we've found difficult when using electronic viewfinders on other cameras. Speaking of focusing, the A2 features a significantly improved 3D predictive AF system that provides extremely fast and accurate subject acquisition, even with subjects moving directly towards the camera. In short, while the AF system in the A1 was very fast, the A2 is noticeably faster.
The camera features a Flex Focus Point (FFP) mode that enhances the versatility of the AF system when focusing on off-center subjects. When using FFP, a single crosshair sensor can be positioned anywhere within the scene using the four-way controller on the back of the camera. This approach is faster than the more common procedure of pre-focusing on your subject by partially depressing the shutter button, then recomposing and taking the shot.
Like its predecessor, the A2 also incorporates a Direct Manual Focus (DMF) capability, similar to that found on high-end 35mm film cameras. For critical focusing situations, DMF enables you to fine-tune focus manually by turning a ring at the rear of the lens barrel after the AF system has focused and locked on the subject. We found the AF system to be so accurate, however, that we rarely used the DMF system.
Another notable upgrade is the A2's larger 64MB SDRAM memory buffer, which permits you to shoot in the continuous mode at 1.9 fps in the high-resolution 8-megapixel mode. Also worth mentioning is an interesting new option which enables you to capture 8-megapixel images in a 3:2 aspect ratio (the same as 35mm film), instead of the standard monitor-sized 4:3 ratio.
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