|
extremely low light situations
with minimum movement, of course, and the photos were very good. I
recently took pictures at a birthday party for a two-year old. I didn't
use a flash at all and the party was indoors due to rainy weather. 95% of
the photos were without any blur. I have often found that flash pictures,
at least when I take them, leave the subject bright and washed out so I
try to avoid flash pictures whenever possible. I also used the A200's
video capabilities recently. I forgot to change the video setting back to
the picture setting when taking a family photo so I ended up with a video
of everyone saying "Cheese." Some mistakes are blessings in disguise. The
video auto-focus at the smaller setting makes a clicking noise, but at 800
x 600 I haven't noticed any noise at all. The zoom can also be used while
taking video though it takes just a couple of seconds to refocus on the
subject(s). The color pictures (natural setting) are true-to-life, the
black and white setting is really fun, and the macro is adequate. I rarely
use the "Vivid" setting. I did purchase the close-up lens, but have
learned that the wide angle macro is fine and crops nicely. From my
findings, it appears that the close-up lens must be used at a determined
length to be in focus and the center of the subject is in fine focus but
the outer area can be fuzzy. I will probably not use it enough to have
justified its purchase. I did purchase the Konica Minolta step-up ring
(49mm-62mm), the Konica Minolta Circular Polarizer (62mm recommended by KM
to prevent vignetting which it does) and a 62mm metal screw-on lens cap
for the filter to protect it. These were NOT inexensive filters but in my
opinion a worthwhile purchase. There is very little grain at ISO400 so I
am pleased about that. I'm still learning about photographing action
shots. My success has been minimal in that area but it probably means
learning more about its many settings. My only wish for this camera is
that it had a 300mm zoom. Still, with 8MP, cropping works just fine. I
have become very attached to this camera. It has been and continues to be
such a rich learning experience. It is NOT a camera for someone who is
expecting a point and shoot. It will certainly disappoint. It will not
have the shutter speed of a dSLR. It requires some patience in low-light,
but the results are really nice. I am quite happy about this camera and
what it can do.
________________________________________________________________
Very disappointed, February 17, 2006
Reviewer: Eric Gross
After reading many reviews for this camera and exploring the many other
cameras out there, I finally decided on the Minolta A200. While the camera
is really outstanding in normal situations, the auto focus is absolutely
useless in low light. Moreover, the camera vibrated roughly when it was
trying to focus. Pictures taken in AF mode in low light were very out of
focus. I assumed the camera was defective and returned it to Minolta. But
when I received it back from them (after 3 weeks), it still had the same
problem. The camera is completely unacceptable, if you're ever planning to
take a pictures indoors in moderate to low light. I really can't
understand anyone giving it a positive review.
________________________________________________________________
Thrilled!, February 16, 2006
Reviewer: Green Eyed Marketeer
I am a graphic artist, and I am thrilled with the pixel quality of this
camera. I see no color mis-alignment as in other cameras. I am especially
thrilled with the anti-shake technology; I have been able to shoot indoor
pictures at night under ambient light with no tripod! More than half of my
shots are not blurry!
________________________________________________________________
Virtually Flawless, January 12, 2006
Reviewer: T. Boomer
You can read about all the cool features (and trust me, there are a lot of
them) from konica minolta's website, but what I really want to attest to
that you can't always necessarily trust from the manufacturer's website is
QUALITY. If you want really high-quality pictures (and are willing to take
some time to learn how to use the settings properly), then this camera
will not disappoint you. I'm hoping to start selling my photos in the near
future, so image quality is extremely important to me. I wanted to get a
dSLR, but simply couldn't afford to get high-quality one with a decent
assortment of lenses comparable to the 28mm-200mm lens (22mm - 300mm with
accessories) that the Dimage A200 has. Eventually, I still plan to get a
dSLR so that I can have such luxeries as a 600mm telephoto lens, but for
now, the A200 is performing better than I could have hoped for and has all
the same settings that most dSLRs have (except for interchangeable lenses
of course). Maybe some other people got lemons (or aren't using their
cameras properly), but the autofocus on my camera is working perfectly. I
must admit that it's slower in low light situations, but it almost always
gets there eventually (and in the rare instances when it doesn't, you can
use the direct manual focus to fine-tune it...not the easiest thing in the
world, but it does work). The battery doesn't last as long as I would
like, so I recommend getting at least one back-up. I got a generic one for
about $15 after tax and shipping and it works great. Also, I want to
clarify that the camera DOES NOT lose its settings when the battery is
changed (this could be because I have a spare battery and can replace it
immediately instead of waiting for it to charge, or other people got
lemons or aren't using the cameras properly). The camera's built-in macro
capabilities aren't fantastic (i.e., you can't get very close to your
subject), but getting the close-up lens (CL49-200) solves that problem.
Now I have crystal clear pictures of things I otherwise never would have
seen (e.g., a butterfly's tongue). Also, if a 200mm lens isn't enough for
you, you can get the ACT-100 telephoto converter to extend your lens to a
supposed 300mm (however, my personal experience shows it to be something
more like 290mm). And that's my only real complaint about this camera
(which I was fully aware of before purchasing it)--I just wish it had a
longer lens. My old camera had a 380mm lens and I really miss having that
much range. Then again, if the A200 had a 380mm lens, it probably would
have bumped up the price to something I couldn't afford anyway.
All-in-all, this camera is fantastic and anyone who takes the time to
learn how to use it properly should not be disappointed.
Back to Konica Minolta Dimage A200 |
